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It Starts with good Leadership!
The business benefits of having engaged employees (basically those who are excited about and committed to their work), have been well...
Ian Kirkby
Sep 2, 20202 min read


How to Achieve More Without Burning Out
Our early career paths as young and fresh leaders are often marked by energy, speed and determination. We rise to meet new challenges...
Ian Kirkby
Sep 4, 20192 min read


Effective Meetings
I think all would agree that effective meetings are an essential component of good business performance. However, most meetings simply...
Ian Kirkby
May 7, 20191 min read


Comfortable with Conflict?
Promoting healthy conflict (which is about the issues) is essential for getting the best ideas on the table, challenging assumptions and...
Ian Kirkby
Mar 15, 20191 min read


How to Gain Influence
Here's a short LinkedIn article with a good tip for influencing your boss (and there's a wider application): https://goo.gl/2ttbi7...
Ian Kirkby
Mar 5, 20191 min read


New Brochure
Aspire MCL's new brochure is now available! It gives a short overview of our services along with testimonials and high-level overviews of...
Ian Kirkby
Feb 18, 20191 min read


New Subscriber Group
It's here! Aspire MCL has just created a secret subscriber’s group on Facebook. Every month we will post a new video, slideshow, article...
Ian Kirkby
Feb 18, 20191 min read


A Leader can ask for Help
Interesting article from HBR on how the best leaders are not afraid to ask for help: https://hbr.org/2019/01/the-best-leaders-arent-afrai...
Ian Kirkby
Jan 22, 20191 min read


The Importance of Compassionate Leadership
It is really important to show compassion as a leader. It is also important to understand that being compassionate does not mean being...
Ian Kirkby
May 16, 20181 min read


How one bad Employee can Ruin a Good Team
https://goo.gl/ptvKhc This shows the importance for leaders to be willing to have those tough conversations and make hard calls. It may...
Ian Kirkby
Mar 6, 20181 min read


Have a Nice Conflict!
Healthy conflict or opposition is essential to generating better ideas and securing buy-in. I find this tool really helpful in promoting...
Ian Kirkby
Feb 7, 20181 min read


Creating Executive Team Norms
Your team already has its norms. The question is: Does it have the norms you want? It's down to the leader to ensure the answer is 'yes'....
Ian Kirkby
Jan 16, 20181 min read


Effective Leadership - Tip 9 - Make Time for your People.
Despite the costs in money, time, stress and effort, too many firms still rely on 'stick and carrot' (put in that order intentionally)...
Ian Kirkby
Jan 2, 20181 min read


Effective Leadership - Tip 7 – Be Humble
Nobody likes a ‘know-it-all’ (and nobody, including you and I, does know-it-all). If you make a mistake, make an unqualified apology,...
Ian Kirkby
Dec 5, 20171 min read


Effective Leadership - Tip 5 – Learn to Coach and Mentor.
Coaching and mentoring are 2 essential tools in the leader’s arsenal. The vast majority of large, successful companies now expect their...
Ian Kirkby
Nov 22, 20172 min read


What is Conflict Costing Your business?
What is unhealthy conflict costing your business? Here's a tool to help you quantify: https://goo.gl/5qmdHq Aspire's programmes help...
Ian Kirkby
Nov 21, 20171 min read


Effective Leadership - Tip 4
Delegate effectively. There are 2 main errors leaders can make: delegate too little, too late and continue to micro-manage, or delegate...
Ian Kirkby
Nov 14, 20171 min read


Why Bother With Teams?
Simple but useful reminder on how teams help businesses: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/why-teams-matter-jo-keeler/ Belbin is a great...
Ian Kirkby
Nov 10, 20171 min read


Effective Leadership - Tip 3
There are many exciting aspects to leadership: making decisions, growing your staff, setting the vision, etc. Communicating the same...
Ian Kirkby
Nov 8, 20171 min read


Effective Leadership - Tip 2
Be consistent but tailor your style. It is important to be even-handed and consistent when dealing with your team whilst also...
Ian Kirkby
Oct 30, 20171 min read
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