Blog Articles
A major challenge of the information age is to trawl through what is available and access what is truly valuable. The Strategic Human Capital Consulting quarterly blog articles covers information about strategic developments, news, critical thinking and research about the strategic role of people (human capital) in the success of organisations.
We avoid fluff and puff and guru style stuff, in favour of well-researched meaty information that will enable and empower you to authentically grow yourself and others around you, and in so doing ultimately transform and build amazing organisations. 
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As a Knowledge Worker you sell the Quality of Thinking you do.
As a Knowledge Worker you sell the Quality of Thinking you do. Are you doing the best possible thinking you can?
If you’re reading this, you likely call yourself a knowledge worker. In some or other way, you sell the knowledge you have acquired through training and experience. But actually, the latter only gets you through the door. What you really sell is your ability to think, and apply that thinking, in terms of your training and experience. Your success is often determined by the quality of the thinking that precedes your doing.
But there are many things that prevent us from REALLY thinking well. How can we ensure that we establish the habits and practices, and create the conditions that allow us as individuals, and as teams, to do our best possible individual and collective thinking? This article will explore – with appreciation to Nancy Kline’s Time to Think work – the 10 conditions necessary for the human brain (and heart) to do our best thinking.
Intuition as leadership tool – it’s like having the world wide web in your head
The amazing brain behind our 'sense of knowing'
Intuition is often associated with some magical ability to know things – a sixth sense or ESP. Something ‘in touch’ creative types have, but more rational, structured thinkers don’t.
But what if it isn’t? What if we all have access to this powerful sense of ‘knowing’?
FROM MASLOW TO GOOGLE: WE PERFORM BEST WHEN WE FEEL SAFE
Feeling emotional safety is a prerequisite for optimal performance
What are the first principles for building a high performing and happy team?
Google and others have done extensive research into this question and some of the results are surprising, yet some not...
So what have you done to make your team a place where individuals can flourish?
WHAT DO AROUSAL, TRIPWIRES AND GOOD QUESTIONS HAVE IN COMMON?
How to get performance feedback conversations right
Globally performance appraisals have been in the cross hairs for a long time, with many arguing that they simply don't add any value.
In our latest blog, we look at why, physiologically speaking, performance appraisals and worthwhile career development conversations struggle to coexist. We also give some tips for creating talent development discussions that unlock energy and motivate individuals to lead and drive success for themselves.
Conflict incompetent since Adam and Eve
Understand conflict and become more conflict competent
Every year the United Kingdom loses 370 million working days in lost time as a result of workplace disagreements. That’s considerable! If the propensity for conflict is inherent in us, we had better learn how to become more competent at dealing with it and in this way save our companies millions.
It is, however, worth bearing in mind that differences in opinion and approach are key to unlocking creativity and innovation. And there are ways – if you know how – to understand and manage conflict so that your team and organisation benefit.
In this blog article we explore what individuals and teams can do to become more conflict competent.
Yes culture eats strategy... But dont ignore how hungry personality can be
The impact of personality in creating different types of cultures
In this blog article we explore how it is often groups of similarly motivated personalities that impact and direct culture, and we tell you about a tool that can assist you in unpacking and understanding cultural sub streams as well as the personality groups that drive them in your organisation..
So what to do with High Potential Employees? A tale of two companies
Nurture high performers, they are your future
In this Blog Article we look at High Potential Employees (HIPO's as they have become known), why they are important and what organisations can do (or should not do) to attract them, hold on to them and get the most out of them. HIPO’s are simply prepared to (and can) do more and thus have a direct impact on the organisational bottom line.
This Blog Article includes a discussion of how two companies treated a HIPO very differently with very different results.
If you aspire to be a level 5 leader - learn to keep your ego in check
July 2012
Can you withstand the ego traps of success?
In this Blog Article we will look at the interplay between humility and ego and their respective impacts on a leader’s effectiveness.
We will first focus on humility as one of the Level 5 Leaders’ characteristics identified by Jim Collins in the research study Good to Great and then we will unpack ego as discussed in the research study by David Marcum and Steven Smith reported on in Egonomics.
Some thoughts about leading teams and team conflict
May 2012
Building conducive, conflict competent team environments
So what does it take to effectively lead a team through good and bad? If there is serious conflict in a team, is a win-win situation still possible? Teams often form the foundation of successful workplaces but personality differences and conflict can tear these apart costing organisations hugely.
With this newsletter we would like contribute some suggestions to the complex area of team management and team conflict.
Spirituality in the workplace – to be avoided or embraced?
November 2011
Is there place for Spirituality in the workplace?
If you think making place for spirituality in the workplace sounds like a licence for lunacy – read on, you may just be surprised by what thought leaders are saying on the topic.
In this blog article we explore a framework for how to think about and deal with spirituality in the workplace.
A SOUTH AFRICAN LEADERSHIP CHALLENGE: BROKEN LEADERSHIP
August 2011
The ultimate test of self awareness as a leader
South Africa can be a challenging place to do business but it’s also an inspiring and exciting one – its unique challenges offer unique opportunities. Business leaders have the chance to shape our country’s future.
In this blog article we explore thought leadership and practices that will assist business leaders in making a positive contribution to the South Africa we leave to future generations.
THE ROLE OF “FINANCIAL SUCCESS” IN THE STATE OF THE GLOBAL NATION
March 2011
Its time to stand up against profit at all cost
On the back of the upheavals in the north of the continent in which we are based, this blog article focuses on the financial world we live in and how we define success.
Global environmental evidence overwhelmingly shows that abuse in the name of profit is killing our planet. At the same time, social pressure on an economic system that is perceived to make profit at the expense of the broader community is growing. ‘Maximising shareholder benefit’ – often at all cost – as the main driver of economic effort has resulted in disproportionately benefiting a few. It is clear that there are structural shifts necessary. But what will these be?
SOCIAL BANKRUPTCY: THE ROLE OF ORGANISATIONAL VALUES
November 2010
Is there a role for values in a confused world
This blog article discusses the role of values in successful organisations (and societies) and introduces a set of tools that assists organisations with measuring, tracking and directing organisational maturity and values.
Values and beliefs underpin individual behaviours and corporate culture. If we want to change where the world is heading this is the place to start.
BRAIN RESEARCH THAT GUIDES THE MANAGEMENT OF ORGANISATIONS
July 2010
Understanding the brain is critical for your success as an organisation
This blog article focusses on some groundbreaking scientific findings about the human (and organisational) brain and how these impact employee engagement and thus productivity and ultimately the ‘bottom line’.
(This overlap between the management sciences and neuro sciences are referred to as Neuro-Leadership.)
EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT
March 2010
The bottom line eats loyalty every time
How an organisation dealt with its employees during the financial meltdown might influence its current levels of employee engagement.
Downsizing staff to protect shareholder value might have seemed the right thing to do in the midst of a real (or perceived potential) sharp downturn in profits but, with the wisdom of hindsight, might prove to be far more costly than a pay freeze or reduced work week would have been.