Music Insights
Have you checked your Apple Music app today?
I just noticed a new feature. It's called 'Replay your year in music'. It's the highlights of my most listened to music of the year. And it's awesome!
Top insights:
1,299 total artists
2,768 total songs
253 total albums
Top 3 genres: Dance, Electronic, Classical. (Yup!)
Top 5 artists: Yotto, Above & Beyond, CRi, Lang Lang, Franky Wah.
25,000 minutes reached by July 26th
1,000 artists reached by Sept 27th
2,500 songs reached by October 18th
This got me thinking...
What insights do have about your customers and colleagues?
How can you summarise these insights?
And what can you both learn?
Measuring performance is an essential skill for any leader.
And measuring the right metrics, at the right time, will lead to Excellence.
The Tao of Charlie Munger
Inspired by the passing of Charlie Munger. I shall record a book review this week. And The Tao of Charlie Munger is a beautiful book that summarises some of his finest quotes. It’s a compilation of his views on life, business and the pursuit of wealth.
What’s your favourite Charlie Munger quote?
99 and out
RIP Charlie Munger. (1924–2023)
A longtime lieutenant of Warren Buffett. A sage of simple advice. I shall miss Charlie Munger’s wit and wisdom. Berkshire Hathaway’s shareholder meetings will never be the same again.
Tuesday Tutorials Are Back!
After too many months off—our weekly lessons in modern leadership are back. And the most recent upload wasn’t what I expected.
My body took a dive last week. A combination of poor diet, not enough exercise, working late into the night, poor quality sleep… and the parents arriving with less than 24 hours notice!
Normally, I’m able to deal with all these factors. But my body thought otherwise. And BANG… two coldsores overnight.
This was my body telling me to look after myself. I was gutted. (And obviously stressed).
I decided to postpone any video tutorials—and podcasts—until my body had recovered. But then I thought, we not record a ‘Tuesday Tutorial’ all about the importance of avoiding setbacks.
And so, this week’s tutorial is all about how to ‘Switch Off and Relax’.
I believe this is an essential skill for any leader—at any level. Not just for themselves. But also to look out for colleagues, friends and family.
I’m happy to reply to any DMs regarding this vitally important subject.
In an over-communicated, ever-switched on world, we all need to learn how to switch off and take good care of ourselves.
Inspire, be inspired!
Lessons in Polaroid Leadership
Have you ever heard of Edwin Land?
I hadn’t. Until recently. And then his name has appeared everywhere.
Edwin Land (1909–91) was the founder of Polaroid. He pioneered many aspects of photography that we take for granted today. He was also a personal hero and favourite of Steve Jobs.
A true visionary and way ahead of his time. He imagined a device very similar to the iPhone—decades before Apple made that historic launch.
As it happens, I’m currently consuming the back catalogue of ‘Founders’ podcast… including 4 back-to-back episodes of Land… and many more episodes that reference his influence.
The streamline of Polaroid in its heyday was ‘Live for the moment.’ Something we can all aspire to today.
Video statistics
And relax… all tutorials (plus bonus videos) have now been recorded, edited and uploaded. Lots of emotions. A big sense of relief—and achievement. A job well done
A quick recap on what we’ve just achieved:
108 videos complete
4 introduction videos
7 key themes (essential skills)
84 tutorial lessons
8 bonus leadership guides
5 project guides
15½ hours of content
8½ minutes per video
Every video has been top and tailed with a short intro and outro.
Every audio track has been digitally enhanced using Adobe Audition. (I’m thankful those podcasting skills have been used).
And that’s everything now complete. To at least ‘satisfactory’ in my book.
(To be honest, many of the tutorial lessons are really good—in fact, I’d almost say they’re Excellent!)
Time for an evening off.
7 Essential Skills
What are the most important skills you’ll need as a modern leader?
Yes, you’ll need to embrace new tech and understand everything AI. And yes, you’ll need to learn how to ‘parent’ the influx of Gen Z workers. (Astonishingly, they’ll comprise 30% of the workforce by 2030).
But also, you’ll have to get to grips something more fundamental. We call them the 7 Essential Skills of Modern Leadership.
How to make a dent
How to deal with poor performance
How to combat perfection paralysis
How to reset expectations
How to measure performance
How to avoid setbacks
How to lead with Excellence.
You’ll discover each of these skills in our pioneering new Leadership Development Programme.
It’s called The Essential Scholar.
(Useful to know!)
Read all ‘about us’
We’ve recently updated the ‘about us’ section of the website. In many ways, it feels like the final piece of the online jigsaw. It’s certainly helped bring our story up to date. I think you’ll like it. :-)
An extra simple page
Let’s call it an obsession with communication. An inner belief to do better. I’ve recently put all our ideas, blogs, podcasts and tutorials under one page. We’ve renamed the tab, “EXTRA”. This does two things. (A twofer).
First, it puts all our ideas and inspiration under one heading. And second, it differentiates all our thoughts and insights from what we’re trying to sell. I like it. A lot. I think it cleans up the website and allows a better user experience.
Leadership in the NHS
What can the NHS teach us about leadership?
The NHS (National Health Service) is one of Britain’s great institutions. It’s the biggest employer in the UK. And so you’d expect them to know a little bit about leadership. Fortunately, I had the pleasure of meeting Sarah-Jane Marsh tonight at the Alliance Manchester Business School. She was giving the annual Teddy Chester lecture.
Sarah is National Director of Urgent and Emergency Care and Deputy Chief Operating Officer, NHS England. Previously she was CEO at Birmingham Children's Hospital. And during the pandemic, she was Director of Testing at NHS Test and Trace.
So what did we learn?
Training works best in cross functional teams.
Leadership development should not be a one off.
Mentoring and coaching very important.
You’ve never done enough.
Sarah’s closing comments reflected her desire to regulate management as a profession. To describe what good looks like and and being very clear about what poor looks like.
Highlighting Lessons
What are you doing to improve day-to-day?
As part of The Essential Scholar, you’ll discover how to apply your learning to Business As Usual (BAU) situations.
This photograph shows part of the process we follow when selecting the most appropriate lessons.
CIPD Annual Conference
What are future challenges for HR and professional development?
That’s the question I was determined to find out this week. Yes, it was the CIPD’s annual conference and expo. Held at Manchester Central (formally a railway station).
The key themes that cropped up time and time again.
Gen Z are stressed out—and need help.
Gen Z have more mental health issues—than any other demographic.
Gen Z will represent 33% of the workforce by 2030. We therefore need to equip our managers to deal with changing expectations of the workplace.
Blended learning and online courses are now the default standard.
Data analytics are being wherever.
The labour market is very competitive. Investing in HR programmes helps to retain talent and attract future talent.
Leaders need to ‘walk the talk’—especially on purpose and environmental issues.
I’m going to revisit my notes and update this post later…
Attentive to every Detail
When was the last time you studied ‘the blurb’?
Blurbs are the persuasive summary of any film, book or creative work. You’ll typically see blurbs on the back cover of printed books and are intended to encourage readers to buy the book. But what about a textbook delivered to your front door?
THE ESSENTIAL SCHOLAR is our pioneering new Leadership Development Programme. It’s a serious alternative to the established qualification. As well as instant access to our online learning platform, you’ll receive the course curriculum presented as a beautifully bound set of notes.
As soon as you’ve unboxed your Leadership Playbook, you’ll be drawn to front cover—and then the back. You’ll examine the fine print. (There’s 84 lessons to examine). And then you’ll notice the bees. You’ll start counting them. Holding them to the light. Watching them shimmy and shine.
The Leadership Playbook is an exclusive printed publication. It brings our online course to the physical world—something that you’ll appreciate when you receive your copy.
HIPPOs and HIPOs
I believe we need to avoid HIPPOs and encourage more HIPOs.
HIPPOs can be spotted in every organisation.
Normally sat at the head of a table.
Often late for meetings.
Their opinion matters.
An awful lot. (Perhaps, too much!)
HIPOs can be hidden from plain sight.
Often overlooked.
They have lots to offer.
And should be the future of any organisation.
If not your organisation, then perhaps another.
Two questions.
Have you been HIPPO hunting recently?
What are you doing to protect HIPOs?
—
HIPPO = Highest Paid Person’s Opinion
HIPO = High Potential
Focus on the Important Things
What should a modern leadership programme look like?
You’d probably expect an online learning platform. Instant access to high quality tutorial lessons. A simple structure. Proven ideas. Top tips, tools and techniques. Digital downloads. Practical exercises for a post-pandemic world.
Well, we’ve got all that covered. What about the course curriculum presented as a beautifully bound set of notes?
The TWELVE SCHOLARS PLAYBOOK is an exclusive printed publication that accompanies our pioneering new Leadership Development Programme.
We’re convinced that print encourages you to put down your device, switch off for a moment, and focus on the important things. Whilst our learning platform is organised seamlessly with video tutorials and brimming with online content. The playbook is different. It brings the online course to the physical world—something that you’ll appreciate when you receive your copy.
Brand new visuals
I’m very excited right now.
We’ve just updated our DEMO page with much simpler graphics and explainer text.
(It’s taken a while).
Our 5 stage process is now broken down with easy-to-follow horizontal grey/white bands.
Each stage then introduces the 'objectives' and 'what you will learn'.
You also get a glimpse at our iconic iconography. (Super pleased with how this is looking!)
See if you can spot the changes.
Rome Wasn’t Built In A Day
How long does it take to become a highly effective leader?
Rome wasn’t built in a day is an old adage attesting the need for patience—it takes time to achieve great things. It’s also the final lesson in our pioneering new leadership development programme—The Essential Scholar.
The Essential Scholar will guide you through the fundamentals of modern leadership. It’s a 90-day programme that provides all the essential tools and techniques to transform you into a highly effective leader.
In a world of instant gratification and online hustle, it’s easy to believe that leadership can be learned in one sitting. Spoiler alert. Highly effective leaders aren’t created overnight—but you can start today.
Launching this Autumn
What are your plans this Autumn?
THE ESSENTIAL SCHOLAR is our pioneering new Leadership Development Programme. It’s a serious alternative to the established qualification. Designed from the ground up—transform into a highly effective leader. Delivered in both digital and print.
Launching soon.
A New Playbook for Leadership
What should a set of leadership course notes look like?
THE ESSENTIAL SCHOLAR is our pioneering new Leadership Development Programme. It’s a serious alternative to the established qualification.
As well as instant access to our online learning platform, you’ll receive an exclusive printed publication delivered to your front door. It’s the course curriculum presented as a beautifully bound set of notes. We call it the Leadership Playbook. And I think you’ll like it!
Inside the Leadership Playbook, you’ll discover everything you need to know, everything you need to do. Seven chapters—each a unique perspective on leadership.
Scribble in the margins, sketch in the white space. Designed to capture your thoughts and actions. A resource that you'll return to time and time again.
Lithographic printed on wood-free uncoated paper. Cover (300 gsm), inner pages (110 gsm). Paper sourced from FSC approved forests. Product dimensions: 240mm x 170mm x 14mm. 176 pages.
Filming behind the scenes
How do we record our tutorial lessons?
Once the slides have been created using InDesign (never Powerpoint!), they’re saved to pdf and exported to Ecamm Live.
We then use a combination of Ecamm and Zoom to project our slides to the iPad located under a see-through mirror.
Behind the angled mirror is our SLR camera—linked to the iMac via Magewell HDMI connection (that’s the magic bit!).
The sound is recorded with a Rode boom mic and Zoom H6 digital recorder. The audio is saved simultaneously using Ecamm—then later edited in Audition.
Finally, all material is compiled, edited and compressed using Premiere Pro. And then—uploaded to the cloud via Vimeo. Who knew!