September the 12th, 2002 was a day of great enthusiasm and genuine value. Management Futures welcomed clients, new and old, to an Open House at The Shaw Plaza, Euston Road, London. Their aim was to give a vivid insight into the methods and the role of coaching management figures today though presentation by Jenny Rogers, Phil Hayes and Jan Campbell.

“It helps to stand back and try to take a look at the broader picture to try to gain a different insight into a situation. In the weeks after September 11 I read several books about Arab and Moslem culture.”

“Although a timely bollocking is good it is a mistake to reprimand staff too much. It is better to salute enterprise and imagination.”

“It is also essential to take time out of work and get to know your staff by talking about non-work related subjects. I take my kids to school at least once a week.”

“When I first heard the news I was just leaving a Chinese restaurant when I got a call on my mobile from a colleague.I ran back to the offices and started to see the early stages of what was happening.”

“It was the first day of the TUC conference and we were trying to think of ideas to fill the programme!”

“An important thing to do as manager is to pace yourself and not try to attend to every small thing, over-attending to detail.”

“We are lucky the people on the team are mostly like-minded and share a lot of similar qualities so there is often little conflict.”

“An important attribute of journalists is their enthusiasm and energy; this is one of the things I try to maintain among my staff.”

“There are two different types of people. Those who make a difference and those who see themselves as people who make a difference. Journalists often belong to the latter.”

“The staff on the programme work on a shift pattern so one of the things we’ve done to prevent creating a disjointed workforce is to hold lunchtime meetings. These meetings are a chance for staff to show their work and receive helpful feedback on it. They often lead to lively intellectual arguments which help with creativity.”

“As well as being an umbrella and protecting staff from pressures from above. It is sometimes important to make staff aware of some of the pressures you are under so they can understand your management methods more easily.”