Blog

Seth Godin got me thinking, again, when he spoke about the choices we make. He said…… “Attitude is the most important choice any of us will make. We made it yesterday and we get another choice to make it today. And then again tomorrow. The choice to participate. To be optimistic. To intentionally bring outRead more

With great regularity, team members tell me they’re not receiving enough feedback from their leaders—which means the team member’s not getting the support they need to do a great job. Most people are somewhat in the dark when it comes to knowing enough about where they’re right on track and where they could be more on track. AndRead more

Here’s what Seth Godin said: “We spend a lot of time talking about celebrities and how attractive they are. Paul Newman’s blue eyes, how tall is Jake Gyllenhaal, how fast is Usain Bolt. Most of the time, though, our success is based on something we have far more control over: Our emotional attractiveness. People who areRead more

Every leader I coach wants to feel totally proud of who they are as a leader. And that’s my intent as a coach—to help every leader I work with feel totally proud of their leadership practices and behaviours. To help me stay true to that pledge, I have a question for you…   When itRead more

How would it be if you felt totally proud of who you are as a leader? I mean, imagine feeling totally proud! Doesn’t matter if you’re close now, or further away. Totally is a new story 🙂 . How amazing would that actually be? A Couple Of Months Ago… I realised that pretty much allRead more

It’s a challenge if you lead a team that’s been told their expense budget has been slashed and that their headcount is now frozen. To achieve your business goals, you’ll therefore need every team member to work smarter, faster, harder and longer, won’t you? Ah! That’ll mean they need be engaged, at a heart level,Read more

A lot has been written over the years, even by me, about how to influence another person. After examining a few bucket-loads of literature, asking lots of questions, observing behaviours, and checking it out in practice, there’s no doubt that the sure-fire way to influencing someone is to—here it is—be committed to their success! WhenRead more

It doesn’t matter what you call it….. honesty—authenticity—candour—integrity—frankness—truthfulness—openness—sincerity—genuineness It’s a prerequisite if you’re to be trusted by people.   Honesty and Influence Here’s the thing… It’s essential that other people trust you if you plan to be influential. Influencing is damn hard if they don’t. They’ll spend their time looking at you through squinty eyes,Read more

Do you know anyone in your organisation who loves attending meetings? Probably not. Meetings tend to get a bad rap. Keep reading if you’re eager to help create a fruitful meeting experience for everyone…   What’s Not OK About Most Meetings People are forever complaining about the meetings they attend. They tell me that manyRead more

Where Do You Want To Be One Year From Now? What do you want your 2017 to look like? You know that old saying, “Previous planning prevents poor performance”? It doesn’t matter whether you’re a person who likes to stick with the bigger picture or a person who prefers a detailed plan… You’ll create a considerably moreRead more

Feedback and comments I’ve received throughout the year (thank you) tell me which leadership blogs you liked the most. Check out these four that won the “most useful” award. I’m pretty sure you’ll find it helpful to reflect on their messages so that you’re closer to your peak in 2017….. 1.  Fast-Track Your Leadership Part wayRead more

I’m curious, how well do the leaders around you display the three tell-tale signs below? More importantly, how often would your team members, your peers and your boss see you displaying them? 1.    Great Leaders “Rock The Boat” They always: —Pass the “lean forward” test. They care about what’s going on. And so noticeRead more

Let’s face it—the better you are as a leader, the more productive your team is. And that increased productivity directly impacts the bottom line. Some leadership practices and behaviours are downright demotivating for their team members. In fact, Gallop’s research tells us that a leader has a whopping 70% impact on how motivated their team membersRead more

You’ve got responsibility for producing impressive results—yet zero positional power and minimal authority. That’s the struggle of dotted line leadership, isn’t it? Dotted line reporting has become common these days—but it often gets a bad rap because of its bureaucratic twist. Nonetheless, when you’re managing across the line, you don’t need a pity party. YouRead more

Every year, the Great Place To Work Institute researches, you guessed it, the Best Places to Work. Here’s one of their stats: “The best added $1.07B to the Australian economy with an average revenue growth of 39.6%.” Those numbers talk, don’t they! Some Organisations Have A Reputation For Being Downright Compelling To Work With AlsoRead more

“The belief that one’s own view of reality is the only reality is the most dangerous of all delusions.” —Paul Watzlawick (Austrian-American psychologist and philosopher) Way Too Many Leaders Are Sitting Behind The Eight-Ball… …because they haven’t gotten authentic, granular feedback about their leadership practices and behaviours from their boss, peers and team members. Their self-perception is thus atRead more

High Anxiety And High Performance Don’t Mix Are you putting the cart before the horse? If your intent is to lower your anxiety by toughening up and ploughing through what you have on your plate, you are putting the cart before the horse. With raised anxiety, it’s not recommended that you attempt anything but the mundane and inconsequential. The Metaphorical Wheels Usually Fall OffRead more

Whether you’re a leader who’s currently being coached or not, I’m confident that you’ll find checking out these often asked questions—and my responses—a valuable way to spend the next 3 or 4 minutes. I have a quick disclaimer first though. Without being aware of: a) your personal circumstances b) your natural leadership style, and c) the environmentalRead more

It Was Because Of The Dog… That irritating barking dog enabled an unforgettable demonstration of heart-warming consideration and kindness. It was the talk of the street. A client described how the neighbour’s dog barked, unrelentingly, for hours every day. Neighbours from afar spoke over their fences and stood in the street complaining about the intrusion. And then things turned around—emotionalRead more

Oh heck, we often get ourselves into more trouble when we try and sort things out with someone we’ve upset. Typically, we quickly tell them why we did what we did. We try to justify our actions. And if they don’t seem to sympathise when we tell them why, we get upset with them. AndRead more