I love the World Café approach to group conversations. It creates the conditions for people to think creatively, and to experience, perhaps for the first time, the sort of respectful listening that makes all the difference in organisations.

I've been running Café-style workshops for a client organisation, to enable its staff to get a real feel for the meaning and implications of its new vision. One theme arose repeatedly, as it often does: communication.

It's a common issue. Incomplete, intermittent downward communication, a lack of upward information flow, and sometimes the presence of entrenched silos can result in confusion, duplication of effort, and even cynicism and low morale. For me, communication is as much, if not more, about listening and understanding as about telling people what is happening, and World Café principles really help model this.

A while back I did some organisational development work with Frontline Telephone Answering Services. Listening figures high on Frontline's list of communication essentials. MD Tricia Jones reflected recently, "I think the staff know that we listen to what they say. It's worth them speaking out now, because we take notice of them. If we're open and honest with them, then we get the same back, and so it has proved to be, time and time again."

My friend and colleague Kate Harmond and I ran the first "Springclean Your Career" workshop in Brighton on a cold, bright day in February. Kate is a leadership consultant and entrepreneur who works with health professionals world-wide.

People who came along had a fun, useful day, and those who couldn't come asked for repeats. I'm delighted to announce the first two in a new series.

Called "Tone Up Your Career", this one day workshop will run on Saturday 20 October 2007 in Brighton, and on Saturday 23 February 2008 in central London.

Space is limited, so if you're thinking about moving on, or preparing to move up, and want to focus on how you present yourself, how to manage conflicting priorities, and how to get out of your own way, find out more by following the link below.

I promised a review of Goffee & Jones' book some time ago. Subtitled "what it takes to be an authentic leader", the book focuses on effective leadership through being yourself, carefully, skilfully and more often.

For me, the best leadership books are those like this one, based on solid research that reveals what works. Goffee and Jones acknowledge the deep humanity that separates leaders from mere figureheads. Their concept of "tough empathy" perfectly captures the dynamic between effective leaders and their followers, and several business journalists have picked up on it.

The chapter on communication is a microcosm of their model of leadership. Using examples from John Major to Greg Dyke, and real work scenarios, Goffee and Jones are persuasive in their argument for personalising communication both to fit your own style and to match your audience and context. They also challenge the widely held belief that change leaders must be high profile and act fast, arguing that slower, carefully crafted change may be ultimately more sustainable.

The Back on Track book is well on its way now, and I aim to have it out in the late Autumn. The stories people contributed have really added to its message, and I am looking forward to sharing the resulting book with them and you.

Earlier in the summer, I entrusted my beloved website to a wonderful graphic designer, Richard Massing, who together with web designer Giselle Leeb turned it into a robust, up-to-date site that still reflects my style. With a couple of templates and some excellent tuition from Giselle, I've been able to build the site myself again, and I think it reflects well what we do.