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An Unlikely Leader
“Thorough preparation must lead to success. Neglect nothing.” “In business we strive for 100% efficiency while we are content with 25% in war” was the jaundiced view of Victor Odlum a Canadian army Major who served with Arthur Currie. Currie was equally appalled at high casualty rates and is credited with being the tactician behind …
No ordinary President
In the 2012 Connacht Championship, Sligo had a decisive win over New York, a team that had not trained collectively before the encounter; hence no home team photo! New York have come a long way since and a win for the ‘Big Apple’ in this preliminary round is becoming more likely with each passing year. …
As you start afresh make sure you reconnect with every team member
Pulitzer prize winner and Assistant Attorney General, Roger Wilkins, was interviewed by David Hoffman in 1989. He stated that the effect of segregation on his community was that coloured people associated themselves with the ‘Invisible Man.’This perception, of being invisible, can occur in any [email protected]
OVERWHELMED?
Your business has to start afresh; you have no choice. Use this opportunity to examine every part of your enterprise every employee, every volunteer and every process. Create a new culture where everyone knows the long term mission and is part of it.This starts with asking everyone on the team to contribute: a bottom up …
GAA REBOOTED!
‘….through the preservation and promotion of Gaelic Games and pastimes’ is the phrase that says it all on page 5 (1.2) of the official guide. It is the reason that GAA Clubs and Counties exist. Our games and pastimes have been with us for millennia and it was felt, a mere 130 years ago, that …
Nuclear Option
The newly appointed Commander of the USS Santa Fe, a ‘fast attack’ nuclear submarine, gave the order to proceed at a rate of ‘Two thirds’ ahead. The Navigator relayed the order to the Helmsman. They were proceeding on ‘battery power’ only as part of a drill and the recent order didn’t seem to have made …
The unglamorous vocation
If you wish to make a name for yourself in the sphere of ‘Health and safety’ you can do so by getting things horribly wrong. When excellence is maintained in safety regimes nobody notices because nothing happens; no accidents, no loss of life, no catastrophes: for that’s, of course, the objective. Stadium safety guidelines around …
THE GREATEST RESOURCE
Two organisations on either side of the Atlantic are about to undergo major change in the near future and both are endeavouring to maximise the human potential, literally, within their ranks. An Garda Siochána (‘Guardians of the peace’; the Irish Police force) and the US Army coincidently are mapping out a new system for managing …
YOU’LL NEVER WALK ALONE
This article is the basis of a key-note address delivered by [email protected] (353)833155657 that illustrates the consequences of differing leadership models. Hillsborough To understand the Hillsborough Stadium Disaster of 1989 in the UK, when 96 people lost their lives and many more had their life-span and quality of life reduced, a good place to start …
Is politics falling behind?
Three political parties of almost equal strength by ‘seat numbers’ have emerged after the recent Republic of Ireland general election. In the UK there was one clear winner. All four political parties have one thing in common; they all have a centralised, hierarchical decision making process. Decisions, manifestos and appointments are made by the leader and …
Eye of the Storm
The voluntary committee Chairperson in June 2020 will encounter challenges never envisaged when elected. The role now involves resuming activities while coping with new financial and regulatory realities. Fear is an understandable emotion coupled with a sense of being overwhelmed. The following list is by no means exhaustive but could apply to anyone in a …
IMAGINATION
“It is therefore crucial to find a way of routinizing, even bureaucratizing, the exercise of imagination.” (Section 11.1 IMAGINATION, p. 344) This is a quote from the 9/11 Commission report but it is applicable to many scenarios especially in ‘Health and Safety terms.’ A great leader will use the collective imagination of a team to tackle problems and …
Have volunteers rights?
Bullying, constructive dismissal, failure to implement an adequate complaints system, no proper role description and false allegations are among subjects that get honourable mention at Employment Appeals’ Tribunal cases. There is ample evidence that similar bad practice also exists in the voluntary sector. A recent publication outlining the rights of volunteers suggests that if all …