News

Terms and conditions of employment – creating your culture

Management Unleashed Article 6 Terms and conditions of employment – creating your culture This article was first published in Business Times on 16 March 2019 By John Bittleston “All wages, bonus payments and prerequisites given to an employee as payment for work done are published in every office building, every factory and every warehouse.” I…
Read more

Management Unleashed – Article 5 – Hiring and firing

Management Unleashed Article 5 Hiring and firing This article was first published in Business Times on 2 March 2019 by John Bittleston While building Cerebos Pacific Ltd. I was networking at an exceptionally boring drinks party, networking, I suppose. I met an interesting man who worked in Malaysia, had a background of innovation, had made…
Read more

Reward and Punishment

2019 Series Management Unleashed Article 4 Reward and Punishment This article was first published in Business Times on 16 February 2019 By John Bittleston How should you pay people? As little as possible needed to retain them? As much as possible – without bankrupting the business – to stop them leaving? Both these require judgment…
Read more

Management Unleashed – Keeping, motivating, empowering your team

2019 Series Management Unleashed Keeping, motivating, empowering your team This article was first published in Business Times on 2 February 2019 By John Bittleson You have hired as diligently as you know how. Here’s how to make a success of your choice. That work begins before your new recruit comes onboard. As soon as the…
Read more

Management Unleashed – Assembling the best team

Management Unleashed – Assembling the best team This article was first published in Business Times on 19 January 2019 By John Bittleston The mantra that ‘your people are your most important assets’ is nowhere more dishonoured than when hiring. Two criteria dominate this activity – qualifications and experience. Both are valid for making a simple,…
Read more

Management unleashed – Refreshing your people management

Management unleashed – Refreshing your people management This article was first published in Business Times on 5 January 2019 By John Bittleston Previously, management worked on the principle that people perform best when they are organised. On production lines, in military establishments, for worldwide logistics, this remains the case. Order created by hierarchy is simple,…
Read more

Question Time with Mentor John – Diversity at the workplace

Question Time with Mentor John – Diversity at the workplace Diversity at the workplace makes good business sense. Research shows that companies with a more diverse workforce perform better. Diverse teams typically are more innovative, and a range of different perspectives leads to more creative decision-making. What are the dangers of having a uniform group…
Read more

Question Time with Mentor John – Ready… Get set… Motivate!

Question Time with Mentor John – Ready… Get set… Motivate! Anyone who’s tried to convince a moody teenager to do household chores will realise that getting someone to do something they don’t want to do is an uphill task. Your employees are not moody teenagers but motivating them to give their best can still be…
Read more

Question Time with Mentor John – Handling stress

Question Time with Mentor John – Handling stress Your employees are feeling more and more stressed at work. A 2017/ 2018 survey found that almost two thirds of employees in Singapore have elevated levels of stress. And while some stress may encourage them to reach for higher goals, too much leads to people feeling overwhelmed,…
Read more

Question Time with Mentor John – When angry customers are good for business

Question Time with Mentor John – When angry customers are good for business All companies should love getting customer complaints. When a customer voices unhappiness, instead of simply taking business elsewhere, it gives you a chance to find out about the problem and correct it. However, angry people shouting down the phone, costly refunds and…
Read more