LEADERSHIP INSIGHTS

It is hard for some individuals to think of themselves as a brand. For most, ‘brand’ pertains to a product and ‘personal brand’ to famous individuals. However, the fact remains that everyone does have a ‘personal brand’. As Jeff Bezos, founder of Amazon, has said, “Your brand is what people say about you when you are not in the room.” What does personal brand mean for the careers of leaders and for their organisations? [read more]

For the CEO of an investee company, a good relationship with its private equity (PE) house is simply prudent: you never know when additional financial support may be required. If the CEO and the PE house can’t strike an accord there may not be an environment for decision-making - which would ultimately damage the business. But how closely should the PE house be involved? And what are the potential pitfalls both for the CEO and for the PE house? [read more]

The ability to reach thousands of people with a single message is a marketer’s dream. Whilst the advent of social media has made this possible, it is precisely the power and breadth that Twitter, Facebook and other community-driven sites allow that have companies shying away from fully integrating it into their marketing strategies. www.twitter.com/criticaleyeuk [read more]

‘Employee engagement’ has become an HR ‘buzzword’ but it is more than this – it should be rooted in a central set of values and purpose that drives the organisation. Andy Bond, Chairman of Asda, agrees, “Employee engagement has a very hard commercial edge to it. The simple rule is, if you’ve got people engaged in your company, they’ll serve people well and be more productive. Communication is hugely important in achieving this. Asda is a company with 170,000 people, and everyone needs to understand where we’re going and their role in it... and you can only engage people by great communication. Engagement is up there as one of the biggest priorities for a successful business.” [read more]

The row over the BBC’s decision to cap its final salary pension schemes in April 2011 and close it to new employees is evidence of the contentious nature of the subject. Such is the dissatisfaction of BBC staff over the proposed changes that they have threatened industrial action. [read more]