Immediate Futures

Open house invitation

Management Futures is holding an open house for its clients on September 12. We would like to invite you to a morning programme on how to develop leaders and to be our guests for lunch.

The guest speaker is George Entwhistle, Editor of BBC’s Newsnight. George become editor on Sept 10, 2001, one day before the World Trade Center disaster. His subject will be ‘One year of leadership in the hot seat’.

Jenny Rogers, Phil Hayes and Jan Campbell will also be leading sessions on the latest developments in career and executive coaching.

So put the date in your diary. The event will be at the Shaw Plaza Hotel in Euston Road, London NW1. Please send an email to info@managementfutures.co.uk to let us know that you intend to come.

Competition Winner

Thanks you for your entries for the Definitions competition last time. The idea is to take a word and, by adding or altering one letter, supply a new definition.

Richard Knowles from the Isle of Wight suggested:

Hemorrhoid: the bit of clothing that irritatingly dangles down when the stitching comes loose.

Mandy Spooner of Wolverhampton suggested:

Sinstitution: An organisation dedicated to malpractice
Experminate: To the rid of a fuzzy haircut
Pubstitute: To drink at a pub other than one’s local

But the outright winner was Anthony Rumgay from the Lake District who got on to a highly creative roll with:

Mugnetism: the irresistible appeal of the con-man
Pregret: to feel bad about something in advance, just in case
Flexicon: any politician's vocabulary
Deep Vein Thrombonis: a condition dreaded by players of brass instruments

The prize, you may recall, was a free coaching session but since Anthony is an experienced coach we are sending him a free copy of The Climate Lab.

Happennings

Super hospitals
The first wave of a new kind of NHS hospital, released from the control of Whitehall, should be up and running by the end of next year. They will be able to pay their staff bonuses, borrow money for new projects and keep the proceeds from land sales. The first four are in Northumbria, Peterborough, Norwich and Cambridge.

Is turning down promotion foolish?
You’re right to feel some concern about a promotion you do not want. To go into a more demanding job with reluctance is no way to live, not even to advance your career. You should trust your instinct, decline the offer with grace and do all you can to minimise fall-out.” – Management Today.

Spray and pray
"How can business balance the need to win the war for talent whilst curbing costs? The nature of recruitment is therefore changing from the spray and pray approach of the early nineties to a strategic, professional discipline requiring expert skills. This comes at a price with a prospective employer bracing itself for a bill of £8,000 for an average middle management appointment.” – Quantica Search and Selection.

Mind the jargon
Gap is the latest retailer to lose its way. Todd Slater of Lazard Freres said: ”There are structural, non-merchandising issues which I think need to be addressed by someone outside the box of traditional specialty apparel retailing”.