We are living in exciting times, where traditional leadership models are being tossed on their heads, where leadership is becoming democratised and it emerges as the responsibility of all, not just the privileged few. When I look back at my 20 plus years of management in large international organisations, I reflect on the best and […]
The Resilient Leader – How your Inner Game affects your Outer Game
As leaders we are expected to be calm when all around is in chaos, but often we’re like the proverbial duck, smooth on the surface and paddling like heck underneath! We are also human, not superhuman, with our own frustrations, worries and doubts – just like the people we lead. We know that our emotions affect […]
Leading Well by making the Unconscious Conscious
Let me start by getting you thinking with a little puzzle. A bat and ball together cost $1.10. The bat costs $1 more than the ball. How much does the ball cost? Did you arrive at 10c? Then you’re a fast thinker. Answer to the puzzle at the end of this article. If only I […]
What if Workplace Conflict were Productive?
The typical manager spends 30-50% of his or her time dealing with workplace conflict (IML Australia). This equates to around 20 hours a week (and we don’t know if it’s being handled well or not), so if conflict is inevitable, what can we do to understand it better and make it as productive as possible? […]
Train your Brain to Thrive this Holiday Season
We’re approaching that time of year when we have one eye on the finishing line with the promise of some rest and renewal just over the horizon and the rest of our attention focused firmly on getting through our ever-growing list of work and personal to do’s. We can sense that our stamina is being […]
Can I give you some Feedback?
In our many years of managing, we rarely met an employee who was not anxious about receiving feedback, especially of the ‘constructive’ kind. With advances in brain imaging technology we are learning more about how feedback is received by the brain and the degree to which it achieves the goal for which it is intended. 1 […]
3 Key Strategies for Thriving in the Ever-Changing World of Being an Author
This is an article I wrote for www.thecreativepenn.com Every day we hear of new strategies for writing faster or book marketing, we learn of a new tool that could help our author business, or we listen to a podcast that gives us more ideas. The To Do list doesn’t ever get shorter, and the world […]
Why Storytelling can be a Leader’s Secret Weapon
Before the advent of the Gutenberg press, business and trade was conducted orally. We shared stories. We then ‘progressed’ to creating rational, analytical and factual memos and reports for the communication of everything important. 600 years or so later and we are relearning what our early ancestors perfected around the campfire, that we can’t engage […]
Mind Full or Mindful? Creating the Gift of Presence
Mind Full or Mindful? Creating the Gift of Presence As the clocks tick towards the end of 2016 and the beginning of the new year, we often find ourselves getting wound up (pardon the pun) when we are trying to wind down. There are so many things on our to-do list and all are competing […]
Are you Paying Attention or Paying for a Lack of it?
At any given time of the day, how present and focused are you, both with colleagues and alone completing your work? How easily are you distracted? Be honest with yourself. We live and work in a world of information overload. As at 2103, ninety per cent of the world’s data had been generated in the […]