“Passengers thrown from a sinking ship into lifeboats haven’t taken up rowing. This is not a new normal, it is a temporary abnormal.” In the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, I confess I was guilty of using the now over-worn cliches “unprecedented”, “navigating the......
03 June, 2020
After months of working from home, many people in Australia will be returning to the office, or their place of work, in the coming weeks. Safety is a core human need, coming straight after food and shelter. Your team may therefore not be ready or......
25 May, 2020
“Even in our grimmest moments, we can hold despair in one hand, and hope in the other.” Jess Hill When so many are losing people they love, jobs, businesses, apparent futures, it has seemed too soon and gratingly overly positive to attempt to silver line......
27 April, 2020
“It’s only when the tide goes out that you learn who has been swimming naked”. Warren Buffet In dynamic and uncertain situations with emergent risk changing daily, leaders are facing questions they may not have answers to and anxiety levels are building rapidly. Leaders are not immune to doubt,......
27 April, 2020
2020 has started badly. This summer’s catastrophic bush-fires caused loss of life, property, wildlife and income and even those not directly affected were bombarded with distressing imagery. The fires put a strain on our collective mental health, and many people are still struggling and will......
24 April, 2020
“Burnout is the index of the dislocation between what people are and what they have to do. It represents an erosion in value, dignity, spirit, and will – an erosion of the human soul. It is a malady that spreads gradually and continuously over time,......
28 October, 2019
I posted this week an article discussing the urgent need in our organisations for humble leaders to act like better humans and expressed the view that humble leadership should not be confused with weakness but rather as a means to free, fuel and inspire our......
28 October, 2019
“A leader is best when people barely know he exists, when his work is done, his aim fulfilled, they will say: we did it ourselves.” Laozi There is a crisis building in many of our organisations. Declining resourcing, employee engagement, wellbeing and performance. Accompanied by......
28 October, 2019
“Humans have subdued 75 per cent of the land surface, concocted a wizardry of industrial and medical marvels, strung lights all across the darkness. Our mistakes are legion, but our talent is immeasurable.” Diane Ackerman There was the Industrial Age, which saw seismic changes in......
24 April, 2019
“It’s your fault that I forgot, because you didn’t remind me.” —Anonymous Is there someone you interact with who consistently makes you feel like you are on an emotional roller coaster? Someone who is friendly one day but sulks and withdraws the next? Or do they......
08 March, 2019
The real competitive advantage in business is one word only, which is “people” ~ Kamil Toume What makes a great leader? Simon Sinek answers this question well: “If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a......
18 February, 2019
About a third of employees describe themselves as actively engaged in their job. The remainder are either ambivalent about being at work or actively disengaged. Imagine if you had a large capital asset you were only utilising 30% of the time? You would make every......
30 January, 2019
“A company is stronger if bound by love than by fear.” – Herb Kelleher, cofounder of Southwest Airlines Perhaps the two most important emotions relevant to leadership practice are fear and love. Coupling the word “love” with leadership can feel uncomfortable, even creepy. Stepping in......
04 January, 2019
In the happy haze of midnight partying on New Year’s Eve, many of us are tempted to make resolutions to change our lives. All things are possible in 2019! The beginning of a new year offers something we crave. A fresh start, hope, a sense......
04 January, 2019
Christmas. ‘Tis the season for some of us to be stressed and exhausted! Shopping for presents, perhaps planning child-care for school holidays, financial stresses and family tensions in the lead-up to Christmas can be overwhelming and stressful. We have put together 10 tips to help......
12 December, 2018
Back 25 years ago, I was sitting in an MBA lecture on organisational behaviour. The professor asked “What is business?”. A fellow student responded “Men, money and machines.” Much laughter, not so much from the professor. A core text in the MBA was Sun Tzu’s “Art of War” and......
15 November, 2018
We all know exercise is good for our bodies. How good? Well for starters it reduces your risk of heart attack; manages your weight; lowers blood cholesterol; reduces risk of type 2 diabetes and some cancers; lowers blood pressure; strengthens bones, muscles and joints and lowers risk of developing osteoporosis. There’s more to exercise though......
15 November, 2018
LSP, or LEGO Serious Play, is big business. There are books, workshops, websites and accreditation courses. Whilst there is part of me that admires LEGO’s marketing brilliance, securing a new adult niche for its colourful play blocks, the majority of me is overwhelmingly depressed by this latest......
15 November, 2018
Today is “R U OK?” Day. As a society, we have come a long way in the past decade in de-stigmatising mental health difficulties. The “R U OK?” campaign has successfully encouraged us to ask the question if we see changes in colleagues or friends that......
02 October, 2018
“Burnout is the index of the dislocation between what people are and what they have to do. It represents an erosion in value, dignity, spirit, and will – an erosion of the human soul. It is a malady that spreads gradually and continuously over time,......
02 October, 2018
Terminator: Why do you cry? John Connor: You mean people? Terminator: Yes. John Connor: I don’t know. We just cry. You know. When it hurts. Terminator: Pain causes it? John Connor: Uh-uh, no, it’s different . . . It’s when there’s nothing wrong with you, but you hurt anyways. You get......
02 October, 2018
Fear. One of our most important instincts. All of us are alive today because our ancestors were really good at predicting and reacting to threat. The ability to detect threat in our environments has served us well over the millennia, enabling us to pass on our genes. This is......
24 April, 2018
“You cannot delegate culture change. The culture is not “out there ” somewhere; it is in you — in your gut, your heart, and your mind. You can no more have someone else change the culture for you than you can have someone else change your......
24 April, 2018
“It often means looking your failures and disappointments square in the eye and re-strategising. It is not satiating your immediate desires. It is letting go. It is choosing new. It is disappointing some people. It is making sacrifices for others. It is living a way......
24 April, 2018
“There are three “musts” that hold us back. I must do well. You must treat me well. And the world must be easy.” ~ Unknown. Self-improvement is impossible without self-awareness. Self-awareness (sometimes referred to as self-knowledge or introspection) is about understanding your own needs, desires, limitations,......
13 September, 2017
“There are two kinds of speakers in the world. Those who are nervous, and those who are liars.” Mark Twain Glossophobia, or speech anxiety, is one of our most common fears. In fact, research suggests that public speaking is the number one fear in Australia. The......
13 September, 2017
“My happiness grows in direct proportion to my acceptance, and in inverse proportions to my expectations.” ~ Anonymous Expectations are the strong belief that something will happen or be the case. More than anything else, our expectations determine our reality. And our expectations also impact those......
13 September, 2017
The field of Positive Psychology is gaining more and more traction across diverse industries and organisations. What is it and is it really all that it is cracked up to be, the answer to the age old human dilemma of how to be happy? Don’t we all......
19 April, 2017
Wednesday 23rd November 2016 ‘Reducing Workplace Trauma & Burnout’ workshop is an investment in your professional well-being and resilience because you matter as much as your clients. – Sam Are you a First Responder? Does Your Work Involve Helping Others? Do You Hear/See/Read Traumatic......
25 November, 2016
What is the one thing we all want more of? Money? Sex? I would suggest the answer is time. Time is our most precious resource. We cannot save it up, cannot slow it down or rewind it. How we expend our most precious resource should......
19 October, 2016
Your thoughts are racing but not complete and are filled with bad future scenarios. Your email inbox is full and unread, the car needs a service, the kids won’t eat the dinner you cooked, your partner is working late, you are getting a cold and......
19 October, 2016
I now refuse to deliver “Work:Life balance” seminars as I just can’t buy into it anymore. “Work:Life” balance is a seductive and dangerous myth and I think the term needs to be replaced. It is the Holy Grail of our times and equally as elusive. ......
19 October, 2016