What is the opposite of authentic? I’ll bet you thought of fake, false or phoney. Am I right? Here is the thing with leadership – pure and simple. If you are not authentic you are a fake. If you are not authentic, you are not who you say you are. You are not the real …
TED Talks are 20 minute long videos. They are about ‘ideas worth sharing’. The format ensures that a very important point is made in a relatively short period. They are a great way to expand your thinking and challenge your leadership. YOU SIMPLY MUST MAKE 20 MINUTES TO WATCH THIS Simon Sinek is an author and leadership …
Possibly the biggest story in Australian sport this year is about National Rugby League player, Jarryd Hayne, who has just been signed by the San Francisco 49ers to play professional football in the USA. Even if you are not a sports nut there are plenty of leadership lessons to learn from the man they call ‘The …
Some years ago I was helping a client work out how to deal with a difficult employee. The client was ‘stuck’ on how to get the employee to improve her performance. He claimed he had tried everything. I asked a simple question. “Does the employee know your expectations of her performance?” The reply came, “Well, she …
The thought of the dreaded annual performance review leaves many with cold sweats. There has been much celebration at the news that one of the world’s largest professional services companies, Accenture, will soon stop doing annual performance reviews with its 330,000 employees. Read more here. It is likely that many will follow suit. But before you …
Something that I see that holds a lot of leaders back is the inability or unwillingness to have a difficult conversation. Rarely does a problem get better if left alone. No one likes confrontation or awkward moments, but leaders have to ‘man up’ and have the difficult conversation without delay. Here’s how to do it. 1. …
The only constant in life is change. Leading is all about change, so if you want to be an effective leader, you need to be good at change. 1. Be the change you want to see in others. With thanks to Gandhi, we need to demonstrate to others that we are not above changing. Often leaders …
Ever been in the situation at work when, ahem, you have finished your business and look down to see that the person before you used the last of the toilet roll and left you to cope for yourself? What’s this got to do with workplace culture? My guess is that if this happens at your …
Ten is feeling completely chaotic and out of control. Zero is calm and in control. Five is borderline. Where are you now? The farmer who doesn’t prepare his soil, misses the planting window and leaves fertilising too late will not reap his crop. It’s simply impossible to cheat nature. The business leader who fails to take stock …
Ever feel paralysed by indecision? Do you procrastinate and feel that your leadership suffers as a result? Leaders are expected to make the right call but sometimes we can be overwhelmed and simply don’t know what to do. Here’s a plan. 1. Take the pressure off. For just a minute, forget the big picture. Forget …