December 2006 - Posts

• The secret of our success: The new world order

  This is the time of year when you get a bit of time to think about big issues. Like macroeconomics and geopolitics... words I have trouble spelling. It's been a really big year for Hill & Knowlton's Change and Internal Communications practice. We've Read More... Posted 30 December 2006 17:21 by David Ferrabee | 0 Comments Filed under: Consulting, New business, marketing, selling, Europe, Internal communications

• The secret of business success: conversations

  It's the worst time of year for conversations. (After this string of posts , you're going to think I'm a bit of a grinch .) Christmas and New Year's is when we get together with relatives and old friends and pick up the senseless arguments where we left Read More... Posted 27 December 2006 19:15 by David Ferrabee | 0 Comments Filed under: Culture, Engagement, involvement, morale, motivation, People management, Internal communications

• The Fog of Work

  The whole of Britain is sunk in a fog. My brother's here and we are driving around the country, but we can't see anything. So I'm describing things as we drive by and saying "it's really beautiful... I promise.." We are better off than all the people Read More... Posted 21 December 2006 10:47 by David Ferrabee | 1 Comments Filed under: Consulting, People management

• Season's Bleatings: Holidays are hard

  I am working hard to achieve a vague state of zen. Holidays are the worst. Business piles up. You work hard while your credit card is getting creases from being run through the machine. And then you have to do shed-loads of stuff that's associated with Read More... Posted 19 December 2006 16:11 by David Ferrabee | 3 Comments Filed under: Engagement, involvement, morale, motivation, People management

• HQ as cultural centre

  Paul and I are stuck in the airport of a European capital. It´s late and he´s passed out. Today we have visited a major, global business whose headquarters is a city on the edge of town. It´s awesome. So hard to visit and not be impressed. But the buildings Read More... Posted 14 December 2006 20:25 by David Ferrabee | 2 Comments Filed under: Culture, People management, Europe

• Internal brand, employee brand, etc, etc, etc...

  This is Part 2. I did a quick explanation Monday morning: brand and employees, selon moi . This is the bit where I try to explain how it seems to work in the world, based on my experience. Once I worked at a consultancy where we spent a small fortune Read More... Posted 13 December 2006 08:29 by David Ferrabee | 2 Comments Filed under: Strategy, Engagement, involvement, morale, motivation, Consulting, People management, Internal communications, Change Management

• Internal brand, employee brand, yada, yada, yada...

  For those who have to listened to me talk about change and internal communications a lot, I apologise in advance. This is a topic on which I am extraordinarily boring. There are three different things that people talk about when the word 'brand' comes Read More... Posted 11 December 2006 11:53 by David Ferrabee | 4 Comments

• What our children will teach us: Happy feet

  I've been with half a dozen four year-olds today. That's real work. We went to see Happy Feet for one of my children's 4th birthday. And then for pizza afterward. They couldn't sit still. They wandered, declared a need to pee at random times, reached Read More... Posted 10 December 2006 21:43 by David Ferrabee | 0 Comments

• "One Company": What's in a name?

  I have seen quite a few big businesses running "One Company" programmes recently. I've even worked for a few. And they all seem to have come up with the catchy internal branding: One Company. Or "One (Company Name)". Not too inspired. I will write one Read More... Posted 08 December 2006 08:27 by David Ferrabee | 2 Comments Filed under: Culture, Consulting, People management, Internal communications

• HR without a licence

  I used to work for an Human Resources consultancy. A lot of my clients are based in HR. And I know some top quality HR people. But... I am struggling today to put my own team's HR processes in place. And I recognise that most businesses are completely Read More... Posted 07 December 2006 09:13 by David Ferrabee | 0 Comments Filed under: Leadership, Engagement, involvement, morale, motivation, People management

• A world worth saving – Green consultants

  My 3-year-old son and I are having lunch at Butler's Wharf . There's a great view of Tower Bridge and central London from here. It's a beautiful Sunday morning. I have been catching up on my reading this weekend. A friend of mine works at The Carbon Trust Read More... Posted 03 December 2006 18:59 by David Ferrabee | 2 Comments Filed under: Consulting, Internal communications, Change Management

• Engagement: Betrothal

  That's what it means. That's what everyone except you and me think about when they hear the word. I really don't know why we keep using it. Can't we make something up? Filliaility... stickededness... I'm at a conference in Madrid. A great, two day event Read More... Posted 01 December 2006 00:10 by David Ferrabee | 4 Comments Filed under: Leadership, Engagement, involvement, morale, motivation, Europe, Internal communications