JOCA

A little ramble this week on Wrexham football club and their understandable worries about their ownership.Kier Starmer and his sudden change of tune now he's in power.Manchester United and the Glazers.Desmond Doss and the effect he had on all those around him.Some cool bits to consider on leadership and bits that have crossed my mind for potential future research projects.

Some of my research to date on this latest project looks at the leadership skills required in the military, the leadership skills required as a project manager, and most interestingly if self-efficacy is the true key to leadership success.

I'm currently working my way through a research project that is looking at ex military personnel who are now working in civilian project management roles.  The themes within the research are to find any common trends in terms of leadership traits gained within the military and also if these leadership traits are transferable.These are some of my findings to date ....

Ok so for the last few years, I've been looking at Leadership in a deep way and I feel I've had a bit of a breakthrough.This is the definition of leadership whether people like it or not (this might not suit most people's personal narratives).

My two cents on why trump is such an enigmatic leader who draws people in by fighting for what people desire.A bit on why race in my opinion is old news and needs to be made a thing of the past.  We SHOULD be way too civilised and advanced to keep bringing it up and clinging on to being hard done by.  Also too many young men feeling like they can't fulfil their masculine duties and therefore feel like failures.  It's not right and we need to give more young people hope.

Just a brief chat on the politics and blue v red sides, football managers and the difference between club v country and then a gripe on fathers day.

I had a bit of a crazy conversation the other day on evolution, where we're going in terms of robotics and where we could possibly end up.Also sprinkle in a little on leadership, the general election in the UK and leader perceptions.

Jack Harding-Dancy.  I first met Jack when I signed up to have a run around with a local football team.  Little did I know that this men's team was being run by a 19-year-old who blew my mind with his maturity, his confidence and ability to manage and lead a team of much older and more experienced players.I've always wondered what made Jack stand out to me in those few months I played under him and now at long last, I'm getting the chance to ask him.I hope this interview does you justice Jack and I truly wish nothing but the best for your future in and out of football.

A quick review on three AMAZING notes Cady Coleman gave on leadership.As quoted on CadyColeman.com "Cady Coleman is a former NASA astronaut and retired as a colonel in the United States Air Force. She flew twice on the Space Shuttle Columbia, and spent almost 6 months living and working aboard the International Space Station. A sought-after speaker on a wide range of topics, including leadership and team building, Cady is known for her advocacy for inclusion in STEM/STEAM fields. She is also a highly regarded media adviser and on-air expert for space exploration news. Cady lives in Shelburne Falls, Massachusetts with her husband, glass artist Josh Simpson. They have two adult sons and two enormous Maine Coon cats, Saber and Max."

Self belief is important for any individual walking into a leadership position, but how do you walk into that position without thinking you're the best person to lead.  So by default if you believe you're better than everyone else at being in charge, surely that must make you some form of narcissist, no?

Belief is a magical thing and if you are sure of what you're saying with zero doubt then this can take you so much further than all the talent in the world!!

This is not a talent issue or a tactical issue, this is something that almost all teams have an issue with at some point and it shouldn't have been this hard to fix.

Ok so this one was a little bit difficult for me and I suppose a bit of a sensitive subject.I talk about my mental health, my adoption, my ADHD, my DID and I suppose it does all get a little bit dark at times.

Do you have what it takes to become a leader?No, really???Do you believe in yourself and do you have enough charisma to sell yourself OR something that people want?And can you delay gratification?  Are you patient and disciplined?

Why do most businesses send their managers on leadership courses when they don't really know what leaders are??

There is a difference between self worth and confidence.  There is also another one to throw in there which is how secure you are as a person (lack of ego).This topic needs to be made very clear as they are all so different and each can cause their own set of issues!!!

Do you have self confidence?Do you identify as your role?WHO ARE YOU?These are questions you need to know.

A look at Thinking Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman and how it relates to leadership.  Also do some people live in 3rd person and are aware of their own thoughts and see them as not them but like a teleprompter???

A little look at the book by Dr Robert Glover and the issue within marriages of the "Nice Guy Syndrome" and how this could kind of link into leadership.

A review of a paper that reviewed the book "The Extraordinary Leader".The paper ' The Remarkably Ordinary Leader' was by Jim Di Piante and written in 2009.The original book was called 'The Extraordinary Leader' and was written by John Zenger & Joseph Folkman in 2002.

The amazing Professor Keith Grint.Keith Grint is Professor Emeritus at Warwick University, where he was Professor of Public Leadership until 2018.He spent ten years working in various positions across a number of industry sectors before switching to an academic career. Since becoming an academic, Keith has held Chairs at Cranfield University and Lancaster University and he was Director of the Lancaster Leadership Centre. He spent 12 years at Oxford University and was Director of Research at Saïd Business School.Keith has published several seminal books on leadership and management. He is currently writing a book on mutiny.

Why are women their own worst enemy?Is academia like cluedo with some of the cards missing?Do we have the same pets?Can I admit that 30 years of my life has been a lie?

Are leaders the same as managers?Are women the same as men?Are leaders superior to managers?Should Tom Cruise be allowed to play Nelson Mandela in his biopic?Should there be a caucasian men 100m race?

This has to be one of the most important lesson not only in leadership, but surely in life in general!!

What actually constitutes being a great leader?Define it for me.Without that definition we can't truly say how you make someone great at it.

Why are Iron Man & Captain America in charge?Why are Batman & Superman in charge?How are these two pairs so similar?How does Hitler fit in all this?Why isn't T'Challa in charge?

A few awesome extracts from the book 'As a man thinketh' by James Allen.  Short and sweet but definitely relevant to leadership!!!

Personality must have a huge say on if you are an effective/good leader or not.  Myers-Briggs is the standard test for personality type when looking at leadership and I'm not quite sure I like my results or not??

Is the person in charge the Leader?Can the figure head be just the face and voice?Does the star player need to be a great leader?When the Superbowl comes around, who is actually in charge of each team?

Is integrity one of the most important traits in leadership?I'll be looking at my own integrity to compare to the most common integrity traits and analysing how these traits can be utilised in the real world.

Some amazing extracts from the book Managing Oneself by Peter F. Drucker

Do you think that you would follow the real leader, because I believe almost everyone would pick the wrong one.That's the problem with bad leadership.

I couldn't teach a chimp Japanese, just like some people couldn't grasp the basics of quantum mechanics.Is the same true of leadership?Does everyone have the capacity to comprehend and/or even learn the skills required, or do you need a certain set of personality traits to be able to truly be a leader?

- Three sentences I was asked to write when on a leadership course a few years ago.- Film moments I seem to love??- Following the path

A brief look at the #1 New York best seller by Jocko Willink and Leif Babin on their leadership principles that they gained through their experiences as a US Navy Seal.

Touching on the book 'Never Stop Walking' by Christina Rickardsson.How I believe my adoption affected me and the leadership traits I gained from it.

Are all leadership scenarios the same??Are the traits required different?Are the followers vital to your perceived leadership ability?

First podcast back in 2024.  A little bit on Jose Mourinho.A scene I noticed in the movie Aliens.Another scene I noticed in the movie Hacksaw Ridge.

An review of an extract from the the military leadership book of given out by the British Army to young officers training at Sandhurst.

Stand up Straight.  A review on the military leadership book written by Major General Paul Nanson.

This whole concept is based around the study of leadership and hopefully we can together decipher the ultimate cheat code for what needs to be done to become that ultimate level of leader.Essentially this is my very first chat on what my objectives are and what my plan is (let's just say 'the only way is up')