As leaders and managers, we’re often expected to have the great ideas, brilliant insights and action plans that will help our people and organisations turn over a new leaf. But in the midst of all the busy-ness of business, it’s easy to get stuck in a “same old, same old” thinking rut. Why we struggle […]
Why do we struggle to have great ideas? Read More »
Kindness. It’s a scorned, if not outright rejected concept in business – it’s too soft, too weak. We can’t be kind, because to be in business is to be tough, competitive, strong. Logic and rationality rule the roost. We don’t do feelings or soft, fluffy stuff. We’re here to do the serious stuff of business;
Kindness: a better business strategy Read More »
Our change stories can make or break us as we navigate change. I’ve written previously about how we humans are sense-making machines. We always seek out a story that explains what we are experiencing. And if what is happening doesn’t come with a story that makes sense to us, we’ll make up one that does!
Leadership toolbox: how to use change stories to transform your reality Read More »
Leadership is a challenging endeavour at the best of times. You’re juggling multiple streams of information, competing goals, shifting targets, and the glorious messiness that comes from being a human working with other humans. Then throw a crisis situation into the mix – that’s a tough day at the office!
How-to: be a great leader during a crisis Read More »
Over the course of our lives, we develop and adopt beliefs about ourselves and how the world works. The word “mindset” is the collective name for these beliefs. Our mindset guides our choices, behaviours, decisions, and how we view the world. If you’ve ever walked away from a conversation thinking “How on earth could they
Mindset: how to transform your life Read More »
Have you ever wondered why some teams thrive in difficult times? Their leaders have learned how to create psychological safety. Team members and the manager trust one another, freely share knowledge, admit mistakes and generate creative and innovative ideas at the drop of a hat. Other teams and managers spend their time covering up mistakes,
Leadership Toolbox: how to create psychological safety at work Read More »
Self-awareness is a key life and leadership skill. At its most basic level, self-awareness is about developing your knowledge and understanding of yourself, and being able to access that knowledge and understanding in real-time to help you better navigate your life. Its benefits include: greater self-confidence heightened sensitivity to thoughts, emotions and feelings improved critical
Leadership toolbox: how to build self-awareness Read More »
In my first Leadership Toolbox post, I talked about the importance of self-care for leaders. Self-care involves turning our attention inward, to manage our own wellbeing. In this post, I’ll be talking about the tool of empathy, which helps us turn our attention outward, to understand and connect with those around us. In a future
Leadership Toolbox: getting to grips with empathy Read More »
Note: This article was originally published on 23rd March 2020. There’s a lot going on in the world right now. We are seeing a massive global response to the COVID-19 virus, the likes of which we don’t often see. For more than a year now, we’ve been experiencing rapid change, both in the spread of
Leadership Toolbox: what we need to know for living with complexity Read More »
As leaders, we need a comprehensive toolbox to succeed in our roles. I’ll be publishing a series of posts on leadership tools in coming months, so keep an eye out! I am starting this series with self-care because I believe it is the single most important tool for our toolbox. It may feel like an
Leadership Toolbox: how to create a self-care plan Read More »
