Practical insights for SME founders navigating the realities of leadership, structure and decision-making while growing their business ecosystem.
Professional relationships inside a business are not always formed through capability alone. Hiring Friends in Business Feels Easier In many businesses, particularly when hiring friends in business feels easier than formal recruitment. An owner-operator makes the decision to hire someone because they are influenced by an existing friendship. Alternatively, if a candidate appears to possess
Friendship is Not Structure Read More »
Founders talk about self-starters, creative thinkers and culture add as if these qualities exist in isolation. As if spotting them in an interview is enough to guarantee alignment once someone enters the business ecosystem. Why Hiring for Culture Feels Right, Then Fails Quietly What’s rarely spoken about is what happens when it doesn’t work. When
The Deceptive Trap of Hiring for Culture Read More »
When childcare becomes a clinical risk Recently, the news headline of a GP suspended for five months for dishonesty has been making the rounds. Dr Eisenhauer was found to have made false patient appointments in her calendar to prevent overruns and leave on time. A workaround that looks like individual misconduct, until you ask what
What diaries reveal about work culture and leadership accountability Read More »
There’s a growing genre of workplace advice circulating right now, and it deserves closer scrutiny because of what this advice unofficially makes acceptable. Across recruitment commentary, HR content and increasingly on social platforms, employees are being told how to stay relevant, how to future-proof themselves, how to think like leaders and how to take on
When Advice Culture Excuses Unethical Business Practices Read More »
When the drive for results starts rewriting your rules Dopamine in business doesn’t know the difference between progress and pressure. Most founders don’t realise how easily success becomes addictive. Every sale, every milestone, every ticked-off task releases dopamine, the satisfying chemical rush that confirms that a business founder is doing it right. At first, it
Dopamine in Business: The Achievement Trap Read More »
The Painkiller Policy is Part of the Mini Hover series, exploring the hidden chemicals shaping an ethical business ecosystem. Read the introduction: The Chemicals of Business When endurance becomes identity Endorphins are the body’s natural painkillers. They are chemical messengers released by the nervous system to reduce the perception of pain and create a sense
The Painkiller Policy: Avoiding Founder Burnout Read More »
