Back in November, in this column, I referred to the HMRC’s loss of a data disc and how that episode was another in a catalogue of errors.
Nearly a year later and nothing changes. Not so long ago, confidential papers were found on a train; last week a memory stick containing classified data was lost; today we have news of file papers, relating to a drugs trial, being found on a rubbish tip. This puts at risk the witnesses and police officers involved.
Once again, I feel compelled to point out that, in my opinion, this is all symptomatic of a lack of leadership. Effective leadership breeds a confidence and a determination to do the right thing. Without it, people become disinterested, disrespectful and they disregard due processes; mistakes happen.
If you would like to read more about ‘doing the right thing’, please purchase my latest book: The phat Controller (A Leadership Handbook)

The saying goes that “you cannot please all of the people all of the time”. Yet, sometimes it beggars belief that people can have such tunnel vision.
After years of lottery funding into sports, as a nation we can now see tangible rewards in the form of very successful results at the Beijing Olympics. As usual, we are met with a wave of negativity suggesting that the lottery money should not be spent on, so-called, elitist sports and would be better spent on providing more hospitals, funding to prop-up business etc. It cannot be argued that fundamentally that is wrong. However, we always have to look at the bigger picture. Our economy cannot survive without foreign investment in business and, like it or not, the way in which we fare in competitive international sporting environments is used as an assessment of our ability to generate a dynamic workforce, to attract those investors. Achievement in the Olympics is a necessity.
On top of which, the impact of successes such as Dame Kelly Holmes in Athens four years ago, Rebecca Adlington in Beijing, and the truly remarkable story of Rebecca Romero at both events, as a source of immense inspiration to people in all walks of life is simply immeasurable.
To those people who are struggling to see the value I would ask, “What are we to do?” Is the expectation that we simply give up trying to be successful at sport? By generating the ‘feel-good’ factor and inspiring people to have an interest, and maybe even take-up a sport has a knock-on effect across our society – healthier, active, people will be more energised, more successful, less sick and will turn into positive role-models for future generations…..which is so sadly lacking at the moment.
Open your eyes…..we need to give our children a vision of what can be!