I firmly subscribe to the idea that people and relationships are more important than material possessions, yet in a recent discussion I found myself defending the idea of possessions being important. writes Bob Windmill Subscribe or buy? The context was a discussion with a group of friends on millennials increasingly buying rather than possessions, and […]
Solving the right problem
And not the one you thought it was… Have you ever wrestled with a problem, spending hours and days getting nowhere? Where what ever solution you come up with just wouldn’t work? This post is about a recent example of my own making. Happily the consequences were not serious but it was a sharp reminder […]
3×3 Management : 9 key things every manager should do – Part 3
In my first post on 3×3 Management I gave my thoughts Leadership and the three key ideas of management styles, effective recruitment and personal values. In my second post I looked at people management and the three key ideas of treating people with respect but setting limits, recognising good performance and addressing poor performance, and […]
3×3 Management : 9 key things every manager should do – Part 2
In my first post on 3×3 Management I gave my thoughts Leadership and the three key ideas of management styles, effective recruitment and personal values. In this post I will look at people management and the three key ideas of treating people with respect but setting limits, recognising good performance and addressing poor performance, and […]
3×3 Management : 9 key things every manager should do – Part 1
My journey to today A while ago I was asked the question: “why have you been so lucky with the teams you’ve had? They all seem to do great things while I struggle to get mine to do the basics”. I can’t remember exactly what I replied, but I’m guessing that it probably wasn’t particularly […]
Three small acts of kindness
Our lives are shaped by a variety of events, some big and some small. Big events like getting married and changing jobs can have a profound effect on our lives but sometimes its the small things that that we remember with affection. In this post I will share with you three small acts of kindness […]
Formative assessment: A great if unusual example
In a previous post I wrote about the value of formative assessment. In this I discussed the value of measuring learning during delivery, not just at the end. I also gave a practical example of of how I applied this in practice, getting great results, on a financial management course. On a later course, this […]
Formative Assessment: Stopping the fires breaking out
Here’s the question: How do you know that student or trainee is taking in what they are being taught? Notice the phrasing: “are taking in” not “have taken in”. The difference was made clear to me when marking a batch of assignments a while back. Most of the class did fine but one student was […]
Safeguarding data: saving your business’ life
A few years ago I heard this statement: “Before you’ve had a major data loss you wonder what the fuss is. After you’ve had a major data loss you wonder why people are so unconcerned“. And before you ask, yes I was one of the unconcerned. At best I would copy my data to a CD […]
Passwords – One or Many
Passwords A while back I wrote a post on techniques to generate strong but memorable passwords. This clearly struck a chord with a number of you judging by the number of questions it sparked. One of the most commonly asked questions was whether it is better to have a single very strong password and use […]