Most interviews of job applicants have less chance of choosing the right person than sticking a pin in a telephone directory. That is partly because they focus on facts already known, some of which are probably invented. They also rely on experience as a criterion of success. I was taught a definition of experience when…
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There has been much written and said about whether we are seeing the end of ‘Banker Bashing” as though it was a sport akin to culling excess numbers of rapacious Arctic deer. Those seeking to curtail this activity or to turn ‘Banker Bashing’ into something disreputable or unfashionable have, of course, a clear agenda. “Let’s…
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Towards the end of last year I said fasten your seatbelts. I hope you did so. In which case you will be saying “Where to now?” The rocky start to the year has left us with all the signs of an impending world recession or even a depression. Oil is at an all-time low. Riyadh…
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I did not judge Sepp Blatter. At least, not until I saw his press conference after the announcement of his suspension and fine. What a lesson in how not to do it. The rule is simple: IF YOU WANT PEOPLE TO BELIEVE YOU ARE INNOCENT, DON’T BLATTER ON. The KIS advice is Keep It Simple.…
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The themes of the last year for our clients and mentors have been the same as those for everyone else – where is all this terrorism leading us? When shall we see financial stability and a return to prudent financial behaviour being suitably rewarded? What are the implications of the recent climate agreement in Paris…
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It is good to hear a voice of common-sense among the clamour of pro- and anti-regulation piffle that is being spouted. The Head of the Monetary Department of the Bank for International Settlements (BIS), Claudio Borio, has put his finger on the issue. Dependence on Central Banks “every word” by the financial markets is disrupting…
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Three cargo Boeing 747 aircraft, TF-ARN, TF-ARH and TF-ARM, apparently owned, or formerly owned, by Air Atlanta Icelandic are sitting on the tarmac at Kuala Lumpur Airport awaiting collection. Or even recognition. Like abandoned dogs, they wait patiently, believing that each dawn will produce a claimant, any claimant really. It not starvation because aircraft don’t…
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Pop music is a good barometer of the culture of the times. The subject matter of music addresses current opportunities and anxieties while the style reflects the harmony, or lack of it, that pervades relationships. Small wonder, then, that today’s pop music is cacophonous, repetitive, noisy and driven. Senseless beat is guaranteed to create senseless…
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The tyranny of growth works against the planet and for an organisation. Organisations seem to need to grow if they are not to become moribund. Since organisations are simply people en masse let’s look first at why people need to grow. If you don’t you fall behind, lose contact with what is happening and become…
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Capitalism is predicated on the proposition that economies will grow. Up to now that has broadly worked. Possessions, the reason for growth, have intrigued man from way back. ‘The next acquisition will make me happy’ is a mantra we all grew up with or adopted on the way. It takes great wisdom to recognise the…
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