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“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

“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’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

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

Your Career Doesn’t Need to Stall So many female leaders’ careers stall as they attempt to climb the hierarchical ladder. But they don’t need to. Are you one of those female leaders who feels frustrated because you’re not being offered the promotion you’re after? (Of course, male leaders’ careers stall too. But women tend toRead more

Emotional Intelligence (EQ) is the ability to notice and influence one’s own and others’ emotions. It involves competencies such as emotional self-awareness, self-regard, empathy, assertiveness, stress tolerance, flexibility and optimism.   Recently I was told about two senior executives who, in a meeting with their team members, declared that they didn’t have high EQ. One ofRead more

You’re not alone in this camp. My recent survey invited executives and leaders to share their biggest challenge. I found the result surprising in that… Well over 50% of respondents said that their fluctuating 
confidence was the greatest inhibitor to their success as a leader These leaders are also concerned that their confidence level isRead more

Seth Godin, the author, entrepreneur and marketer whose thinking I truly admire, said: “It’s possible that you are the way you are, that you do what you do, that you react as you react—and that it can never be changed. Believing this is incredibly sad though. Each of us is capable of just a littleRead 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

Brilliant leaders think differently to not-so-brilliant leaders. This is good news if you want your leadership to be more brilliant than it currently is—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, yes—but it’s not particularlyRead more

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

“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

Susie was clearly disturbed as she described one of her peers, Belinda. Initially, Susie had attributed Belinda’s behaviour to the fact that Belinda was quite new. She’d only been with the organisation for six-months—she’d come from an entirely different culture and her team was twice the size she was used to. Susie. who works closelyRead more

Seth Godin, the best-selling American author, entrepreneur and marketer, told this story about Gaztelugatxe… “There’s an island off the coast of Spain that houses a church. The church has 230 steps to the top—and it’s said that it’s worth the climb. What a great expression! Gaztelugatxe can now mean, ‘it’s a lot of steps butRead more

  Are you curious about how you compare to other leaders—particularly your struggles and challenges? A few weeks ago, responses rolled into my questionnaire (thank you!) about your greatest leadership challenges and development needs. “If you were to choose only one leadership area to further develop, what would it be? Here’s how the answers stackedRead 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