by Stuart Cross | Apr 30, 2021 | Business Rocks
I love coaching my U16 football team and am always looking for ways to improve my coaching skills. A while back, I attended an FA Coaching Conference at St George’s Park, the FA headquarters. One of the workshops I went to was on sprinting and movement technique. At...
by Stuart Cross | Apr 23, 2021 | Business Rocks
It’s hard to know where to begin with the fiasco of the aborted European Super League. There are so many epic management and leadership failures involved. So, instead, let me share a small positive. The ESL lasted a little less than 48-hours. The concept may have...
by Stuart Cross | Apr 16, 2021 | Business Rocks
Those of you who have followed this newsletter for a little while may know that one of my favourite phrases is “nothing fails like success.” Many companies fail not because they’re bad at what they do, but because they’re great at what they do. It’s just that the...
by Stuart Cross | Apr 1, 2021 | Business Rocks
Far from being beneficial, the search for perfection inhibits performance. Take football, for example. This season’s use of Video Assistant Referees (VAR) to help officiate Premier League games has made the game far less enjoyable to watch. As some faceless official...
by Stuart Cross | Mar 26, 2021 | Business Rocks, Covid
I had my first Covid-19 jab last Friday. It was a momentous day. So much so that as I left the vaccination centre in Lincoln, the NHS had organized for the Red Arrows to perform one of their amazing aerobatic displays – just to celebrate my inoculation. (My wife...
by Stuart Cross | Mar 19, 2021 | Business Rocks
When I ask my clients what they’re great at and what sets them apart from their rivals, they tend to reply with a list of platitudes. Our people. Our values and ethos. Our willingness to go the extra mile. While each of these points may have some truth, they don’t get...
by Stuart Cross | Mar 5, 2021 | Business Rocks
Was 2020 the year of the team? For many organisations, survival only happened as a result of the amazing teamwork displayed at all levels to identify, resolve and overcome the many and varied challenges arising from the pandemic. When we talk of teams, we generally...
by Stuart Cross | Feb 26, 2021 | Business Rocks
I have long held the belief that the most important gift I can give my children is not education, but optimism. Healthy levels of optimism are associated with improved health, higher levels of motivation and performance and career success. I say this as a natural...
by Stuart Cross | Feb 12, 2021 | Business Rocks, Covid
The development of the Covid-19 vaccines provides a great example of the conditions necessary for effective innovation. One key lesson is that while having an ‘innovation culture’ is important, it is insufficient to deliver genuine innovation. In addition to...
by Stuart Cross | Feb 5, 2021 | Business Rocks
As Victoria Coren Mitchell put it, Captain Tom made it count, didn’t he? In his 100th and final year, Captain Sir Tom Moore not only raised over £30 million for NHS charities, but he also gave hope and optimism to a nation when it needed it most. Over half of babies...
by Stuart Cross | Jan 29, 2021 | Business Rocks, Covid
I assume that, like me, you now consider yourself an expert armchair epidemiologist. If so, you’ll be reviewing the daily latest charts of infections, hospitalisations and vaccination rates, looking for clues to help you understand if and when the lockdown will be...
by Stuart Cross | Jan 15, 2021 | Business Rocks
Last week’s events at The Capitol in Washington DC were both shocking and entirely predictable in roughly equal measure. I believe the riot was stoked by Donald Trump’s words and direct encouragement, both on the day and over the past few months. But mob’s actions...
by Stuart Cross | Jan 10, 2021 | Business Rocks
January is a time for setting new goals. And, as always when I’m thinking about new goals, I’m reminded of the great line from the Dilbert cartoon, “Stretch goals are like stretch pants – they’re a sign that you’ve given up hope!” In fact, there’s probably only one...
by Stuart Cross | Dec 23, 2020 | Business Rocks, Covid
Last Friday, my parents received their first coronavirus vaccination at the Globe Arena, the home of Morecambe Football Club. “Arena” may seem a little overblown for a stadium that holds just a little over 6,000 spectators, but the fact that it is called the “Globe”...
by Stuart Cross | Dec 7, 2020 | Business Rocks
It’s nearly 15 years since my last corporate role, working in the strategy team at Boots the Chemists. Since then many things have changed, but others remain stubbornly similar. When I left Boots, the challenge for most high street retailers was to establish genuine...
by Stuart Cross | Nov 27, 2020 | Business Rocks, Covid
It seems that a random piece of good luck will have a massive, positive impact on our ability to vaccinate against Covid-19. The scientists running the Oxford University/Astrazenca trial made an error in an early batch of the vaccine. As a result, a sub-group of the...
by Stuart Cross | Nov 13, 2020 | Business Rocks
As I watched a Rudy Giuliani press conference on Saturday, I was transported back nearly 20 years to the closure of a small chain of Boots Wellbeing stores. Giuliani’s press call was at the Four Seasons in Philadelphia. No, not the luxury hotel, but Four Seasons Total...
by Stuart Cross | Nov 6, 2020 | Business Rocks
As I write this post, the outcome of the US presidential election is still undecided. Already, however, Donald Trump and his team have accused those running the electoral process of defrauding the American people. Legal cases have been launched and the president has...
by Stuart Cross | Oct 30, 2020 | Business Rocks
Autumn is making its presence felt. The leaves are turning colour – there are already some glorious reds and golds in our village – the days are shortening and the evenings are noticeably cooler. In our garden, though, one thing is different from other autumns: our...
by Stuart Cross | Oct 2, 2020 | Business Rocks, Covid
This week I emailed around 40 of my clients, asking them to give a brief answer to this question: In your opinion, what is the most important trait or characteristic that has set the most successful business leaders apart from the rest during the pandemic? I received...
