Blog

In more than twenty years of coaching senior leaders, I’m clear on the answer to the question, “What is the #1 mistake leaders make?” Most Leaders Think They’re Giving Their Team Members Enough Feedback  But that’s not so. A friend who’d recently moved into a GM role hadn’t had feedback from her boss. She wasRead more

“Maybe I’m not capable of being the leader that I want to be.” “I’m not confident that I can do a decent job as an executive.” “Who do I think I am? Truth be known, I’m not really very effective in my role.”   So many leaders talk about how they sometimes feel like aRead more

Here’s a short but important message from Seth Godin:   Optimism As a Choice If your team is up by thirty points at halftime, it’s not optimistic to expect that you’re going to win–it’s a realistic assessment. Optimism is an attitude and a choice. It involves context and focus. We’re not deluding ourselves with theRead more

As a leader it’s essential that you don’t put “the cart before the horse”. We know that doesn’t work. And jumping into action when you feel anxious and overwhelmed, before you’ve developed a constructive mindset, is like putting the cart before the horse. Think about it: Historically, when your performance has been less-than-great, wasn’t itRead more

“Life isn’t about finding yourself. Life is about creating yourself.” —George Bernard Shaw   Brilliant leaders think differently to not-so-brilliant leaders. This is good news—given that you’re 100% in control of the way you think. But let’s be clear about this… In the short-term, controlling the way you think is simple—but, as you’ve probably noticed,Read more

I don’t think we have any option but to accept what’s going on in this interesting new world we live in—and plan a bright future for ourselves, both as a person on the planet and as a leader. Many female leaders are getting real clarity about how they can be a stronger leader from myRead more

This question isn’t as lightweight as it sounds. Because our brain is a question-asking and question-answering mechanism, as soon as you ask, “What are you hoping for?”, your brain begins to paint a picture of your ideal outcome. But wait, there’s more… Once your brain begins to paint a picture of what you’re hoping for,Read more

I’m speaking to female leaders, in particular, here… You don’t need to settle for anything less than being totally inspiring and sought-after. Being an OK leader isn’t good-enough. You don’t need to be anything less than your ideal. Your first step in moving towards being the leader you want to be is to figure outRead more

Sadly, the bell curve is just as real when applied to a leader’s performance as it is in other realms of performance. Female leaders typically sit in one of four categories on the normal curve of distribution, aka the bell curve: As a female leader, when you sit in the Red zone… You’ll be inRead more

This message is short and sweet—but potent for you as a leader if you want to be at your best. You’ll notice that when you focus on any of the three behaviours below, you’ll develop hugely useful insights into your leadership and create opportunities for you to accelerate towards being first-class. Already good leaders becomeRead more

Brenè Brown has got me thinking, again… You’ll agree that truly impressive leaders think and behave differently to run-of-the-mill leaders. This is especially so when they give developmental feedback. After all, developmental feedback, when delivered effectively, has a positive impact on a team member’s performance—which has a positive impact on the team’s results—which frequently hasRead more

Almost every day I hear a leader describe their unhappiness about a team member’s performance or behaviour. But when I ask the leader how candid they’ve been with their team member about it, the leader so often says, “Well, I haven’t actually had a chance to talk with them about it yet.” That’s When MyRead more

Here’s another Seth Godin beauty… “Better than it needs to be. Why not? Why not make it more generous, more fair, more insightful than it needs to be? Why not deliver the service with more flair, more care and more urgency? Why not do it because you can, not because you have to…” Just imagine,Read more

  I expect you’ll be fascinated, perhaps even concerned, by the following article. It describes research on how emotional intelligence declines significantly as a leader climbs the corporate ladder. The results weren’t what I was expecting—and probably not what you’re expecting either. It tells us that CEOs, on average, have the lowest EQ in theRead more

There’s a lot of research these days about how important it is to your leadership success that you think and speak optimistically about your future and the future of your organisation. But so many glass-half-empty leaders are unwittingly derailing their teams. Richard E. Boyatzis (Professor of organisational behaviour, cognitive science and psychology) is an expertRead more

You may have come across Brenè Brown, the research professor and New York Times bestselling author.I truly love her most recent book, “dare to lead”. It’s the most compelling book on leadership I’ve ever read.   I don’t think it’s an exaggeration to say her work on courage, vulnerability, shame and empathy has rocked theRead more

An unresolved conflict is hugely detrimental to relationships, teamwork and productivity. Therefore it must be dealt with quickly. This, for many, is easier said than done. On the topic of conflict, best selling author, Seth Godin, said: “One of us is wrong—and it’s not me. That’s the way every single conflict begins. Of course itRead more

The greatest gift you can give anyone, both as a leader and as a person on the planet, is to be fully present when they’re talking to you. Be 100% present. Hear what they’re saying. Hear what’s behind what they’re saying. And hear what they’re not saying. Regardless of whether they’re telling you about theRead more

“Who am I to have a goal of being a senior leader?”  “I’m afraid of being found out.” “I really do doubt myself from time to time.” “I don’t have imposter syndrome. I really am a fraud.”   Most high-achieving, intelligent, ambitious leaders have “imposter” thoughts like these from time to time. (If you don’t,Read more

It’s frustrating, and impossible to be a good leader, when people aren’t hearing you, right? But, worse still, you can’t expect to make impressive, progressive career steps if you don’t have a reliable method for getting people to: First, care about what you’re saying, and Second, be open-mined about seeing things your way. (I thinkRead more