Why do we rely on DIY when building spreadsheets?

Posted on 21/02/2012

I'm of the generation that remembers Clive Sinclair as the first great technological innovator that swam into my ken. I was not quite early-adopter enough to purchase a ZX 81, but my parents did invest in a ZX Spectrum for me - and I taught myself how to use it. We all did. There was an orange A5 ring-bound manual …

Liverpool Post: Leadership skills are key in turbulent times

Posted on 16/02/2012

Jeff Biggin, Head of Leadership Development at Ambitious Minds, talks to the Liverpool Post about the the need for strong and effective leadership in times of turbulence. In the interview, Jeff highlights the importance of Emotional Intelligence in developing leadership skills - being aware of how you are perceived by others and recognising that your …

What value is there in economic forecasts?

Posted on 16/02/2012

THERE'S good news and there's bad news. The good news is that the business lobby group, the CBI, expects the economy to grow by 0.9% this year, with strong improvements in the second half. The bad news is that their forecasts are often not especially close. In February last year the CBI predicted 2011's growth to be 1.8%, but it turned …

Where do your inspiring thoughts come from?

Posted on 08/02/2012

I was on the train the other day, travelling as I often do between delivery venues and meetings. I was reading a novel on my Kindle and looked up in time to see a colleague who I hadn't had contact with for 2 or 3 years passing by. He's in a similar line of business – Training & Development. We got …

Great leadership techniques from the Duke of Wellington

Posted on 02/02/2012

EXACTLY 200 years ago this summer, the Duke of Wellington fired off a sarcastic memo to ministers in London complaining of the burden of bureaucracy. As he marched his troops from Portugal towards Madrid in order to meet Napoleon's forces, the Duke had become exasperated with the demands coming from London. He complained that "each item and every farthing has been accounted …

BBC Radio Merseyside: Keep the Cash! and the Merseyside Innovation Awards

Posted on 01/02/2012

Radio Merseyside's Simon Hoban asks Sean McGuire about his experience of being a finalist in the 2011 Merseyside Innovation Awards with Keep the Cash! Also featured in the interview is Jack Stopforth, CEO of Liverpool Chamber of Commerce. The interview was first broadcast on the BBC Radio Merseyside Drive programme with Simon Hoban, on Monday 30th January 2012. You …

Ambitious Minds recruits Leadership specialist

Posted on 30/01/2012

BUSINESS education provider Ambitious Minds has launched its Leadership Development division, recruiting sector specialist Jeff Biggin to head up the programme. The new division complements Ambitious Minds' existing suite of financial education products and provides significant growth potential for the business. Jeff, 55, joins the firm as Head of Leadership Development from Kaplan Hawksmere, where he delivered leadership development training for a …

BBC Radio Merseyside: Sean McGuire on the Roger Phillips show

Posted on 30/01/2012

Sean McGuire, chief executive of Ambitious Minds, was a guest on the Roger Phillips programme, alongside fellow guest Andrew McAuley from Liverpool Community College. The main topics discussed were the proposed mayoral election for Liverpool and the issue of Health & Safety in the workplace. The interview was first broadcast on the BBC Radio Merseyside lunchtime programme with Roger Phillips, on Friday …

Educate magazine: Bellerive College delighted to play Keep the Cash!

Posted on 26/01/2012

In the January-April 2012 edition of Educate magazine, Sr Brigid Halligan, head teacher of Bellerive FCJ Catholic College explains why she thinks playing Keep the Cash! is so important for her students. Click here to open the PDF: Educate magazine, January …

Focus on your customers, not on yourself

Posted on 26/01/2012

A MEMO was circulated this week to a group of business owners in one of our region's commercial sites that began "You may have already heard the news on the grapevine...", that went on to announce the memo author's promotion to site manager. Putting questions of writing style to one side, the phrase gave away the author's opinion of his own …