Blog

We use a leadership diagnostic at Defy Expectations that looks at the key elements of leadership.  It asks a question about the process for review at ...

The life of the Oyster is unpredictable – a few of them grow fantastic pearls, the rest end up with lemon and pepper squeezed on them on a bed of ice....

Those of you who remember tomato ketchup in glass bottles (as opposed to the squeezy kind) will remember how you had to shake and shake the bottle for...

A quick scan of the headlines in any current media does not make for happy reading.  Climate change (going to wipe out most living organisms); gene...

Leadership is often associated with strength, determination, and a relentless pursuit of success. But what if there was another way to lead, one that ...

I once worked for the international arm of a US company at a time when we were going through what was politely known as “reduction in force” – i.e. ma...

At Defy Expectations we are pretty passionate about the 6 Real-World Capabilities of Great Leadership we have defined. Also of the detailed competency...

Great customer service is like great cooking – you know it when you experience it.  I experienced it this week from my favourite supplier of white goo...

My wonderful colleague #vickyhampson has been writing about customer focus and talking about her experiences of customer service. That prompted me to ...

Unhappy shopping and service experiences - one of those things, or a thing that can be fixed? 

We are all pragmatic realists here at Defy Expectation...

Every time an exciting new technology appears the world seems to divide into two camps:

1. It’s going to destroy us all/take away our jobs/ ruin famil
...

Some say that leaders are born, not made.  Most of the evidence says that leadership is a learned skill.  Anyone can be a leader, but certain types of...