Organisational Coaching – Great Organisations and Great Managers

Coach or Consultant?

With the rise of coaching as a trendy thing to do, many consultants have stopped calling themselves "consultants" and started calling themselves "coaches".

This is both unfortunate and misleading. Coaches and Consultants are not the same. So what are the differences between coaches and consultants?

Our Strengths Become Our Weakness

Sports stars are encouraged to play to their strengths. Companies are similarly encouraged to "stick to their knitting" and focus on their "core competencies". We can mistakenly carry that advice over to managers and tell them as well to play to their strengths. Except with managers and business owners there is a trap - Our strengths become our weaknesses.

This story is an amalgam of three actual companies.

Joseph was a pretty good programmer. OK, let's be honest, he was brilliant. One of the best in the world. He loved getting behind the keyboard and cranking out code for clients or just his own enjoyment. Over time he built a reputation with corporates throughout Asia as the best for logistics and supply chain. His algorithms were innovative and gave corporations large savings in transportation and logistics costs.

Guide to Reading

Effective managers read. They read broadly and regularly. Here are some tips to guide your own reading.

1. Join a library

   If you are in Singapore, then you have no excuse. Singapore's public libraries are excellent, well stocked and easily accessible. You can go online to reserve items, you will be notified when they are ready for collection, and then collect from the closest library.

2. Read the books you want to read, not the ones you should read.

   The books you should read are still sitting on your shelf collecting dust.

The Decisive Emailer

You inbox is a barometer of your decision making ability

Everytime someone sends you an email, you are being asked for a decision. Usually a small trivial decision. Occasionally a large and significant decision.

We have six, and only six options of how to handle an email.