helping you master the people side of data & analytics

Times like these call for “Extra” Ordinary Leadership – focus on people

"extra" ordinary leadership

Continuing our focus on remote working, let’s consider the “extra” ordinary leadership that’s needed right now.

To build on my first post (that began to consider personal well being), I’m conscious that many readers of this blog are leaders. So, rightly, your concern is not just personal productivity but how to help your team.

Given his experience in working this way (as shared in our podcast interview), I’m glad to welcome back guest blogger William Buist. He has shared with us before on the need for collaboration, managing external change and effective planning.

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How to be productive working from home, improving your technology

improving your technology

If your home-based working days are like many leaders, you’re seeing a need for improving your technology daily. You need to make a professional first impression online, more than ever.

Our diaries are filled with more and more video conference meetings. Whether you are using Zoom, MS Teams, Skype or one of the many other apps – you are trying to give your team more face time (excuse the pun).

One day last week I had 9 different Skype meetings in a day! But, as I talk on webcam to other leaders & their teams, I see their need to fix some basics. We know that appearance matters in business, so this post should help you appear more professional by fixing common issues.

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Marketers working from home, how to survive it, part 2

marketers working from home

Continuing our welcomed focus on how to adapt to recent changes, here is part 2 of our series on marketers working from home (and others).

To be fair, this set of tips from guest blogger, Simon Daniels, applies as much to any leader and indeed everyone else. Building on the 4 tips that Simon shared with us in part 1, he now shares 3 more to help you practically adjust.

Having spent most of today in 9 different video conference meeting, I’m conscious of the need for everyone to be suitably equipped. So, I will also be sharing some technology advice in a coming post. Plus, guest blogger William Buist will return to share tips for leaders working to maintain team morale.

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A Marketing leader’s perspective on how to work from home (4 tips to help)

How to work from home

Thanks to everyone who has responded positively to my new focus on how to work from home. It’s always encouraging to hear when content helps you.

Taking a break from my multi-part series sharing advice, after 6 years of working from home, I’m pleased to bring more experienced voices into this conversation. Simon Daniels is a Marketing Ops & Technology leader, with many years of experience in consulting & marketing leadership roles.

Loyal readers will remember that Simon has blogged before for us on how to avoid being misled by shiny new MarTech solutions. So, I am delighted to welcome back Simon to share (over two posts) his seven tips to work better from home. Over to Simon…

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How to be productive when working from home, lessons learnt (part 1)

working from home

Although the speed of recent changes for us all has been breathtaking, learning how to be productive when working from home is not new.

Given so many leaders, perhaps including you, are now suddenly facing the challenge of working from home as a new normal – it seems only fair to share. That is, for those of us who have worked this way for years, to share what we have learnt.

Personally, it’s nearly 6 years since I launched this blog & my business, so I hope it helps you for me to share some of what I’ve learnt along the way. I’ve suffixed this blog title with ‘part 1‘ because I hope to have more advice & resources to share. I’ll also be bringing other voices into this conversation. Watch out for new posts & podcast episodes coming soon.

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Data visualisation and the bigger picture of visualising other types of data

Returning to the theme of data visualisation, which was so well presented at #datavizlive, let’s consider visualising other types of data.

Why would you want to do that? Well to share his thoughts on that topic let’s welcome back one of our regular contrarian voices.

Guest blogger Tony Boobier is an author, commentator & mentor, since his days advising insurance firms whilst an IBM executive. He’s shared with us before on topics as diverse as discernment, loneliness & the end of your leadership career. Now lets’s hear his view on Data Viz.

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Achieving Impact as part of the coaching community at WCC2020 (part 2)

coaching community

Continuing my debrief from attending the 2020 gathering of the coaching community at the Welsh Coaching Conference.

Building on the themes I shared in part one of my debrief from #WCC2020, in this blog I’ll share another great keynote & workshop.

As a reminder, some of the key lessons I learnt in part 1 were:

  • The power of using metaphors with clients;
  • Scientific evidence for the effectiveness of coaching;
  • Different approaches are equally effective, choose a coaching approach that suits who you are as a coach;
  • Gestalt coaching can improve my awareness of contact, context & the power of creative experiments with clients.
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