Leaders may not make the best gardeners, but the best leaders understand the similarity between gardening and their leadership. "In some ways, I saw the garden as a metaphor for certain aspects of my life. A leader must also tend his garden; he, too, plants seeds, and then watches, cultivates, and harvests the result. Like the gardener, a leader must take responsibility for what he cultivates; he must mind his work, try to repel enemies, preserve what can be preserved, and e

If leaders aspire to create a culture of inspiration, one of the biggest questions for them to ask themselves is "Will what I have started endure?" When I established Luminus Group in Cambridgeshire, UK and acquired almost 7,500 municipal homes that had a history of inadequate management and investment, I was committed not merely to run a successful, socially responsible real estate business, but to energise an enterprise that would become a movement for change in British soc

Great business and effective leadership can help transform our world - right where we are. Dr Chan Abraham's talk at the London Institute for Contemporary Christianity illustrates this from his business experience. View the video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cG5DLXx_EXo&feature=share #2018AYearofMovingForward #values #communication #strategicplanning #highperformingbusiness #faith #developingpeople #faithintheworkplace #managersleaders #employeeretention #LiteBites #

One of the most controversial subjects in UK housing is whether high-rise homes are a success or a failure. Watch Dr Chan Abraham's assessment at Downing College, Cambridge, as part of Relational Thinking Week 2017 here. Dr Abraham gives a brief introduction to social housing, particularly high-rise homes, in the UK, challenges the prejudices of history and seeks to help his audience arrive at a reasoned understanding of this difficult and challenging issue. Also:at https://

One of the greatest challengers we all face is failure. This article helps us see how one man dealt with this - and came through to success. In 1991, I—along with my business partner—suffered a financial meltdown. We had built a successful publishing company, but our growth outstripped our working capital. We simply ran out of cash. For a while, our distributor funded us in the form of cash advances on our sales. But eventually, their parent company wanted those advances bac

The place of work is very important. People may be unhappy in their personal lives, but an engaging, motivating and inspiring workplace can make the difference for them. This is where leadership can make its impact, because what leaders do is very is vital in creating that kind of workplace. #employeeengagement #managersleaders #employeeretention #tipsandadvice #LiteBites #businessleadership #management #workplace

"Leadership is a potent combination of strategy and character, but if you must be without one, be without the strategy."[1] So, because every leader will encounter at least one significantly challenging event in their lifetime, I would suggest that these words resonate with us all. Leadership is recognised as essential at all levels in any enterprise – whether in business, government, politics and faith communities. It is also vital in the most important component of huma

Servant leadership is defined as sacrificial love for those you lead. A leader is also meant to be a pastor, a shepherd, someone who cares for the needs of their people. You can be a strong leader but you can also be a responsive leader. When people know it is genuine, they respond. They don’t mistake kindness for weakness. #employeeengagement #managersleaders #tipsandadvice #LiteBites #businessleadership #management #nurturingothers #servantheartedleadership

3 simple principles for leadership: Lead without ego Be comfortable with who you are, know what you are good at, and gather people around you who are good at what you aren't. Always be willing to listen (really listen, no pretending), learn and change. Lead by values The end doesn't justify the means. Set out the values clearly and people will buy into them. Live by your values, publicly and privately. Servant leadership Someone once said, "There's no limit to what you

Ensure that the cultural values of your organisation and team match the personal values of employees. Values are the drivers that make people do the things they do. If these are reflected in the cultural values of their organisation and team, they capture the drivers of individuals - and channel their energy and interest in the same direction as their organisation and team. #employeeengagement #highperformingbusiness #managersleaders #employeeretention #LeadershipMasterclass

How to become the kind of leader others want to follow: Let go of your ego Become a good follower first Build positive relationships Work with excellence Rely on disciple, not emotion Make adding value your goal Give your power away Taken from our Leadership Masterclass on 2 December 2015. #LeadershipMasterclass #servantheartedleadership #managers #tipsandadvice #businessleadership #management #trainingandcoaching

Courage "Courage is the first virtue that makes all other virtues possible." – Aristotle Effective communication "The more elaborate our means of communication, the less we communicate." – Joseph Priestly Generosity "A good leader is a person who takes a little more than his share of the blame and little less than his share of the credit." – John Maxwell Humility "Humility is not thinking less of yourself, it's thinking of yourself less." – C.S. Lewis Self-awareness

The 7 Cs of good communication: Clear Concise Concrete Correct Coherent Complete Courteous #communication #managersleaders #personaldevelopment #tipsandadvice #management #workplace #LiteBites

There are 4 stages of training and developing people that a leader should focus on: I do; you watch I do; you help You do; I help You do; I watch You start by being the person who does everything, and the people you are training watch you. You go into a stage where the people you are training help you. The next stage is where they do and you are helping. Finally, they do and you are watching. They are moving into a greater sphere of activity, perhaps leadership. That’s your p

1. Vision & perspective Where do you want this year to take you? Have a big picture perspective. “Whenever I set out to paint a nature scene I first try to get the sky right, for when I get sky right then I know the picture will come out right.” – Winston Churchill 2. Purpose What is the purpose of your life? Without a strong controlling purpose, the personality disintegrates through its own inner clashes – no purpose, no personality. The purpose of life is a life of purpose.

Just last month, Luminus Group, led by Dr Chan Abraham, was honoured with the prestigious Howard Kennedy 'Employer of the Year’ award, in the Lloyds Bank National Business Awards 2016. Described as “the Oscars of British business”, the National Business Awards recognises and rewards the best in field in the UK. The Employer of the Year award celebrates organisations seeing the best return on an investment in people, and recognises the employee strategy that best attracts, ret

As 2016 draws to a close, many of us will be thinking about what personal resolutions to make for the upcoming new year. But while there's still time, here are 10 great resolutions every manager should make before the year ends: Fulfil promises Deal with dead ends Stay accountable Be present Communicate with care Practice what you preach Actively seek out talent Be fluid Follow up Reflect Taken from our Leadership Masterclass December 2015. #strategicplanning #Decemberfocus #

41. Encourage your team members to offer unsolicited ideas of how their organisation and your team can be more successful Remember, no idea is a bad idea, they are all good ideas. Some will not work. Also remember – all failures are successes waiting to happen! 42. Ask your team to write down in a notebook all the things they think will make their organisation more successful Come together and implement as many of the ideas as you can. Draw in others from other teams and spre

31. Ensure your team works intensively, without interruptions, for about 50 minutes in each hour; has a break of 10 minutes doing something different to cool down the brain, before starting another intensive 50 minutes Ensure they don’t respond to emails during the 50 minutes, and that all calls go to a silent answerphone (to be checked in the 10 minutes break). If the work is a rapid response type of work, the 50 minutes includes receiving communication and responding to it.

21. Ensure you encourage each member of your team on a regular basis. Everyone needs encouragement from time to time, and often don’t receive it. You can change that. 22. Ensure that each member of your team is regularly and continuously appraised of their performance Everyone wants to know how they’re getting on with their work. Regular appraisal is a way of providing that feedback. Think about doing this in an informal manner, such as giving a thoughtful critique about some