Thoughts

Have you ever held a clear view on what to do about an issue, but you held back on sharing it because you thought you might be ridiculed? And later hear that very same view being later held up by the leaders as the right way to go?   Or maybe you’ve found yourself at […]

I moved to New Zealand almost 15 years ago. I found myself in a new country, with no track record, no real understanding of the business or cultural landscape, and no real idea of where to begin. I was starting afresh. It was a little lonely, and more than a little scary.   Back then, […]

Last week during a Change Makers workshop, our guest was Mandy Simpson, Chief Digital Officer for New Zealand’s Z Energy. Guests are invited not to give a presentation, but rather to bring a question and host a conversation centred on that question. Mandy’s question was “How can we ask better questions?”   The drive behind […]

When you’re on a mission to change the world, you’re going to hit some headwinds. Below is a transcript from a conversation I had with a client last week about how they’re dealing with headwinds, and how they can use them…   Right now, I feel like my wings have been clipped. For the past […]

I was in conversation over a drink with some good friends the other day, and the question came up “who’s been your greatest teacher?” Inevitably, we all initially gravitated towards people who have inspired us: an old boss, an old coach or an old school teacher. You know, the usual pat answers we give to […]

Towards the end of 2020, I worked with one of New Zealand’s highest profile public sector executive teams. In the year that was, the CEO and the organisation had been under the pump and was in the media spotlight for most of the year. They were keen to reflect and review how they’d led during […]

Want to make change happen? Wondering how to make it easier? Great. Here’s an approach to do just that. Now is a good time to make change happen. This is a time of great unlocking, as I’ve written about in my chapter in Julia Steel’s recently published book Unite. Many of the rules and assumptions […]

I was on the train last week, heading into the CBD. As we pulled into Wellington station, the lady sitting next to me caught my eye. She launched into a mini-rant about racism and how she couldn’t believe we hadn’t solved this problem yet. “It’s the 21st century! We should have this sorted by now, […]

I’ve just spent a couple of weeks in Japan with my family and some good friends. I’d never been to Japan before, and the culture was totally new to me. As we landed, I was filled with a mix of excitement and apprehension. I’d heard plenty of stories about the challenge of finding your way […]

Over the summer break, I’ve managed to get through a good number of books. The topics cover leadership, organisational culture, the future of work, identity and purpose – all things I’m thinking about right now. I reckon these books are all useful, thought-provoking reads for any leader, change-maker or restless go-getter who’s searching for inspiration […]