Blogs
Emerging leaders take responsibility to build business mastery
Existing leaders love an emerging leader who is doing a great job by producing great operational outcomes, can be trusted to deliver and needs little supervision. Why bother engaging them in strategic thinking, decision making or any other element of business mastery...
Relationships that challenge you to grow
I love the work of Carol Dweck and the essence of this statement informs the importance of “challenging” as a critical business behaviour for a Courageous Leader: “If you had to choose, which would it be? Loads of success and validation or lots of challenge? It’s not...
Courageous Leaders create intrinsically motivating cultures
A participant from one of our current leadership programs shared an interesting insight with me and to take it to a wideraudience I am writing this blog. He reminded me of the distinction between intrinsic motivation and extrinsicmotivation: Intrinsic is when our...
Shatter the stories that hold you back
I have been receiving my Horoscope updates from Ghazaley Lowe from the Academy of Intuition over the last few months. And at the start of this New Year I made a decision to start my day by: 1. Taking a few moments to be grateful for what I have and where I am 2. ...
Get in the Zone
Athletes and their coaches talk about being "in the zone" - their sweetspot - that place where everything aligns, feels good and your skills combine with your personal strengths to allow you to flourish without consciously calling on them. Business people are not...
Judging behaviours
Realise that you may not agree with how some people live their lives but this doesn't mean that they are wrong, you are right or that they have to live your way. There is no right or wrong way and it's important for you to make sure you are very clear about this....
Don’t take your emotions out on others
I experienced the frustration of learning in a telephone conversation while on my way to the airport that my flight was cancelled due to bad weather and that I was booked on the first flight out the following morning. My head was totally prepared for flying home that...
Courage is daring to do what is right
After watching the movie - "The Help" - on the plane recently it brought a focus on the critical lesson drawn out by the character called Abilene. She dared to have the courage to do what she and others believed was "the right thing to do". She unleashed the courage...
How important is fairness and equity?
People want to be treated fairly and for many they also want equality. These feelings are important to the way they engage within their team, connect with their boss and commit to the future of the organisation. I overheard some team leaders talking the other day...
Be Kind
"Be exceptionally kind to others as you do not know what they are handling and dealing with in their life" A participant shared this with me as we stood around debriefing what they had learned from the day. This participant had started the day with a reasonable degree...
Is it important to know the difference between managing and leading?
I have always believed it is important to know the difference between managing and leading and we invest a significant amount of time in our leadership development program clarifying it. I read with interest in the October 9-13 2013 issue of BRW when Professor Roger...
Trust and Virtual Reality
Sitting in a hotel restaurant and watching all us travellers coming down for dinner because we don't want to eat in our rooms and then being seated at individual tables - where we can "see" each other and yet we don't talk to each other - it doesn't "feel" right. So...
Leaders reliance on technical mastery
Ever wondered what might happen if leaders were promoted into their role and they didn't have the technical mastery for the role? Reading a BRW article recently I was intrigued to read Fiona Smith report that: "Today's leaders were schooled for a different era. One...
Keep a Watch
Keep a watch on the behaviours that don't bring out the best in others and in you. Notice these behaviours, name them and recognise the impact they have when you choose to use them - on you and on others. We use the Human Synergistics LSI toolsto support people in...
Chair your own Board Meeting
While I was mentoring a young woman she shared with me a wonderful approach to making well rounded and grounded decisions and with her permission I am sharing it with you. She described her process of chairing her personal Board Meeting. To do this she needs to invite...
Don’t let yesterday’s stuff chew up today
"In a relationship you have to learn how to roll with things, not sweat the small stuff, not let yesterday's stuff chew up today."~ Dawson What wise and simple advice and yet not always so easy to apply. As human beings we get so caught up in stuff - we easily...
Senior Leadership Meetings
Look back at the meetings of your senior leadership team and describe what happens in them, what is talked about and what behaviours are exhibited. In my experience far too many of these meetings are "chaired" in such a way as to stifle courage, creativity,...
Courageous leaders do not provide solutions
Leaders find it easy to provide solutions - they have experience, they have seen many things and they know how to fix them. Most leaders fall into the early trap of solving people's issues and instructing them on what to do and how to execute it. Then they begin to...
Coaching empowers change
Coaching conversations empower change only when the person comes willingly into the conversation. The person has to want to be coached and has to want to create changed actions. In my experience far too many leaders engage in highly confusing conversations initiated...