management style Archives

Do You Have to Control Everything?

31 March, 2014 by James Lawther 7 Comments

If there is one thing that upsets me… Really upsets me it is being controlled. Being told where I have to be, when I have to be there, what I need to do, which meeting I need to go to… I hate being controlled. Of course it cuts both ways. If I am hell-bent on […]

How to be a Amazing Manager

20 March, 2014 by James Lawther 7 Comments

I am going to teach you how to be an amazing manager. These are the secrets that will make you the world’s best boss and put you on the career path to greatness — would I lie? The amazing manager’s 5 point plan: What you need to do is… Get out of your office Talk […]

Target Setting, Cause and Effect

16 February, 2014 by James Lawther 10 Comments

During the 1990s and early 2000s, the UK government relied heavily on target setting to manage the public sector. We had: Targets for education Targets for Healthcare Targets for policing Targets for fire brigades Targets for the tax office Targets for dustbin men No doubt we had targets for the target setters as well. UK […]

Who Taught You How to Manage?

9 February, 2014 by James Lawther 10 Comments

I’ve been to business school After 2 years of studying and a plethora of exams I was awarded an M.B.A. I learnt about: Operations Marketing Finance Employment Law Book after book after book. Some of it was fascinating, some of it was tedious but I got the letters after my name and it got me […]

Are You a Fairy Princess?

2 February, 2014 by James Lawther 9 Comments

Remember my daughter? She is five, all blonde curly hair, giggles and she thinks she is a fairy princess. This weekend she went to a birthday party. A five-year-old girl’s birthday party. It was a fancy dress party with a fairy princess theme — this is called knowing your audience. The local church hall was […]