I am sat in my hotel having just got the executive team of an Asian communications company to put post-it notes on their heads and walk around talking to each other. The post-it notes had magic characters on them.

It made them all smile massively.

And I got a different executive team to do exactly the same thing in London, UK two weeks ago.

It made them smile massively too.

I can’t believe I got them to do it really

Their first smiles (and giggles) were due to the silly idea of senior managers having post it notes on their heads … fair enough!

But as the session moved on the smiles quickly became deeper, less nervous and more genuine. Their mood shifted, their spirits lifted and they were properly enjoying themselves.

How did I get 20 stressed out senior people to feel so good? I asked them to tell each other things that would make the other person feel important. Things they had noticed about that person that they did really well. And they came up with all sorts of things.

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I’ve been really saddened by the news story of the sinking of Costa Concordia.  Looking at the pictures in the media you can’t help but think of Titanic.  To be honest, I can’t let it in – the situation is too painful to comprehend.

The story that seems to have gripped the media though is the captain and whether he was to blame.  Whether he was or wasn’t I guess is for the courts to decide.  But it’s made me question what makes a good leader? I think it’s easy to pick out good leaders when things are going well.  When Captain Francesco Schettino was sailing his ship along the beautiful Italian coast on a wonderfully sunny day, I’m sure his crew would have described him as a great Captain.  But when it all went wrong and they really needed him, what happened to those leadership qualities?

When bad times hit, you need a strong leader, someone who is going to see you through the tough times. We’ve just been through one of the worst recessions in our lifetime and if you believe the analysts we’re heading for the double dip sometime soon (my sources say September).  I’m sure the companies that will come out of this recession thriving will all have one thing in common – great leaders.

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You’ve probably poured tons of your company’s money into getting your people to perform even better.

And a lot has been wasted.

Not your fault – the proposal looked feasible and the trainers professional.

But nothing much has worked so far.

Perhaps it’s time to take a fresh look at what you might be able to change, how that happens and what it might achieve.

First consider what you are not going to be able to change.

Their intellect, values and motivation are tough to affect.

Which leaves their behaviour.

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We all knew it wasn’t going to be long before the country slipped back into its financial crisis.  Whether you choose to believe the warnings of the double-dip creeping up round the corner, over recent weeks we’ve seen a handful of businesses fall into the economic cracks and file for administration.

And if you’ve been watching the news this week, you’ll have seen the next in line is family-run retail chain Peacocks, which is sadly facing closure after being in the business for over 100 years.

Despite reporting a 17% rise in like for like sales over the Christmas period, Peacocks’ apparent increased lending has finally led to its demise. With reported borrowings escalating £577m, CEO Richard Kirk clung to hopes of a potential buyer bailing them out. But as the story continues, that flicker of hope is slowly fading and it’s reported up to 10,000 jobs are at risk. Another substantial blow to the country’s unemployment figures.

Whether you believe it’s down to the lending from banks or the lack of inspiration on the shelves, we may not know for some time. But what we do know is Peacock’s isn’t the first high-street retailer to be hit by the harsh stick of recession and it certainly won’t be the last.

Now, I am not an expert on the economy. Nor can I claim I should be giving out advice on our country’s financial lending (although I do have some opinions!) but I do see myself as somewhat of an expert when it comes to spending, I’m what you might call, a shopaholic. In a time when we are working harder than ever to earn our crust, it makes us want to buy for ourselves the treats we deserve. Even in a difficult economic climate, I am still going out and spending in the retail market every month. And I know what gets me, and no doubt half of my generation’s population through the doors, purse in hand, when payday rolls round the corner.

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