21st July will be 6 months since I had a stent fitted to cure a badly blocked coronary artery. This was a complete surprise to me – a regular runner who felt firmly in control of his own health. I remember hearing a notable CEO saying that the day you felt that your business was […]
Julians Business Tips: What Have I Missed? Read More »
What does it mean to be a manager? Let me tell you a story, and see if it sounds familiar to you. Several years ago, I was the manager of a team delivering an event for a client. All of us worked really hard and, by and large, the event was a success in my
Julians Business Tips: Hands Off, Boss! Read More »
Like many people, the Easter break and its fine weather saw me flinging open the windows, clearing cupboards and trying to sort the garden. Spring is the natural season for a reset, but what about your business or personal goals? If your ambitious New Year’s resolutions have stalled, you may find that the problem is
Julians Business Tips: Fresh Air Thinking Read More »
The current unrest in the Middle East is concerning for many people – and when the economic weather turns grim, many business leaders instinctively dive into spreadsheets, budgets and emergency plans. Sensible? Of course. Sufficient? Not quite. Because behind every spreadsheet sits a human being wondering what happens next. In difficult times, empathy and emotional
Julians Business Tips: Emphathy Means Business Read More »
“In and out.” I thought as I popped up to Addenbrookes last month for a quick scan, “Back to work by lunchtime.” Instead, I left three days later with a stent in a dangerously-restricted coronary artery and a doctor politely but firmly telling me to take a month off. It was a sharp reminder that
Julians Business Tips: Heart of the Business Read More »
You’re probably familiar with restarting your computer – but where’s the reset button for your staff? Managers often talk to me about how to ‘reset’ their teams. Sometimes it is after a long break (like Christmas), sometimes they just feel that the team has become somewhat rudderless and momentum has been lost. One of my
Julian’s Business Tips: Ctrl, Alt, Delete Read More »
After taking a few months off to tackle some personal projects, I’m now back applying for jobs. Although I’ve come close and received plenty of positive feedback, I’ve not had any luck yet – and as sole earner in my household, it’s hard not to worry. A recent conversation with The Listing’s editor reminded me
Julian’s Business Tips: New Year’s Revolution? Read More »
Being a manager can be great: an important, influential role that lets you demonstrate your strategic skills – but it can be tricky! What happens if you are managing people who were once your friends? This happens a lot in small businesses, so here are some thoughts for you managers (and even if you are
Julian’s Business Tips: Manager of Friend? Read More »
For the last two months we’ve been talking about AI, but this month I want you to go back to basics and remember that you are a super-computer too! Here’s a quick exercise. Think about how you feel about your business (or anything else important in your life), right now, on a scale of 0
Julian’s Business Tips: Trusting Your Gut Read More »
Congratulations to The Listing for 20 glorious years – I’ve been reading it since the start, and am proud to be one of the regular contributors. Today I’m talking about how best to use AI ‘artificial intelligence’ in business. Treat AI as a bright new school leaver who’s just joined your team. They’re intelligent, enthusiastic
Julian’s June Business Tips: Intelligence, yes. Wisdom, no. Read More »
I generally don’t get too excited by new technology in business. I’m definitely not an ‘early adopter’ – I prefer to let other people find out all the bugs, discover the best ways to make it useful, and then I’ll take advantage of what they have found. We can’t escape from technology, but at
Julian’s June Business Tips: Technology. Good or Bad? Read More »
Would you know what to do if your cash supply suddenly slowed, yet you still needed to deliver the same output? That’s just happened at my place of work. At a recent staff meeting, one of our hospital’s directors told us that the government was cutting our budgets back to where they were three
Julian’s June Business Tips: Surviving Tough Times Read More »
