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

“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

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

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

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

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

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 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

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

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