An inspirational event

Last week I was a guest speaker at an event in Bohunt School, Liphook and my brief was to inspire the students and to look at how best we can capture our learning. I had prepared the 40 minute presentation I was asked to give and had spent some time in thinking about how I [...]

Become a Non Exec in a small business

More than ever SME’s are seeking out Non Executive Directors as an alternative to other support mechanisms offered by consultants or organisations such as Business Link. It is not the case that a capable Executive Director can slot immediately into a NED role. It’s rather like saying that a good footballer can walk into a [...]

Friday Rant – flying without wings

The title of my blog today is taken from a recording by West Life that sits on a short CD on which another title is “You raise me up”. I just happened to see the cover of that CD on a shelf in my office this evening and I was struck that these two titles [...]

Best Practice Corporate Governance in the SME

We have a public course running on this very important topic on 25th May at our training room in Romsey. We deal with the new 9 Principles from the IOD and provide you with a superb framework for assessing your own company and rating it in terms of its approach to governance. By enrolling on [...]

Thoughts from Harvard on Governance

Harvard Law School Forum 10 April 2011 Four Steps for Boards to Take to Improve Performance and Gain Shareholder Support Even in this changing environment, the essential nature of the board’s job remains management oversight – specifically, overseeing the performance of the CEO and the senior management team to enhance the corporation’s long-term prosperity. While [...]

Getting to be a world class board in a SME

World class boards requires world class people no matter the size of the business. The 2006 Companies Act is the longest and most complex piece of legislation passed by Parliament, or indeed, by any Parliament in the world. At 1,300 sections and 16 schedules it flies in the face of the government’s attempt to reduce [...]

Positive energy and the “Can Do” attitude

Last night I had dinner in a superb restaurant overlooking Bournemouth Bay with someone who shall remain nameless. The dinner itself was excellent but what I have really taken away from the time spent was the sheer energy, positive spirit and hunger for success of my dining companion. I have written in the past of [...]

The High Performing Board

Last week we were working with some aspiring Non Executive Directors to equip them with the basic skills needed to fulfil that role which would enable them to take their place, with confidence, on the board of a SME. Next week, on 12th April, we are looking at what it means to be a high [...]

Looking for a NED position?

When considering a NED appointment, interviewers are asking “What preparation have you undertaken prior to making the application?” You would do exactly the same for a manager seeking an executive director appointment! Answer – 30th March at our training room in Romsey in Hampshire – our highly rated one day preparatory course for aspiring Non [...]

The Effective Non-Executive Director

More than ever SME’s are seeking out Non Executive Directors as an alternative to other support mechanisms offered by consultants or organisations such as Business Link. It is frequently not the case that a capable Executive Director can slot immediately into a NED role. It’s rather like saying that a good footballer can walk into [...]