Editor's Letters
Issue: March / April 2014

The Spring is Sprung

By - March 27, 2014

It’s that time of the year again when here at Executive Secretary Towers we celebrate our birthday. It’s three years since we relaunched the magazine as a global publication and what a ride it has been. The last 12 months alone have seen us nominated as a finalist for ‘Business Magazine of the Year’, raise... Read more »
Career Development
Issue: March / April 2014

5 Simple Steps to Developing a New and Improved Job Description

By - March 26, 2014

A complete and detailed description of your job is extremely important to your professional career says Julie Perrine It’s not just important if and when you decide to take a new position outside your company or assume a new role within your organization. It’s also vital in helping your executive and colleagues get an accurate... Read more »
Communication
Issue: March / April 2014

Be in Control – Never Let Conflict Manage You!

By - March 25, 2014

We all have to remember that when bosses are under stress or feeling frustrated, they are probably not going to be on their best behaviour and may be detached, inflexible, stubborn, argumentative, shouting etc. Also when you are the closest person to them it is probably you who they vent off to. The same goes... Read more »
Communication
Issue: March / April 2014

Are You Writing for Today or Yesterday?

By - March 25, 2014

“With reference to your letter…” “Enclosed herewith please find…” “I am writing to inform you…” “Please be advised…” Are you still writing letters and emails using these old-fashioned, boring clichés? In today’s fast-paced business world with its focus on effective communication, these stuffy formalities make your writing unnecessarily complicated and impersonal. Yet many writers seem... Read more »
Events Excellence
Issue: March / April 2014

Corporate Hospitality – Know the Score

By - March 25, 2014

A new report sees the hospitality world back in the game “Corporate hospitality is showing signs of a return to its pre-austerity form, however there is a marked move for clients to show a demonstrable return on such investments. Through replacing boardrooms and meeting rooms with an inspiring setting at cultural and sporting events, corporate... Read more »
Health & Wellbeing
Issue: March / April 2014

Taking Breaks at Work

By - March 25, 2014

Is working a 10-hour day and skipping your lunch break an efficient way to achieve optimum output whilst maintaining youtr work-life balance asks Carole Spiers?
Leadership
Issue: March / April 2014

Why Talent is the Opportunity Someone Gives You

By - March 25, 2014

Our business environment is changing rapidly and radically; with heightened global competition, shortening development times resulting from new technologies, and continuing economic uncertainty, businesses must be agile, innovative and future-focused to keep ahead. If you see a bandwagon, even in the distance, you are too late; you have missed it. The workplace too is changing... Read more »
Communication
Issue: March / April 2014

Why Good Writing Skills Are Important in Today’s Workplace — and Tips for Developing Them

By - March 25, 2014

Good writing skills are a key asset at every stage of your career, from the moment you write your very first cover letter and CV until your retirement party explains Robert Hosking
Leadership
Issue: March / April 2014

Instruction Manual: Your Assistant

By - March 25, 2014

You have been promoted to Manager. Congratulations! The good news is that you have been assigned an Assistant. The bad news is that you have no idea how to utilize her. Since you don’t know how, you continue to do everything yourself by default. This scenario is all too common throughout the world. It is... Read more »
Cover Story
Issue: March / April 2014

Getting to Yes! – Gaining Support for Training

By - March 25, 2014

Don’t take “no” for an answer, says Joan Burge
Leadership
Issue: March / April 2014

Five Questions Every Leader Must Answer About Change

By - March 25, 2014

Change the changeable, accept the unchangeable, and remove yourself from the unacceptable. – Denis Waitley The story is told of Karl Benz, who in 1866 drove his first automobile through the streets of Munich, Germany. He named his car the Mercedes Benz, after his daughter Mercedes. The machine angered the citizens, because it was noisy... Read more »
Opinion
Issue: March / April 2014

Children and the Boardroom

By - March 25, 2014

As a cognitive neuroscientist and business psychologist I believe it is unattainable to achieve a 50/50 gender mix in all senior management positions in UK businesses by 2020 because women innately want to be the primary care-giver. It goes without saying that there are many women who prefer or need to work full-time, however, women... Read more »
Personal Development
Issue: March / April 2014

Tips to Build Your Confidence and Career

By - March 25, 2014

A new report from CBI/Accenture report stated that 51% of firms expect their workforce to be larger this time next year, the highest figure since the start of the recession in 2008. With more jobs being created and economic growth, 2014 could prove a fresh start for many people who have been considering a new... Read more »
Personal Development
Issue: March / April 2014

Samoa – After Three Months

By - March 25, 2014

When I last wrote we had been here only a very few weeks. We have now been through Christmas, New Year and are well into our third month. Things that seemed new and strange have become normal and, in fact, the time we are due to be here is running by at great speed, which... Read more »
Leadership
Issue: March / April 2014

The Biggest Challenge… Life

By - March 25, 2014

My mother told me I was irresponsible, friends thought I was crazy, but I knew there was more. I knew I could achieve more than I had. I knew that if I stepped out in faith, worked hard and listened to what my heart told me I could challenge myself to get to excellence. So... Read more »
Personal Development
Issue: March / April 2014

Unwinding Bad Habits (and Other Feeling-driven Behaviours)

By - March 25, 2014

In my previous article in this magazine, I talked about the benefits of accepting uncomfortable, or unproductive, feelings or desires. I pointed out that when we resist (have negative thoughts about), or try to avoid, such feelings, it generally makes them worse. We can become anxious about feeling anxious or depressed about feeling depressed. Other... Read more »