Business acumen

The long-held received wisdom is that people don’t like change. As Niccolo Machiavelli said in The Prince, “There is nothing more difficult to take in hand, more perilous to conduct, or more uncertain in its success, than to take the lead in the introduction…

Research proves that happiness leads to better business outcomes and a healthier bottom line. Companies can easily implement initiatives that reap the benefits of workplace happiness.

Research of 22,000 companies proves that promoting women into senior leadership drives bottom line results. Taking steps to develop women has proven benefits for company leadership.

Expatriates are often skilled at making things happen. More often than not they are recruited because of competences (attitudes, skills and knowledge) that are not readily available locally. They arrive and get straight on with the job. At the same time, they…

With population and unemployment figures on the increase, attracting and retaining talent would be should be getting easier. However, some startling statistics suggest otherwise.

What makes people behave the way they do? Why do some people seem to be motivated to do well in their work, while others do not? The study of motivation is endlessly fascinating as it concerns the driving force within individuals by which they attempt to…

Mark is the CEO of an SME in the engineering industry. He has just recruited a key member of staff, John, and is beginning to regret it. Instead of getting on with the job the new recruit seems to be needing an awful lot of Mark’s time – time that is already…

It is sadly common for some companies to look at the cost of training and not see the numerous benefits stemming from it. Some take a short-term view and see training purely as a cost. Others see training as an investment in the future that derives many…

The Global Financial Crisis was the worst market correction since The Great Depression. So devastating was its impact, after seven years it is still an event from which many economies are still struggling to recover. It’s common knowledge that the catalyst…

Jim Kouzes, co-author of The Leadership Challenge, sat down with Focus' David Brennan to discuss leadership in the 21st Century, the Five Practices of Exemplary Leadership, what it takes to be a truly great leader and if leadership is different in the rest of…

Challenging markets can often mean cost optimisation of which staff reductions may be required. Whilst the process of realigning the staff profile is relatively clear, moving the remaining team forward is less so. Dealing with the grief of losing colleagues…