Innovation is small businesses’ life-blood. Many great businesses success has been built on a counterintuitive stroke of genius. Think about budget airlines (who would be willing to fly without a complementary meal?), Net-a-Porter (who would buy clothes without trying them on?), Dyson (a bagless vacuum cleaner?) and Ikea (why buy furniture that you have to assemble and take home yourself?), to name but a few. Read the rest of this entry »

With the current economic pressures on businesses and organisations in the UK and the global workplace, the use of competencies by businesses and organisations is becoming increasingly widespread. One of the most common applications of competencies is in the recruitment and selection process. Read the rest of this entry »

The current economic downturn in the UK has led to a growing number of people looking at career alternatives and over the last six months I have had an increasing number of calls from candidates, who wish to move completely away from their current roles, of which many have been ensconced for a number of years and enter into the world of project management. It is a difficult route to embark on and the following will hopefully provide some stepping stones to securing a project management role. Read the rest of this entry »

Recently, the title of Project Manager has been severely abused to say the least, with programs such as ‘The Apprentice’ seriously misrepresenting just what a true PM does, portraying them as little more than performing circus clowns, incompetent task managers, bullies and chancers. Read the rest of this entry »

With the HRM (Human Resource Management) guide, currently reporting UK unemployment at 8.3% (possibly higher depending on who you choose to believe),  it is a buyer’s market for employers that are hiring and employers are only looking to higher those who are currently working. There is a perception that if you are still employed in today’s economic climate, you are a “strong performer” or on the “A team” or have significant value. Employers would rather fill openings with candidates who are working elsewhere.

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