Blog
Take a look at recent insights in leadership, strategy and more.
If you realise you’re improvising…
It's great to be resourceful in solving problems with what's available. But that ability carries a hidden danger... We have the option of not dealing the with issue permanently. If you realise...
If you use your authority, do you diminish your strength?
Quite often it's appropriate, necessary even, to use whatever positional authority we have to get something done. Indeed we probably have a duty to do so. But perhaps there is a cost... Could be we...
Obsessed with detail?
Running events with large groups of people, attention to detail counts: Getting the room right, making sure the sound system is set up properly (often overlooked by venue owners), people's...
Why just being present results in natural leadership
Whether to lead or to follow is sometimes a choice we need to make, or so it appears. In fact, just being present may be the best option—not having need of the situation either way. Connect that...
If in doubt, build the community
Frequently we face complex problems and it may not be obvious how to solve them. We may need large numbers of people to collaborate to achieve a change in business as usual. Even with sophisticated...
Can you find clarity in clear ambiguity?
We’re accustomed to wanting clarity. We’d like things to be clearly in focus. We’d like a single right answer. But sometimes... The best we’re going to get is clear sight of the inherently...
Looking for the right words? Maybe you don’t need to.
We all face these situations... Something difficult needs to be tackled with another person. We think they'll be sensitive about it—either because they won't like what we have to say or because...
How nurturing should you be with members of a team?
Where do you draw the line between helping team members step up to their role and not overdoing it so that they end up depending on you? How do you decide where the right balance lies? Does it...
Agile organisations need agile people
Many leaders want their organisations to be more agile, to be more responsive to change and opportunity, to be lighter on their feet. Part of that is to do with processes and systems—slimming them...
Getting unstuck
A reminder of something simple and perhaps basic but really important, which has certainly helped me... To succeed, yes, we need a vision and a purpose and goals and priorities and all that. But...
How nurturing should you be with members of a team?
Where do you draw the line between helping team members step up to their role and not overdoing it so that they end up depending on you? How do you decide where the right balance lies? Does it...
Which comes first: Evidence or belief?
We’re probably programmed to need evidence before we’ll believe something. That’s the “benefit” of a Western education. But is life really like that? For many things, especially where we have some...
Risk-free innovation—is there such a thing?
Thought-provoking experience recently... Organisation declines to do something new because success is not guaranteed—yes, guaranteed. To be fair... If you set-up a service to deliver or support...
Is it attractive to admit a weakness?
There something appealing about a person who is clear about what they're good at and what they're not so good at. For example... Watching a film of David Ogilvy, sometimes referred to as "the Father...
Top-down or bottom-up?
Which is the best way of running organisations? Answer: Neither. We need both, if we want the best results and an engaged team. Top-down for direction and accountability, bottom-up for energy and...