1 min read
Stop being a plastic bag
In American Beauty*, we watch Ricky’s video of an empty, wrinkled plastic bag tossed about in the wind. We follow the bag as it whips about...
4 min read
Wtf, netflix? teenage sex and entertainment
Child Pornography for the Masses At the time of writing, the Number 1 movie on NZ Netflix is Do Revenge. The plot centres on a victim of 'revenge...
1 min read
How to stop being a plastic bag
American Beauty is one of my favourite movies. In one memorable scene, we watch Ricky’s video of an empty, wrinkled plastic bag tossed about in the...
2 min read
Fast decisions in uncertain times
When our future is uncertain and our workload is high, we need leaders who can make big decisions fast. As we start the COVID leadership autopsies...
3 min read
Values-based living: the hardest and easiest path to peace
When I was 25, I left my job with two kids, a mortgage to pay, and a husband on apprentice wages. I'd left my policy job in frustration, looking for...
3 min read
Fear is universal but action is personal
Being a person is pretty scary, to be honest. If you're a mildly anxious human like me, you might face a frequent war with your brain as it churns...
2 min read
What got you here won't get you there
Apparently doing the same thing and expecting different results is the definition of insanity. I think that applies to 'doing more of the same thing'...
2 min read
Make peace with problems
Let me paint you a picture of a workshop I facilitated recently. Fourteen senior leaders crowd around the boardroom table of an artful...
2 min read
Money isn’t everything: how to uncover false constraints
What would you do if you won Lotto? I bet you know the answer to that question, and that you've had this conversation at least half a dozen times...
1 min read
How to tame talkfests: focus prompts for frustrated facilitators
Man, I get sick of people talking sh*t. To be fair, it’s an occupational hazard. I run strategy and leadership workshops, where people are used to...
5 min read
Your 2020 digest
It would be easy to treat 2020 a bit like a regretful purchase – you know, when you throw the receipt away without looking at it or stuff your...
4 min read
How to shape a fulfilling career
If you crave meaningful work, it might not happen by accident. Here's how to shape a fulfilling career by asking five questions. You spend a lot of...
1 min read
Take risks to make progress
Most turtles live almost half of their lives inside their shell. Every time they sense an enemy, or the weather’s no good, they retreat and wait. I...
3 min read
Get your meetings under control: 6 questions to help you banish back-to-backs
Everyone is having too many meetings. In many teams, people click from one conversation to another, becoming paradoxically more bored and overwhelmed...
2 min read
6 ways to stay on track when things turn to shit
When I was at university, I was a broke single mum. Funds were tight, and I was a militant budgeter. I’d sit down and create detailed household...
4 min read
That restructure will not fix your organisational culture
In a client mentoring session on Friday, I was looking forward to hearing how a job interview had gone. After an extended secondment and a long...
6 min read
Why change gets worse before it gets better
Angela, a Wednesday Wisdom reader, asked me to write about the immediate impact of organisational change on productivity. She wrote:
1 min read
Don't worry about your culture
I hear a lot about organisational culture. It’s pretty trendy, and seems to be blamed for a full spectrum of ills at work. Makes sense, it’s nice and...
1 min read
Freshen up your focus
If 2020 has taught us anything, it’s that priorities shift. As we returned to our homes, spent more time with our families, watched our health more...
2 min read
How to convert a cynic: assume positive intent
As a facilitator, I can spot a cynic a mile away. Their body language is pure resistance: folded arms, suspicious expressions, and deep sighs. They...
4 min read
Public sector leadership in quiet times: readiness
I wrote a Wednesday Wisdom last week, that I had to do an emergency withdrawal for on Tuesday night, after the Prime Minister’s COVID announcement. I...
1 min read
Practice makes autopilot
I invest in professional development for three days every three months and head off to business school in Australia. Those three days are always the...
3 min read
How to find your calm
“You should sit in meditation for 20 minutes a day, unless you are too busy, then you should sit for an hour.” -Old Zen saying I’ve talked a lot...