July 2008
The quest to be better
As anyone who’s been unlucky enough to have one will tell you, a bad boss can wreck your working life. They sap your confidence, undermine your authority, pick holes in your work and generally make life a misery. Unfortunately for the UK workforce, there are plenty of them out there. According to a 2006 survey by the Good Boss Company, a shocking one in four of Britain’s bosses are bad or dreadful.
You couldn’t find a much better example of a good boss than Neville Richardson – Britannia’s CEO has just been awarded the prestigious title of Britain’s best leader. Also in this issue, we look at how interviews go wrong and find out why more and more companies are turning their line managers into coaches. Here at Edge we can’t guarantee you a good boss, but we can help you to become a better one. Don’t forget, Edge online is exclusively for ILM members so have your username and password handy…
Features
As the credit crunch bites deeper, the bosses of Britain’s banks and building societies are under fire. But not Neville Richardson – the head of Britannia has just bagged the Sunday Times Best Leader award. Jane Lewis went to meet him
Coaching used to be preserve of high-flying executives who were being groomed for life in the boardroom. But, says Sue Weekes, more and more organisations are integrating coaching into the everyday activities of all their line managers – and reaping the benefits that it brings
When interviews go wrong, it’s usually the interviewee who comes in for criticism. But all too often, the person asking the questions is poorly trained for the task, says Gary Ashworth, with the result that employers miss out on the right candidate
Columns
Learning the hard way
We’ve all had that sinking feeling when something’s gone wrong – but, say Jeff Grout and Liz Fisher, making mistakes is part and parcel of leadership, and slip-ups present the perfect opportunity to do things better
Here comes the sun
The hot summer months can stretch even the most flexible budget – but you needn’t break the bank, says Katie Greengrass, as some pieces can look as good at the photocopier as by the pool
Cause for concern
When it comes to being a good boss, Stewart Gowans has got all the techniques down pat – he can feign concern and a put on a falsely caring voice with the best of them. Just don’t ask him to be your friend