Using influencing skills to “Secure the Jade throne”

Les Buckley — Sun, 06 Jul 2025 03:14:01 +0000

In Secure the Jade Throne you step into a twilight court worthy of a North-Asian palace epic: the Emperor ails, a rival fills the Hall of Harmony with discord, and every whisper or nod may tilt the succession towards or away from the Emperors 5 year old grandson, and imperil the empire. Players form the Succession Council, yet each has a secret allegiance to support the jade throne and successor or sabotage and support the mysterious Whispering Fox and the House of the Gold Fan.… Read more

Experiential Learning- summary and actions

Les Buckley — Sat, 05 Jul 2025 16:00:00 +0000

Examples of Games and Learning Outcomes (Les Buckley 2025)

Why Experiential Learning?

Experiential learning gives executives what lectures, readings, and case discussions cannot—real practice in real time. Instead of analyzing someone else’s decisions safely from the sidelines, learners are thrown into live situations where they must decide under pressure, exposing blind spots, habits, and biases they didn’t know they had. They fail safely and learn fast, getting immediate feedback with less risk.… Read more

Cohen-Bradford Influence Model adapted for Asian Context

Les Buckley — Sat, 21 Jun 2025 01:33:42 +0000

I first encountered the Cohen-Bradford model—and their 1989 publication—during an executive education course in the early 1990s- the book was crisp and fresh in its wrapper. It didn’t help me. At the time, I was blind to my inability to influence without authority. I believed that authority equalled influence. It didn’t. But I was too self-absorbed then to see that.… Read more

Why it makes sense to use Boardgames in Executive Education to boost learning

Les Buckley — Mon, 09 Jun 2025 03:52:30 +0000

Addressing the Limitations of current Executive Education (a personal view)

The prevailing model of executive education is facing scrutiny for its effectiveness in equipping today’s business leaders with the skills necessary to navigate an increasingly complex and volatile business environment. Research and feedback from executives highlight several key limitations of traditional face-to-face lecture methods often utilised by Undergraduate facilitators (Klein et al 2023).… Read more

MAKING LEADERSHIP HAPPEN; using Direction Alignment and Commitment

Les Buckley — Sun, 09 Feb 2025 08:29:32 +0000

More than ever, in our fast-changing and interconnected world, organizations feel the need for better more effective leadership. As a result, managers get a lot of advice (and training) on how to become more effective leaders. Such as; articulate a clear vision, engage your employees, develop talent, have a global mindset, think strategically, create win-win solutions, leverage diversity, communicate effectively, hold people accountable, be an agile learner etc.… Read more

New Manager challenged by team; used both DISC and SCARF Model to assist her

Les Buckley — Tue, 04 Feb 2025 04:45:33 +0000

The most critical challenge becoming a new manager, having a new team member join you or the challenging move from being a team member to becoming team leader is how to get your team to follow you? In my experience this is the most challenging facet of leadership, managing interpersonal relationships before trust is established. And while we always say build trust; rarely are there practical suggestions on what to do.… Read more

Unmasking the Uncommitted; Silent Saboteurs of Organizational Change

Les Buckley — Mon, 18 Nov 2024 01:21:07 +0000

Nokia’s precipitous decline in the smartphone market can be analysed by thinking of two entrenched political camps disagreeing on how to change in the face of overwhelming technological transformation. Initially, Nokia recognized the urgency of adapting to the rapid advancements in mobile technology and responded by developing the MeeGo operating system, which had the potential to compete with major players like iOS and Android.… Read more

“Yes we can? Actually, no we can’t”; the Inevitable Barriers to Change

Les Buckley — Mon, 18 Nov 2024 01:14:13 +0000

Despite Barak Obama’s appeal to hope in “yes we can”; Ford Motor Company’s transition towards electric vehicles (EVs) needed more than hope. The Yes we can turned into an emphatic “no we can’t” and their case highlights a significant barrier related to organizational change. As Ford attempted to shift its strategic focus to increase EV production, it faced the challenge of ramping up necessary capabilities, particularly related to capability and capacity, around battery technology and the scaling of EV production.… Read more

So tell me again, where are we going; how leadership ambiguity effectively stifles change

Les Buckley — Mon, 18 Nov 2024 01:12:38 +0000

Pre-covid, Deutsche Bank launched an ambitious change initiative aimed at overhauling its technology systems and corporate culture. However, the program floundered due to ineffective leadership. The bank’s top executives were criticized for not fully committing to the change initiative and failing to motivate and guide the organization through the transformation. This leadership shortfall resulted in significant implementation delays, spiraling costs, and a demoralized workforce, ultimately leading to a failure to achieve the desired outcomes and a significant financial loss.… Read more

Why Change starts with Why

Les Buckley — Sat, 28 Sep 2024 01:24:43 +0000

I facilitate many change management learning sessions and have the opportunity to engage with a wide range of managers tasked with enabling change. Almost unanimously their experiences have not been good. Over the next 12 weeks, I’ll share what I believe are the key topics within change and how to use these insights to propel your change management program.

In the first paper, I’ll focus on the MOST CRITICAL issue… starting with WHY.… Read more