Creating Enlightened Organisations
Early in my leadership journey, I attended a three day retreat on Emotional Intelligence for Leaders. There were about 20 of us, all from different organizations, all at different stages in our careers, and all starting with a different understanding of what emotional intelligence was. Over the three days, there were a range of activities and … Read more 21st Century Leadership: Ditch the Military Metaphors
Pleasure & Pain – The Heart of Decision Making At our most basic fundamental level, human decision making is driven by two things: moving away from pain and moving toward pleasure. Within the personal development literature, there is a very compelling argument that ‘towards’ goals are more emotionally compelling than ‘away from’ goals. In other words, that … Read more Decision Making: The Pitfalls of ‘Over Correcting’
In my part of the world we are heading into winter. The days are getting shorter. And colder. I can feel my energy levels ebbing – as though some form of inspiration hibernation is about to occur. If you’re anything like me, this time of year is also accompanied by a false but strangely compelling … Read more Energy to Lead: Remember It’s a Marathon, not a Sprint
There’s a great leadership quote from General Bruce Clarke that I love: “When things go wrong in your command, start searching for the reason in increasingly large circles around your own desk.” From this I have developed my own ‘Responsibility Rule’: It’s never someone else’s fault (even when it is). I have adopted this as … Read more Responsibility: It’s Never Anyone Else’s Fault (Even If It Is)
As a leader, it is absolutely vital to remain open-minded: to understanding that your perception of how things are, probably is not the same as the perceptions of your co-workers, your boss, or your customers. In this post I outline why this will be a stumbling block to you becoming an exceptional leader unless you can overcome … Read more Perception & Reality: Things aren’t Always as they Seem
Over the years, many people have asked me for career advice, for coaching, or just straight out asked me how I progressed so rapidly in my own career. At first I felt ill-qualified to answer the question at all, but over time I developed an answer – ten simple steps I will share here today. It … Read more Leadership Development: Leading from where you are
Leadership and Storytelling Leadership is all about storytelling. There are many great articles and books that support this premise, and provide advice and guidance to leaders on how to build their storytelling craft. Stephen Denning’s The Leader’s Guide to Storytelling is an excellent example of this and there are others, including Howard Gardner, and more recently, … Read more The Importance of Compassionate Storytelling
I want to share two life changing reasons for why you should become more deliberate in your decision making. Brain = Automation Engine Your brain will avoid work at all costs. Seriously. It will go out of its way to do less. One of the brilliant hacks your brain has is its ability to tune out … Read more Who’s Really in Charge of your Decisions?