If you are like me, I bet you have some pretty long-held beliefs. You view life in a certain way, and these beliefs dovetail with your overall understanding of things. Questioning a certain belief might throw your entire worldview into doubt, so many of us carry on in our little bubbles, regardless of whether our…
One of the hardest challenges for any professional is being able to maintain a consistent approach to their work and to other people, no matter what the circumstances. Laissez-faire managers in a benign economic period can turn into utter tyrants when things get tougher. This change of approach is often the cause of subsequent employee…
The rise and fall of the human voice has more subtleties than the most dramatic piece of classical music. While language can be carefully selected and body language practiced, it is often the variations in the tone of your voice that will reveal your true feelings. On the other hand, if a tone is deliberately…
If you want to get anywhere in recruitment and in life, it is often worth taking a minute to consider what you bring to the party. Too many job seekers consider their “added value” in a vacuum. They sit down at the start of their search and compile a list of their top qualities. They…
You may think that there is a fine line between confidence and arrogance, but actually, the gap is much bigger than you think. Much of the difference lies in the perception of others and how an individual chooses to portray themselves, i.e. how they interact with the wider world. In my view, this is a…
We are undeniably the sum of our parts. In the first few weeks of 2016, so many of us are looking forward to what the future might bring. We are making plans; we are assessing new opportunities and evaluating the changes in the landscape around us. It is so easy to imagine a blank sheet…
Summer is a time of plentiful growth in any garden, park or forest. Trees, plants and flowers strive to soak up the sunshine and ultimately seek to spread their seeds far and wide to ensure future generations. Their habitat is amazingly diverse, with many species having coexisted side-by-side for centuries. However, as with everything in…
How often do you test something to the point of failure? Life has a tendency of throwing a spanner in the works, but if you have already anticipated the consequences and have a plan to deal with it, you will be able to cope with most obstacles that come your way. A couple of weeks…
True leaders fight for their cause. They put their flag in the ground, draw their battle lines and fight the good fight until they have achieved their objective. Those who step back from their dreams are those who never get there. Those who compromise won’t ever feel fulfilled. Once their willpower has been broken once,…
When you go camping, it strips you down to your essence. You have the goal of spending a weekend in harmony with nature, but somehow it never works out that way. The creature comforts of everyday life are left behind, and you have to find that innate survival instinct deep within you. You have to…
I’d like to give a small hint to job seekers and, for that matter, anyone out there who is selling their services: When you meet a potential recruiter, hiring manager or client for the first time, don’t talk about how much money you want until they actually show an interest in engaging with you. You…
Over the last 6 years, I have completed a broad range of risk, compliance and security searches but our recent search for a “Global Chief Of Information Security”, was possibly the most interesting and eye opening one so far. Why? Because of the consistency and simplicity of the message we heard from every single candidate….