Filed under: Work
Vicarious Liability is a well enshrined employment law principle, as any human resources professional or lawyer will tell you.
Therefore isn’t Gordon Brown (the employer) vicariously liable for matters written by a Special Advisor (the employee) at No10 (the office or company premises)?
Seems an easy one given the slanderous and foul-mouthed rantings of Damien McBride’s emails, what’s the view in HR world?
Filed under: Work
The Mann Gulch fire, which overran 16 firefighters in 1949, is a great example of how leaders need to earn the trust of their team in ‘the good times’ – and not hope their status ensures it will be there when that key moment happens.
The firefighters were smokejumpers who had parachuted near a fire on August 5, 1949. While they were moving to a safer location, the fire blocked their route. Three survived including the foreman (or leader), Wagner Dodge. Dodge led the team away from the fire initially and down to the river. When he realised the fire was about to trap the crew Dodge ignited an escape fire into which he tried to move his crew…
But they didn’t follow him and 16 died.
Dodge lay down within the area he had burned off. The grassy slope quickly burned away, giving him a large area free of fuels to prevent the main fire’s flames or radiation from injuring him. Since the crew did not understand why Dodge was firing the grass, no one stayed with him. His leadership and arguably his communication skills failed him, and his team at a critical moment.
Arguably the team didn’t trust Dodge as a leader to simply follow him and believe in what he was doing. History can only speculate as to why, but the lesson for the modern leader faced with challenging economic uncertainty is clear. Don’t wait until the fire is at your door before testing your leadership position. Make sure you grow trust constantly with fellow directors, managers and team members or risk your own Mann Gulch.
Filed under: Work
Ever watched “The Dog Whisperer”?
If you are a Coach, mentor, human resources professional, manager, director, parent, MD or even Uncle Tom Cobbley, you should hunt out Cesar Millan on YouTube! Dog Whisperer and profound management thinker, Millan calms rabid dogs week after week through his energy. Around Pooch, he is calm and centered as he believes the energy we put out, is the energy we get back.
Think about that a moment.
Ever been around someone who’s highly strung, stressed out and goes a mile a minute? And have you noticed your personal energy after being around them for a while? Do you become ’them’ i.e. moving at a faster rate, feeling anxious? Yip, course you do.
And then have you ever been around someone so peaceful and centered that you felt more peaceful and centered too? If not you should meet my Mum, really you should!
We reflect one another’s energy. If we want calm and peace, it’s important we project that energy. When owners are reactive to Pooch’s negative behavior, it reinforces that behavior so when a dog is hyperactive and ready to bite the Postie, yelling at it only reinforces that behavior. Simple really.
Log on to http://www.youtube.com/watch?hl=en-GB&v=0fAD2T_bAdY and watch a snappy Pooch give in to Millan. Thanks to Lisa Hepner and Kevin Parker for the lesson. Now go Whisper…
Filed under: Fun stuff!
With Wales due to trott out at the Stadio Flaminio soon, every omen that suggests a Red victory has to be good!
So we were delighted that Red Nose Day includes a Welsh-themed song aka “(Barry) Islands in the Stream”. Starring Tom ‘the Legend’ Jones, Nessa and Uncle Bryn the video shows the trio pop across to Vegas as Wales’ representatives in the World Karaoke Championships. We won’t tell you how it ends, but…!
Click here to see the clip – http://www.rednoseday.com/barry_islands_in_the_stream?utm_source=Email33IslandsInTheStream&utm_medium=Email&utm_term=6Mar&utm_campaign=IslandsInTheStream
All the profits go to Comic Relief to help poor and vulnerable people in the UK and across Africa so you’ll be doing something crackin for people less better off than you. So don’t be selfish, be tidy. Buy it and enjoy a crackin Red Nose Day. End of.
Filed under: Work
Marketing! Doesn’t it make you rant when a business says ‘we do this’ and when you ask them, they let you down? Promises, promises – my Mam used to say words are easy, and how right she was. Perhaps that’s my consultant-gene? If you are from Innocent Drinks, that’s how I am feeling about your organisation right now!
“Come and visit us at Fruit Towers” they say. So I called – I am in London soon and wanted to visit. Great idea!
So I called. Left a message with ‘Tom’. Voice sounded okay on the banana phone. “Tom, I said, I’d like to visit you at Innocent Towers. Call, me back please”…
That was three weeks ago.
Now I know I am a Human Resources Consultant and they probably have their own watch, so they don’t need me to tell them the time, but I mean let’s be candid. They could do with me right now.
Why?
Well 96th on the Sunday Times Best Company To Work list ain’t great is it? Think they need some help, I mean squishing strawberries is all well and good, but growing your people, well that’s different.
So if you’re out there Mr. Innocent… or is it Mr. Drinks, well whatever, give me a call and let’s arrange a visit. You can come to Toe Towers, I don’t mind, or I’ll come to you… watch this space!
