Thoughts

When I was about six years old, my grandparents went on a cruise ship from Perth to Bali, Indonesia. That was back in the day when you were allowed to go on board the ship and visit when it was in port. Which is what my family planned to do. Except I was terrified of […]

Do you ever get to a point where you say “I just need a holiday!” And then you look at what you’re already committed to, and realise that you can’t book a holiday for another two months? Aaargh! Let’s change that. As we close out 2018, your mind’s probably turning to what next year looks […]

Hey. This one’s for you if you’re a people leader, advisor, or if you’re simply keen to help people learn and grow. If someone comes to you with a problem, how do you help? Do you tell them what to do, or do you get them thinking for themselves? In my early days as a […]

  Courage is one of those qualities that distinguishes the bold from the bland. When what’s right and what’s safe are two different paths, your degree of willingness to be courageous is what determines the path you take. When what you truly want comes with uncertainty and risk, courage is your link between intention and […]

In sport, there’s a saying that, when heeded, unquestionably boosts performance. “Where you look is where you go.” Similarly, in my years of working with leaders in all sorts of settings, I’ve noticed that a conversation’s outcome depends very much on where the conversation is focused. Take Bruce, an under-pressure senior leader who’s leading a […]

For years I’ve wanted to created more space in my day-to-day calendar. You know – for thinking, for downtime, for reflection. For breathing out and lightening up. For the past couple of years, I’ve even had ‘spaciousness’ as one of my words for the year. I’ve been super-committed! And each year I look back on […]

Over the years I’ve been fortunate enough to observe a large number of ‘fireside chats’: those events where a senior leader comes in and speaks with a group of up-and-coming leaders, usually in the context of a leadership development programme. I’ve noticed two distinct approaches to how the senior leader will show up and engage. […]

I was watching a guitar tutorial on YouTube a couple days ago. The instructor was really good, both as a player, and as a teacher. (By the way, he’s teaching one of the coolest songs you can play on acoustic guitar, ‘Never Going Back Again’ by Fleetwood Mac). Towards the end of the tutorial, the […]

When people talk about achieving ‘work life balance’ and other such notions, I get the impression that they’ve got some nirvana in mind where everything is perfectly sorted. There are no tensions or conflicts to solve. Nothing changes. Sounds boring to me. Beyond boring, it’s not actually how life works. To my mind, ‘balance’ doesn’t […]

Earlier this week I was talking with a leader who said to me “I feel different to other people in my organisation. I don’t feel like I’m ‘one of them’. I’m committed, but it’s kind of uncomfortable.” I simply said to him “that’s great!” It’s your difference that defines you, not your sameness. As Brene […]