I hope you’ve had a great year and are looking forward to a well earned break. But before you sign off, let me ask you an important question. What decisions have you made about 2016 that will make it your best year ever? Maybe you haven’t thought about it yet and will when you get back …
Have you heard of the ‘Mirror Manager’? This is the person who, when faced with a request to make a decision, says “I’ll look into it for you”, and typically doesn’t make a decision. Being decisive is what leaders do. It’s what others look for in us. The word ‘decide’ comes from the Latin, decisio, …
Imagine the next time you had to make a big decision you simply used this philosophy to guide you. If it doesn’t feel like a ‘hell yes’ then it’s a no. For example, You advertise for a position on your team to be filled. You interview the best applicants. You aren’t impressed. They are OK …
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 …
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 …
Last week I made a mistake. Not a big one, but one I’m not proud of and I regret the fall out to others and the harm it may have caused to my reputation.I was sloppy as a result of being distracted and rushed. I had a couple of choices once I realised what I had …
Consider the different styles and results from these two kinds of musicians. The one man band is a kind of novelty act. They think they are good at everything so they do everything. They think they don’t need anyone else to get things done. They are busy, really busy, but are they effective? Is this …