Blog

Seth Godin, whom I must say is the most consistently stimulating and highly creative author I’ve ever encountered, strikes again in my Leadership Bulletin this month . This time it’s with a reminder of a pivotal insight into a setting that we each encounter day-by-day, even minute-by-minute… Seth said: “The batter has already hit twoRead more

You really want to make this change, right? Maybe you’ve tried before and it hasn’t stuck. Now you’re ready to step up to the plate again—but you need a new approach. You’re in the right place. I’m about to describe a dependable, NASA researched process for shifting a behavioural habit for good, once and forRead more

Apologies for being the bearer of this bad news… Multitasking is a misconception. We human beings can’t actually multitask. Let’s dig into this and then look at the good news…   What Happens When We Think We’re Multitasking? When we think we’re multitasking what we’re actually doing is switching quickly from one thing to another.Read more

Let’s cut to the chase: Good leaders ask good questions—starting with the questions that they ask of themselves. Good questions create a productive mindset… That productive mindset determines what questions the leader asks of others—and those questions help others foster their productive mindsets.   Examples Of Good Questions Are… “What can we do to getRead more

So often leaders and others struggle to know how to construct a convincing argument. Let’s look at how you can make that construction process a whole lot easier… Let’s say you and I are working together on Project A—and I want us to put Project A on hold and work on Project B. I’m aboutRead more

Difficult people can be exasperating! You put so much mental energy into thinking about them, allowing thoughts about them to niggle away at you. How can you resolve this?   Step One: Make a Decision Make a realistic decision about whether or not you’re able to change things with them. And if you don’t thinkRead more

Scenario One… You’re sitting at your desk. A team member, whom we’ll call Dan, comes up to you and says:   “Can we talk about the xyz project? I’m concerned that we aren’t going to achieve the cost savings we’re targeting.”   Part of you thinks you’d better listen up, this could be serious—yet anotherRead more

Seth Godin, the wise marketing guru whom I regularly quote, said, “the most important question isn’t”, for example, “is it reliable enough?” or “am I promising enough?” No, Seth said that the most important question is, “Do they trust me enough to believe my promises?” When I read these words I realised what a crucialRead more

Have you heard the song, “What About Me?” by the Australian rock band, Moving Pictures? The song’s about people who’re feeling disregarded—ignored, as if others are looking right through them. That song sprung to my mind during a recent conversation I had with Tony (not his real name)…   Tony’s Controversial Proposition Tony was aboutRead more

I know that when I’m anticipating the successful completion of a project, when I’m anticipating how smooth an upcoming conversation will be, or when I’m anticipating an abundant financial year, life feels good! Conversely, anxiety is provoked whenever I fall into the trap of ruminating about something not working out well.  For example, as IRead more

Self-esteem. It’s a sensitive topic that, in an instant, could have you putting yourself into one of two camps… Camp 1:    My self-esteem is good, thanks very much. I’m not sure that I need this bulletin. Camp 2:    You’ve written this for me. I definitely need to feel better about myself! If you’re in theRead more

If I were asked, “What’s the most common thing leaders don’t get right?” delegation would certainly be near the top of the list. I know, I know, delegation might not be the most exciting topic in the world, but heck, it’s so critical that you get it right… Leaders, even seasoned leaders, commonly don’t delegateRead more

Aaron’s the CEO of a financial organisation. Given the instability in the financial markets for the last two or three years, being in his role hasn’t been a bed of roses. However, the levels of trust people in his organisation have for him has grown markedly in this time. In contrast, Zach’s the CEO ofRead more

On a good day, being urgently summoned to your boss’ office will have you excitedly optimistic and expecting to be acknowledged for your good work or perhaps requested to lead an exciting new project. Oh happy days! On a bad day, being similarly summoned will have you feeling tense and nervous, expecting a reprimand aboutRead more

A recent coaching conversation uncovered a quality that’s intrinsic to effective leadership—a sturdy, resilient “I’m OK, you’re OK” mindset. Surprisingly, leaders and those who develop leaders haven’t given a lot of attention to this topic—and yet it’s impossible for a leader to be astute, influential and upwardly mobile without this underlying mindset. Here’s why…  Read more

An amount of my work with executives and leaders is about helping them influence someone to think differently or to take action. Together, we work through their scenario so that they have a plan that they’re confident will create listening and receptivity in the other person. Their success rate is so impressive. (I love thisRead more

How can I make that statement with so much certainty? Well, imagine if we got everyone in your organisation together and asked them to anonymously respond to the question, “Do you think trust is very high throughout this organisation?” how many people would say “yes”? Don’t be too hard on yourself: In an international surveyRead more

A shift has occurred—a shift that’s giving already successful senior leaders a huge edge… From a study of 11,000 senior leaders across six continents we learned that 95% of leaders who consistently involve their stakeholders measurably improved their effectiveness. Stop and think about that—95% measurably improved their effectiveness! That’s a huge deal if you’re anRead more

As a leader your job is essentially to get things done through others—to motivate, persuade, inspire and propel your team members to meet their targets. Right? And that’s not a big ask when your emotional intelligence (EQ) is up there. Unfortunately the reverse applies too. That would be why Yale’s School of Management, for example,Read more

Well, one thing’s for sure, you’re not alone with suffering overload and feeling overwhelmed. Every leader I’ve met this week has been in that boat. The problem is you don’t get to all of the critical things that need doing. And the ones that you do get to so often don’t get enough of yourRead more