Employers!  There’s so much youth talent out there!

With unemployment rising above 1.2 million for 16 to 24-year-olds, this gloomy statistic presents a depressing picture for today’s teenagers. Whether they leave college with a skill, or university with a degree; realistically what kind of future can they expect?

So with this in mind, I just wish that everyone could have witnessed the enthusiasm and talent that a group of 16-17 yr olds recently demonstrated at their Academy’s ‘Challenge of Management’ event.

Working alongside local employers, the students discussed best practice management techniques; looked at the skills of entrepreneurs and delivered articulate and professional presentations on their experiences of shadowing managers in the work place.

The confidence and abilities of the students impressed the employers – many of whom expressed their concerns about the current employment prospects affecting youth in the UK.

It’s hoped that Employers everywhere will proactively consider opportunities they have available for 16-24 yr olds. Real jobs with real challenges will not only enable our youth to independently contribute to society but will add fresh new skills and ideas to the workplace and ensure innovation and creativity for the future.

(The ‘Challenge of Management’ event was designed and delivered by Sharon Halliday of People & Design)

Some thoughts on leadership ........

"The key to successful leadership today is influence, not authority"    (K Blanchard)

" A sense of humour is part of the art of leadership, of getting along with people, of getting things done"    (D Eisenhower)

" A good leader inspires other men and women with confidence.  A great leader inspires them with confidence in themselves"    (R Markham)

"A leader is a dealer in hope"    (N Bonaparte)

"Leaders must be close enough to relate to others, but far enough ahead to motivate them"  
 (J Maxwell)

BBC's TV's - 'The Apprentice' - not to be taken seriously .....

According to today's news, over 10 million viewers watched last night's episode of the BBC TV reality show 'The Apprentice'. Why? To marvel at aspiring businessmen and women as they demonstrate their entrepreneurial and business skills? No, more likely just to revel in Lord Sugar's chastising of the finalists as they continued to reinforce the viewer's opinion of  'how on earth did this lot get to the final?!' 

The programme certainly draws you in and leaves you convinced that you could do so much better! However, the downside of  a programme  like this is the negative impression it gives about a whole range of topics; such as the value of  feedback, team work and  supportive management techniques.

In the real world, people want to work for leaders who have a clear vision on what needs to be done combined with being inspirational and motivational to work with. There is no place in today's workplace for a managment style based on 'failure focus'.

All four of last night's finalists produced weak Business Plans and were duly berated. It appeared they were set up for failure. Would it not have been more constructive to allow them to have guidance from an expert first, and then have a go at submitting their own plan? This would have been a far more positive approach, reflecting, how in the real world, most of us learn......but I guess that's not what makes hit TV shows!! 
Sharon H.

Carl Jung ...... still keeping us thinking .... and working!

What would Carl Jung make of 2011?  See BBC article ............
http://bbc.in/j84TjF

If you haven't read it yet, it's worth a look .......... www.thegooglestory.com

Leadership Workshop

Extract from Gulf Daily News 'A leadership workshop was delivered by UK based People & Design in association with Human-Ex at the Movenpick Hotel Bahrain.  11 women from different organisations took part in the 2 day event which included tips on influencing senior management colleagues to get the best from their team'

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