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Written by Joseph Scott – Thu 25 May 2017
We are delighted to announce that we have expanded further across the United Kingdom to ensure that we can cover all your training requirements in your local area!
Some of our New Locations:
To see the full list of locations please visit the link below:
Training Locations
Written by John A G Smith – Fri 07 Oct 2016
There are many techniques used to provide good customer service. Our blog writer John A G Smith is a fountain of knowledge and using his experience tells us about just one of these........ if you want to learn more enquire about one of our private customer service courses.
No problem. When you stay in ‘Business Hotels’ this is a familiar scenario. Each morning, in a very short time span, a hundred business people arise from a hundred (or maybe fewer) beds and head for the showers. The hot-water storage tank gives up its contents in short order and those at the back of queue, or the top of the building, go cold. But good hotels, understanding this high demand, will have boilers that can cope so within a few minutes a heater with the power of a small thermonuclear device will restore the status quo and my day’s business will be back on track.......
Written by John A G Smith – Fri 23 Sep 2016
Congratulations! You got the promotion, but do you want to be a good leader or a good manager? Leadership skills and Management Skills for New Managers are 2 of our most popular business courses designed to help you on your way.
But what is the difference between a Leader and a Manager? I hear you ask..... using social history our expert John A G Smith explains.......
Written by John A G Smith – Fri 26 Aug 2016
Every business needs to make changes but problems arise when there is no one in place to manage those changes...... our writer John A G Smith helps explain how important Change Management is:
Harry studied the paperwork for a few minutes and then looked up.
“You’re absolutely right,” he said, “the change is essential and urgent. I’ll give you access to the Live Library. You and your team go ahead and build the change. When you you’ve tested it I’ll give you the password and you can put it into live.”
I was stunned. He was right about the urgency but this was way out of line. Here I was, just a subcontractor, being given the keys to the kingdom.
“What about Change Management?” I asked. “And doesn’t it have to go through the Change Advisory Board? Doesn’t anyone have to sign it off?”
“Nah.” He leaned back in his chair, legs straight and thrust his hands deep in his pockets. “The problem here is that our systems are too dynamic. We’ve got so many urgent changes going on that any sort of Change Management system will just get in the way. It would slow the whole thing up and be too much of a drag on everything.”
Written by John A G Smith – Fri 12 Aug 2016
We are each set a myriad of targets throughout our lives, by ourselves and by others. How can a leader ensure that the right targets are set to achieve the best from their workers? Learn how to motivate your team and strengthen your techniques but joining one of our Leadership courses.
Leadership by Pedro Ribeiro Simões
I was waiting for the Number 7 bus that would transport me in comfort to the delights of Brighton Marina when I noticed the sign on the side that proudly boasted, “Up to every 7 minutes” and this puzzled me. A quick check on the timetable confirmed my suspicion that, in fact, seven minutes was the shortest time one would have to wait for this hybrid drive, low energy, environmentally friendly behemoth.
Now if someone promised to do a job, say clean your car, you might ask for an estimate of the price.
“Up to seven quid, gov’nor,” he might proclaim so, on that basis, you give him the work.
How would you feel if, job done, he now held out his mitt for a tenner?
Written by John A G Smith – Fri 05 Aug 2016
There are many different ways to manage something and the methodologies of PRINCE2®, Agile, SCRUM and ITIL® help. In this post our expert John A G Smith explains how a system or 2 can keep our world spinning on the correct axis!
It’s all about systems. Whether you’re looking at something as small as an individual business task or as large as a whole company, they’re all systems. We’re surrounded by the things. We live on a planet within the solar system. Our shower is supplied by a hot water system. I’m writing this on a computer system. Indeed we are each our own individual system: the human body.
Image - Panel 6 Solar Systemm, Ralph Buckley
So what, I hear you say, is a system? And what qualifies each mentioned above as one of them?
It is generally accepted that a system has five components: Inputs, outputs, processes, stores and a boundary.
Written by John A G Smith – Tue 12 Jul 2016
Facilitation is a skill crucial in guiding a meeting to make a decision or think of a solution without providing it. Our writer John A G Smith uses his experience to explain why learning Facilitation Skills is so much better than 'B.A. Ping Pong'?!
It’s a game that every Business Analyst has played. Many do not even have a name for it and, of those that do, it’s usually unrepeatable in polite company. I call it ‘B. A. Ping Pong’ … although maybe that should be ‘wiff waff’?
Image courtesy of Wikimedia
The rules are very simple and any Business Analyst can play. Here’s how it works:
Written by John A G Smith – Fri 01 Jul 2016
“If I want the job done properly then I have to do it myself.”
How often have you heard that one … probably said by a manager, frustrated by the lack of expertise of some staff member?
Image courtesey of Wikimedia Commons
Why, you may wonder, has the worker not got the expertise? Why must the harassed manager carry so much of the burden?
Several years ago I was working for a major international financial organisation when they offered a Time Management course for senior executives. All agreed the course would probably be useful. But attendance was optional and when the day arrived only four, of over forty, of these senior people turned up. The reason? Go on, you know already, don’t you? Yes, they couldn’t spare the time to attend!
Why are staff at all levels – from the most junior to the most senior – so ‘time poor’ in today’s business environment?
Where, it appears, too many people seem to be taking on an inordinate workload … and not handling it well. Could it be that, to use a common modern phrase, rather than working harder they need to work smarter?
Written by John A G Smith – Fri 24 Jun 2016
Congratulations you got the promotion, you are now a manager but what does this mean?
Everyone has the intention of being good at their job and with the correct training and support every manager old or new can be a great manager!
Image courtesey of Wikipedia
Join one of our Management Skills for New Managers and gain the skills to take you forward in your career.
Written by John A G Smith – Wed 08 Jun 2016
The outsourcing of IT and other services is now common practise. Problems can arise when it is seen as a means to pass on responsibility for service management or IT service management.
Image -'Service' by Sascha Kohlmann
There are a significant number of problems for which the application of ITIL disciplines can bring substantial benefits. All of which are covered in the ITIL Foundation course.
As with many technical subjects, a little storytelling makes concepts easier to understand, so we asked our expert John A.G. Smith takes a lighter look at the subject of ITIL Contracts, Services and Agreements.