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“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 don’t think we have any option but to accept what’s going on in this interesting new world we live in—and plan a bright future for ourselves, both as a person on the planet and as a leader. Many female leaders are getting real clarity about how they can be a stronger leader from myRead more

This question isn’t as lightweight as it sounds. Because our brain is a question-asking and question-answering mechanism, as soon as you ask, “What are you hoping for?”, your brain begins to paint a picture of your ideal outcome. But wait, there’s more… Once your brain begins to paint a picture of what you’re hoping for,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

Sadly, the bell curve is just as real when applied to a leader’s performance as it is in other realms of performance. Female leaders typically sit in one of four categories on the normal curve of distribution, aka the bell curve: As a female leader, when you sit in the Red zone… You’ll be inRead more

  I expect you’ll be fascinated, perhaps even concerned, by the following article. It describes research on how emotional intelligence declines significantly as a leader climbs the corporate ladder. The results weren’t what I was expecting—and probably not what you’re expecting either. It tells us that CEOs, on average, have the lowest EQ in theRead more

There’s a lot of research these days about how important it is to your leadership success that you think and speak optimistically about your future and the future of your organisation. But so many glass-half-empty leaders are unwittingly derailing their teams. Richard E. Boyatzis (Professor of organisational behaviour, cognitive science and psychology) is an expertRead 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

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

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

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

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