Category Archives: High Performance

I started blogging for 2 reasons. Firstly, it would act as an aide memoir – helping to capture the learning from a diverse range of experiences. Secondly, it would be a form of marketing – directly answering the question: “Is … Continue reading →

It had been almost 10 years since I’d visited Canada – enough time to forget what a great country this is. Canada gets a bad rap in some quarters. The old joke was that the US invaded Canada, got bored … Continue reading →

We all know that positive reinforcement works. Right?   So, are you using it? For example, do you provide recognition for employees with a perfect attendance & time keeping record? Setting up a monthly draw to recognise staff who have perfect … Continue reading →

Played golf recently with a property developer. He’s a solid bloke who lost all of his money (and a little bit of ours as well) during the fall of the Celtic Tiger. In a dramatic period of boom and bust, … Continue reading →

We recently ran an executive training programme for a group of senior engineers. Wading through the feedback, a number of people remarked that they appreciated being allowed time to catch up on emails. It’s an old trainers trick to allow … Continue reading →

This was a real live emergency! My passport was locked in a wall safe in Portugal. We were flying home at 17:00. It was 11:28 and the door of the safe wouldn’t budge. I use the same stupid ‘4-numbers’ for … Continue reading →

I recently spoke to a senior banking executive. He wasn’t bored. Among a plethora of tasks faced, he was looking at ways to re-engage with staff, re-structure the organization, figure out how to make hundreds of people redundant with dignity … Continue reading →

When I left school, I worked for 5 years as a butcher. At the time I’d a big interest in cattle breeds and spent a good bit of time in the old Cattle Markets around the North Circular Road in … Continue reading →

It was early morning on Day 2. The New Year fitness plan was holding up. On Day 1, I’d completed a full hour of exercise. In line with the movement towards BIG DATA, I counted everything. 6 minutes threading water … Continue reading →

I was invited to play at a ‘retirement party’ in the city. Betty, a friend of my wife Linda, was finishing up with Dublin County Council. After long service, she wanted to mark the occasion by lining up some music … Continue reading →