Disruptive leadership is a trendy new business phrase we often hear about. We’ve managed to grab a quick chat with Craig to delve behind the headline. 1. What is disruptive leadership when it’s at home? The two words disruptive and leadership could be viewed as a conflict of interest. When you think about leadership being disruptive…
DetailsA particularly busy week at Rambutan got Jami-Lei thinking about the importance of the minutes rather than the hours when carrying out tasks at work. Sometimes you can come into work at the start of the week, look at your diary, and most of your time is already spoken for. This isn’t a bad thing…
DetailsDavid’s recent ‘planes, trains and automobiles’ experience on the way to a ski break in Switzerland made him reflect on just how much you can glean about a company based on its customer choice architecture. So, I am on the train to the airport, ready to cram myself and my ‘hand-luggage only’ possessions on to…
DetailsFor years David has heard that ‘some people just don’t get it’ when it comes to managing people. But what does ‘get it’ mean? Read on as he tries to explain with the help of some ninja squirrel warriors. I was recently asked by a coachee if I only had time to read one book…
DetailsLance was recently working from home with the patio doors open enjoying the sun when something caught his eye. It was a snake who was equally enjoying the East Yorkshire sun. It’s the first wild snake Lance had ever seen so he was quick off the mark to capture a quick snap before it slithered…
DetailsJune 29 sees ‘Wrong Trousers Day’, which of course the bunch will be more than happy to celebrate! But, what’s it all about? Wrong Trousers Day is an event held by Wallace & Gromit’s Children’s Foundation to support critically ill babies and children. It started in 1997, with the intention of raising the capital to…
Details22 June marks the official ‘bring your dog to work day’. Nicki got thinking about whether her cockapoo, Cassie would be an ideal office pet to have around… Here at Rambutan, we often joke about having an office pet and up to now, we’ve had a cuddly toy as a substitute.The benefits of owning a…
DetailsWith the annual passing of the longest day of the year, also known as the summer solstice, Rambutan apprentice Ed ponders what it means and if we work at our best at different times of the year. Spring, summer, autumn and winter… the four seasons that make up our calendar year, the 365.256 days in which it takes…
DetailsIt’s Wrong Trousers Day!! Here are some of the bunch getting into the spirit of it at Rambutan’s HQ, Treetops. And what a fabulous day for it! Head on over to www.grandappeal.org.uk/events/wallace-gromits-wrong-trousers-day/ for more info on how you can get involved in future events and help raise money for Bristol Children’s Hospital.
DetailsJuly 1 saw International Joke Day… a celebration which Kat just couldn’t let pass by without a little nod to business jokes! A day in the office can be a tad tedious without some of the banter we’ve grown accustomed to! Jokes and pranks are standard in the Rambutan HQ, as we believe that having fun…
DetailsAs many teenagers and students have reached the end of the exam season and can finally get their heads out of their books, Mark gives a timely reminder about the importance in business of getting the exam question right. You’ll often hear me ask in client and internal meetings, “what’s the exam question?”. Well, not so much often, more like most…
DetailsHere at Treetops, having a beautiful first-floor office with large patio doors opening onto a balcony is wonderful at any time, but at its absolute best in the summer. However, nothing represents a Rambutan Summer more than our Sue running around squealing at the sight of a bee or wasp in the room! Perhaps ‘Don’t step…
DetailsGemma was pondering recently that marzipan seems to generate a similar response to marmite; you either love it or hate it. In baking, it forms a critical barrier between the icing and the cake, preventing moisture from spoiling the icing or sugar leaching into the cake. In business, the layer of middle management sitting below…
DetailsIn our bold and daring Rambutan way, we’ve matched our ideas on what your social media avatar might look like, depending on which social media channel rocks your world. Can you see yourself in our descriptions? Rambutan’s favourite social media sites are Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook – probably in that order! Twitter is great for…
DetailsHeavy job on? Getting bogged down? Take a breather! Nicki jumped up in the office the other day and randomly declared, “Right, everyone outside for a bit of fun!” Naturally, we all downed our tools/mice/laptops and followed her onto the balcony for a breather. It turned out to be a ‘wall’ exercise, where you squat…
DetailsThe recent announcement by New Zealand company Perpetual Guardian that their experiment in introducing a four-day week for employees has resulted in 78% of employees feeling they were able to successfully manage their work/life balance (an increase of 24 percentage points) struck a chord with Mark, who’s been working flexible hours on and off for…
DetailsWho knew there was a modern form of the phrase ‘Did you know’? Jami-Lei has been learning there are quite a lot of things we maybe didn’t know. Even as a ‘millennial’, I still come across phrases that have been on the internet for ages but haven’t yet crossed my path. Recently I watched a…
DetailsIn another of our interview series with Craig, we’re chatting today about listening and why it’s fundamentally important for any type of relationship. Q: What do you mean by listening to hear versus listening to talk? Stop for a moment and think about how you listen. Are you listening because you genuinely want to hear…
DetailsSaying “sorry” often becomes a habit rather than a necessity. What if we used “thank you” more instead? Jami-Lei investigates further. There are two uses of the word sorry. One sounds like “sorry for rambling on” and the other goes something like “I’m really sorry for spilling tea on your curtains”. The first is polite and…
DetailsGemma and her cycling buddies have decided to get back on their bikes for another fundraising challenge. This time the girls are covering some serious mileage – 300 miles over 4 countries in 4 days – whilst raising vital funds for Dementia UK. If you want to find out more or donate, take a look at Gemma’s JustGiving page. Gemma’s here…
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