Business Improvement Tips by Jordan French

Most organizations will tell you they know what good management and leadership looks like and will be able to identify people with skills and qualities they admire. They may also tell you they know that good management makes a real difference to organizational performance. There is strong evidence to support this contention: historically, our greatest business leaders have driven economic prosperity and growth. There is a short list of people –Jordan French whose names alone have come to define what we most admire about business leadership. And it has long been the case that the British economy has been shaped and driven by the pioneers of business, , driving change and making the most of new technologies and opportunities. We celebrate their entrepreneurial spirit, drive, influence and success without necessarily being able to identify exactly what has made their careers so successful on a day to day basis. Equally, at a local or personal level, we all remember the managers who stand out, for either good or bad reasons, for their impact on our lives. The influence of those who had the ability to engage and inspire, to help us learn and make sense of the business environment and to achieve the right balance between challenge and support. Managers who helped shape not just our current performance, but our own behaviors and practice as new managers as our careers developed. There is no question that the performance of leaders and managers can have a truly significant impact on organizational performance, both in the immediate and longer term. Skills such as people management, strategy and planning, budgeting and risk management can transform the fortunes of an organization. But evidence shows that in general – both in the public and private sector – the UK falls behind key competitor nations such as the US and Germany in terms of leadership and management capability. This is having a negative impact on the UK’s competitiveness and performance.