Blog

You know that “squinty eyed” feeling you get when you’re talking with someone you don’t entirely trust, don’t you? You put so much energy into figuring out where they’re coming from and what they really want, you’re not entirely listening to what they’re saying. Because you’re busy trying to guess their end-game you’re: Not fullyRead more

I’ve loved receiving your comments and feedback on my Leadership Blogs throughout the year. Thank you for your thoughts and for your appreciation :-). You’ve indicated that the most valuable Leadership Blogs in 2017 have been the three I’ve linked below… How To Put Things Right When Someone’s Peeved With You   You so oftenRead more

Have you ever worked for a leader who put most of their energy into what they do—things like strategic planning, motivating the team to produce results, following up on commitments, and so on…… ……rather than who they are as a leader—things like always being authentic and personally disciplined and oozing emotional intelligence?   “Statistically Speaking,Read more

There’s so much talk about the importance of being “authentic”—the value of telling the truth about your thoughts and feelings. Why is authenticity such a big deal? Reflect on leaders you’ve been exposed to—who was great, who was not as great? I’ll bet the great leaders you’ve known were authentic and the not-as-great weren’t asRead more

Feeling anxious? Imagine habitually feeling calm and cool, even quietly excited, as you anticipate what’s around the corner. Removing your anxiety could be a real game-changer for you. Let’s look at what causes you to be anxious and what you can do to turn it around… What Causes You to Be Anxious? We feel anxiousRead more

You so often get yourself into more trouble when you try to sort things out with someone you’ve upset. In an effort to justify your actions, you typically tell them why you did what you did. But they don’t seem to sympathise with that. And so the situation often goes from bad to worse. SoRead more

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

What Makes First–Rate Leaders, First–Rate? We’ll quickly answer this question—and then we’ll move to the really important bit… What can you immediately do to close the gap between where you sit now and where a first–rate leader sits?   What The Research Is Telling Us Talentsmart’s recent research backed up more than two decades of studiesRead more

I care. I care a lot. And it’s sensible for you to care too! A friend emailed me last week and said: “2016 doesn’t look like being a good year. Our economy’s facing a crisis. And look what’s happening to the weather! That seems to be in crisis too.” I would have been demotivated by herRead more

This is a no-brainer. It takes 5 seconds, it works and it’s alcohol free 🙂 We get stressed when we imagine bad things happening in advance of them happening, right?   “So Much On My Plate”… Years ago a friend called and asked how I was.”Stressed. I have so much on my plate”, I responded.Read more

You want a promotion. You want to meet targets. You want acknowledgement for your work. Because you think it’ll make you feel happy.And it will, but only fleetingly.So before you know it, you’re chasing your next goal in the hope that it’ll have you feeling happy and positive!Again it will, but only fleetingly—and then you’reRead more