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Leadership, personal development and HR

How to develop yourself, your team and your career. Practical advice on achieving a productive, happy and healthy team.
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Latest on leadership, personal development and HR

Read our latest features and articles on leadership, personal development and HR
A golden era for an older and wiser workforce
  • Article
  • 05 Dec 2022
Many people in their 50s, 60s and 70s are adding another chapter to their working lives, and organisations would do well to make the most of this valuable source of labour and experience.
Cost-of-living crisis prompts accountants’ job concerns
  • Article
  • 05 Dec 2022
One in five chartered accountants says cost-of-living crisis is hindering career progression, with concerns about job losses also rife, research finds.
Workforce with disabilities is “finally being taken seriously”
  • Article
  • 01 Dec 2022
To commemorate the International Day of Disabled Persons on 3 December, ICAEW gains insight from Sami Dar, co-founder of 10,000 Able Interns, a programme that unlocks opportunities for students and graduates with disabilities.
Charities: taken for granted in challenging times?
  • Article
  • 30 Nov 2022
The Autumn Statement responded to the charity sector’s key demand to uplift benefits in line with inflation, but the government failed to provide targeted support for charities on the frontline of the cost-of-living crisis.
What does the future of accounting tech look like?
  • Article
  • 30 Nov 2022
As accountancy teams face challenges from all sides, technology is moving to help them, and their clients, future-proof their businesses. Accounting software specialist Kevin McCallum looks at the direction of travel.
FTSE boards failing to promote women into executive roles
  • Article
  • 30 Nov 2022
Despite progress in hiring women as non-executive directors, boards continue to miss opportunities to create robust female talent pipelines to the top executive jobs.
Socioeconomic taskforce calls out working class bias
  • Article
  • 29 Nov 2022
Report outlines strategies for UK firms to boost number of working class leaders after research shows working class employees progress 25% slower and earn up to £17,500 less than their peers.
Purpose statement disconnect prompts staff to quit
  • Article
  • 23 Nov 2022
Employees increasingly seek value and purpose at work – but despite the widespread presence of ‘purpose statements’, many staff are unaware of what those credos say
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Topics in depth

Young business people
Career development
Find guides and other resources on careers, job hunting, professional development and personal skills to help you at work.
Smiling business women working together on contract documents
Communication and presentation skills
A range of articles, reports, eBooks and guides to help you successfully develop your communication and presentation skills.
Teamwork groups inclusive
Human resources and employment law
Access articles, books and online resources on human resources and employment law.
Image of female manager
Leadership
Learn how to become an effective leader.
Team meeting
Managing teams
A collection of books, articles and guides to help managers get the best from their teams – whether they're experienced leaders or first-time managers
Older man working from home in meeting
Negotiation skills
Need to negotiate with clients, colleagues or business contacts? Here's a range of books, articles and guides to help you successfully develop your negotiating skills.

Reports

Special Report 72 - The aspiring CFO
  • Report
  • Nov 2021
A practical, realistic, hands-on and immense learning opportunity of all you need to know to become the CFO
Organisational culture: leadership styles
  • Report
  • Jun 2021
It is recognised that an effective culture can reduce risk and improve performance of an organisation, and that the success or failure of the culture is greatly influenced by its leaders. This guide, written by Jenny Jones, explores different leadership styles and the impact they can have on organisational culture.
Superforecasting: How to improve your forecasting skills
  • Report
  • Feb 2021
Forecasting is an essential skill for finance professionals and managers. Business decisions of all kinds depend on effective approaches to looking ahead. This guide outlines the core principles of “Superforecasting” which will help you develop your forecasting skills.
Off-payroll working – a user guide
  • Report
  • Feb 2021
This practical guide explains the off-payrolling rules as they apply to medium and large businesses. It sets out the operational impacts on finance and payroll departments and how to overcome some of the practical issues of implementation.
Exclusive Special Report 69 - Effective collaboration
  • Report
  • Nov 2020
Collaboration has been a trendy buzz word in business lexicon for some time now, but, as the pandemic has done with many other ‘nice-to-have’ skills, it has now become absolutely necessary to master. With your colleagues, business partners, suppliers and all other stakeholders more than likely working from home, and maybe even across different locations and time zones, effective collaboration is essential.
Special report 67: Problem solving
  • Report
  • Apr 2020
This month’s special report focuses on solving problems of all shapes and sizes in the workplace. Whatever your position in the hierarchy, there are practical hints and tips included to make your day-to-day work easier and more efficient.
Preparing smarter business plans
  • Report
  • Mar 2020
The ICAEW Business and Management Faculty shares hints and tips for businesses writing a business plan at a time when many businesses are applying for finance to help them through the pandemic.
Exclusive Special Report 66 - Managing change
  • Report
  • Dec 2019
Change is inevitable, it is all around us. Brexit, political upheaval, increasing regulation and a growing protectionist agenda make it incredibly difficult to run your business. BAM are here to help, with our special report on managing change, we can help successfully guide you through inevitable change with our practical tips and hands on approach.
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Webinars

Why you? 101 job interview questions you'll never fear again
  • Webinar
  • Sep 2021
James Reed shares interview preparation techniques and tips on how to ace a job interview.
Online learning: Get the job you want
  • Webinar
  • Sep 2021
This webinar from the Business and Management Faculty and CABA will explore networking and how to develop a personal brand.
Building an innovative team
  • Webinar
  • Jul 2021
This webinar from the Business and Management Faculty will explore what is meant by innovation, and the expectations from an innovative team.
Skills to future proof your career as much as possible
  • Webinar
  • May 2021
This session will provide tangible advice and guidance on what to consider to develop your career, including key skill development.
Motivating your team: A three-pronged approach
  • Webinar
  • Mar 2021
This webinar explores three aspects of motivation that need to come together to get the most from your staff.
Digital downtime
  • Webinar
  • Mar 2021
This webinar provides a balanced view of smart technology and how it influences all our lives.
Future proof your organisation - an internal audit approach to operational resilience
  • Webinar
  • Mar 2021
This webinar explores how to develop an audit approach to deliver effective assurance as organisations progress their resilience journeys.
Navigating office politics positively
  • Webinar
  • Nov 2020
This webinar will look at what organisational politics is, why it occurs and what individuals need to focus on to improve their personal political intelligence.
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eBooks

The ICAEW Library & Information Service provides full text access to a selection of key business and reference eBooks from leading publishers. eBooks are available to logged-in ICAEW members, ACA students and other entitled users. If you are unable to access an eBook, please see our Help and support advice or contact library@icaew.com.

Exclusive Beyond audit: auditing remotely and delivering value
  • eBook
  • 2021
  • Robert L. Mainardi
  • Wiley
Beyond Audit is your guide to taking advantage of this unique moment to review and enhance your audit methodology to improve execution, operations, and audit product.
Exclusive Key performance indicators: developing, implementing and using winning KPIs
  • eBook
  • 2020
  • David Parmenter
  • Wiley
Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) help define and measure the organizational goals which are fundamental to an organization's current and future success. This book provides a model for simplifying the complex areas of KPIs while helping organizations avoid common mistakes and hazards.
Exclusive Employer's handbook 2017-18
  • eBook
  • 2017
  • Barry Cushway
  • Kogan Page
The Employer's Handbook gives guidance for all small- to medium-sized employers in the UK, clearly identifying the legal essentials and best-practice guidelines for effective people management.
Exclusive Doing business in China (4th edition)
  • eBook
  • 2017
  • Chao Xi, Morgen Witzel, Tim Ambler
  • Routledge
This title offers business-people a theoretical framework for the understanding of business practices, markets, negotiations, organizations, networks and the Chinese business context.
Exclusive Business law
  • eBook
  • 2016
  • Ewan McIntyre
  • Pearson
Guide to the legal principles that apply to business. Aimed at non-law students.
Exclusive Reward management
  • eBook
  • 2014
  • Michael Rose
  • Kogan Page
Understanding and implementing effective reward strategies in your organization.
Exclusive Financial Times guide to management : how to be a manager who makes a difference and gets results.
  • eBook
  • 2014
  • Anne Francke
  • FT Press
A guide to becoming an effective manager, full of practical tips and advice on to the everyday challenges of: Managing yourself; Developing communication skills and emotional intelligence; Managing others; Setting strategic direction; Managing change; Managing money, resources and technology.
Exclusive Employee share schemes
  • eBook
  • 2013
  • Karen Cooper
  • ICSA Publishing
Accounting treatment, tax relief and reporting obligations for employee share schemes.
Terms of use

You are permitted to access, download, copy, or print out content from eBooks for your own research or study only, subject to the terms of use set by our suppliers and any restrictions imposed by individual publishers. Please see individual supplier pages for full terms of use.

More eBooks

Business press

The ICAEW Library & Information Service provides access to leading business, finance and management journals. These journals are available to logged-in ICAEW members, ACA students and other entitled users subject to suppliers' terms of use.
Exclusive New research offers the best argument yet for a four-day work week
  • Article
  • 30 Nov 2022
  • Jena McGregor
  • Forbes
More than two dozen companies that introduced a four-day week in a pilot project saw boosted sales, lower burnout and improved absenteeism, a new report has found.
Exclusive Are you creating quiet quitters — or preventing them?
  • Article
  • 01 Nov 2022
  • Jill Geisler
  • hfm - Healthcare Financial Management
Tips on spotting a potential 'quiet quitter' on your team. Start looking at the world through the eyes of your staff and considering their work-life mental ledger.
Exclusive Engaging employees in the world of hybrid work
  • Article
  • 01 Nov 2022
  • Harvard Business Review
The pandemic has radically changed how employees experience corporate culture, and firms must embrace the new reality. Researchers suggest three strategies to help both hybrid home/office and far-flung employees feel connected.
Exclusive The revolution's here: The market demands faster closings and more automation. Can the industry deliver?
  • Article
  • 10 Oct 2022
  • Martin Daks
  • njbiz
NJBIZ spoke with some industry experts to get a sense of what’s going on to prepare for the future of accounting and finance. Business stakeholders want quicker closings and more analytical reports - but many businesses are up against financial and human resource constraints when it comes to financial reporting. The article provides some tips to improve reporting.
Exclusive Root out gender and ethnicity bias in performance reviews
  • Article
  • 01 Oct 2022
  • Judy Ellis
  • TD - Talent Development
Give managers guidance on setting objective criteria to evaluate staff performance, and teach them to recognise their biases. Judy Ellis has some advice on strengthening your organization's performance appraisal system in light of your diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) goals.
Exclusive How to onboard remote workers
  • Article
  • 01 Oct 2022
  • Paul McDonald
  • Strategic Finance
A few simple steps can help ensure new remote workers will be positioned for success in your organization, says Paul McDonald.
Exclusive Holding the line in the world of hybrid work
  • Article
  • 27 Sep 2022
  • Cath Everett
  • Computer Weekly
The role of line managers is changing as the shift towards hybrid home working increases. It would appear the secret to success is to treat all staff members as if they were working remotely, writes Cath Everett.
Exclusive Social contracts for teams
  • Article
  • 01 Sep 2022
  • Keith Ferrazzi
  • Harvard Business Review
Team members must commit to new behaviours to accelerate innovation and growth, says Keith Ferrazzi. These behaviours emphasize candor, collaboration, accountability and continual improvement. His research findings show the advantages of prioritising leadership competencies over team competencies.

Articles and books in the ICAEW Library collection

The collection of the ICAEW Library & Information Service includes a range of articles, books and reports on leadership, personal development and HR. Use the links below to see what we have available to request in our Library catalogue (Libcat).
Finance aspects for medical doctors: a practical approach
  • Library book
  • 2022
  • M.B.Khatri
  • PKA Books
Intended for use by GPs, practice managers and accountants, this book covers topics including employment and self-employment, tax saving measures, consultants earnings from private practice, pension contributions, IR35 and types of contracts.
TUPE: Brexit impact and other recent developments
  • Library book
  • 2020
  • J.McMullen
  • LexisNexis
Tolley's Tax Digest highlighting the principal developments in the law and practice involving the application of the Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) (TUPE) Regulations 2006. It follows the structure of TUPE, highlighting developments in the courts and tribunals according to the relevant parts of the TUPE Regulations. Appendix contains employment tax implications of a TUPE transfer.
Company meetings handbook
  • Library book
  • 2020
  • S.Lawrence
  • ICSA Publishing
This book will act as your ultimate reference point to all things meetings, an area that is more complex than ever in the new working environment. This book will ensure that these meetings are fully understood and undertaken in the most efficient and valuable manner.
Employment status: a tax guide
  • Library book
  • 2019
  • D.Kirk
  • Claritax Books
This book guides the reader through the extensive and apparently contradictory case law on employment status. The special cases section includes information on the entertainment, sport and media sector, farming sector, legal sector and healthcare professionals.
Staffing for success
  • Library book
  • 2019
  • A.Bernstein
  • LexisNexis
Short guide covering the process of recruiting, the legal niceties of hiring, and techniques to keep staff motivated and on board.
Payments on termination
  • Library book
  • 2018
  • R.Bolten
  • LexisNexis
Tolley's Tax Digest providing an update on topics including: introduction to the £30,000 tax-free threshold, making statutory redundancy payments and operating a contractual redundancy pay scheme.
Drafting employment contracts
  • Library book
  • 2017
  • G.Howard
  • The Law Society
Providing practical and thorough coverage, this book is both a tool for drafting employment contracts and a guide for creating policies and executing them. The chapters contain example precedent letters, terms and conditions, policies and clauses related to employment contracts.
The Employer's Handbook 2017-2018
  • Library book
  • 2017
  • B.Cushway
  • Kogan Page
This fully updated edition covers recruitment, contracts, benefits, performance management, maternity and paternity rights, personnel records and data protection, terminating employment, and ensuring the health, safety and welfare of employees and pension obligations. It also provides access to a unique set of downloadable templates, forms and policy documents for dealing with key employment issues.

To find out how you can borrow books from the Library please see our guide to borrowing books.

You can obtain copies of articles or extracts of books and reports through our document supply service.

External resources - HR organisations and networks

Employee Benefits
  • DVV Media HR Group Limited
News, analysis, case studies and events listings on pay and benefits topics.
HR Magazine
  • Mark Allen Group
Online magazine with news and features on HR, plus the HR Most Influential annual list of influential HR practitioners and the HR Excellence Awards.
New Zealand Journal of Human Resources Management (NZJHRM)
  • HRNZ
An academic journal which publishes 'original material on the development and practice of human resource management in New Zealand and the South Pacific region'.
People Management
  • CIPD
Free online magazine of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD), with latest news, employment law updates and viewpoints.
Personnel Today
  • DVV Media International
News resource for HR professionals, offering employment law news and guidance, Employer's Guides and an archive of articles published in Personnel Today, Training, Employer's Law and Occupational Health since January 2000.
Terms of use

ICAEW accepts no responsibility for the content on any site to which a hypertext link from this site exists. The links are provided 'as is' with no warranty, express or implied, for the information provided within them. Please see the full copyright and disclaimer notice.

External resources - Leadership

Acas guide on leadership
  • Acas
Guide from Acas designed to support people with leadership responsibilities at all levels of an organisation. Outlines the essential qualities, actions, considerations and implications associated with leadership using the Acas framework for effective leadership.
Investors in People leadership articles
  • Investors in People
Knowledge base of articles on leadership from Investors in People, covering topics such as motivating and empowering your team, democratic leadership and improving team wellbeing.
Leadership guide
  • Atom Content Marketing
Whether you are the managing director or a shift leader, the way you lead is the single biggest success factor for everyone you work with. This business guide covers leadership at all levels, leadership from the top, communicating the vision, what do leaders do, making decisions, managing the team and knowing yourself.
Leadership in the workplace
  • Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD)
This factsheet investigates the concept of leadership and how it differs from management, the factors that can influence leadership development, and briefly examines how a principles-based approach to practice can support the development of leadership skills in people professionals.
The Gender, Leadership and Inclusion Centre (GLIC)
  • Cranfield School of Management
The GLIC is a research community which collaborates with industry and produces high quality research in the areas of gender, leadership and inclusion at work. The centre, which is part of Cranfield University's School of Management, is responsible for an annual benchmarking report, The Female FTSE Board Report which has been published since 1999 and includes details of the number of female directors on FTSE 100 and FTSE 250 boards. The website provides information on the work of the centre, its research projects and published research papers.
The role and expectations of a CFO: A global debate on preparing accountants for finance leadership
  • International Federation of Accountants (IFAC)
Discussion paper and selection of resources from IFAC. The paper looks at the changing scope of CFO and finance leadership roles and how accountants can prepare for career progression.
Terms of use

ICAEW accepts no responsibility for the content on any site to which a hypertext link from this site exists. The links are provided 'as is' with no warranty, express or implied, for the information provided within them. Please see the full copyright and disclaimer notice.

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