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...
3 min read
How to take calculated risks: 3 key steps
Fear Is Like Alcohol .. because it makes parties more interesting. JUST KIDDING.Fear is like alcohol because it clouds our judgement. And when we...
2 min read
The problem with authentic leadership
Authenticity is all the rage right now. Companies all over the world are proudly proclaiming how inclusive they are: "bring your whole self to work!"...
3 min read
3 things you can do to make your meetings suck less
Because they probably suck… and it’s probably not your fault. Why are so many workshops and meetings that are supposed to be important, so hopeless?...
3 min read
Inciting incidents
As I assume you've noticed, The Queen died last week after 70 years as the reigning monarch. In that time, she saw a lot, including:
7 min read
Why women are so bloody exhausted right now
This week, I had a great question from a Wednesday Wisdom reader. J wrote: "I'd like to ask for advice - especially as a woman - on how to not get in...
2 min read
Strategic leadership: 3 ways to be less operational
Fire fighters have a demanding job. On the one hand, they do all the stuff that we expect in a crisis – like turning up and fighting a roaring blaze...
1 min read
Time to light some fires
Firefighters have a demanding job. On the one hand, they do everything we expect in a crisis, like turning up and fighting a roaring blaze. Behind...
3 min read
Work towards the grain
One of my coaching clients is an exceptional leader. She has a rare combination of strategic, systems-focused perspective along with a burning desire...
4 min read
Facilitating difficult groups: 6 lessons i learned the hard way
When I was 22 years old, a graduate policy wonk in my first real job, I was tasked with my first strategic planning assignment. The brief: prepare a...
1 min read
It's ok to upset people
I've always struggled to set boundaries. I've been a mother since I was 16 years old, I've been living independently since I was 13 and I spent much...
1 min read
Go off plan but stay on strategy
When I was a broke student and single mum, I remember doing countless household budgets to try and keep on top of things. I’d put the ideal budget...
3 min read
Like it or not, you're in sales: here's a new framework
Everyone's in sales Sales isn't sleazy Sales is about care Improve your skills.
1 min read
Meetings are murder
Every session I run, in every organisation, inevitably turns to the meeting problem.
3 min read
How consultants create a clear service offer
How do you sell a consulting service? What services do you sell? How do you know what to sell?
1 min read
The difference between strategy and plans
When I was a broke student and single mum, I remember creating countless household budgets to try and stay on top of things. I’d put the ideal budget...
2 min read
Focus - to have, to do, or to be.
I had a minor mutiny on my hands last week. I got so little “work” done in the last two weeks that my long-suffering Business Manager Diane revolted....
1 min read
How to be more strategic
I teach two-day workshops and eight-week courses on how to be more strategic. I've written you three books on the topic. But you're busy, and you...
3 min read
Strategists get whatever they want
Here's something strategists know that not everyone else does: you can have literally anything you want, at work, home or in your life. Nothing is...
1 min read
You are on top of things
I adopted a new mantra a couple of months ago: “I am on top of things.” I shared this with a good friend recently and we decided she needed a mantra...
4 min read
Why your strategy is failing and how to fix it
Many of us have the wrong idea about strategy. We think it's about workshops and documents and then struggle to understand why everyone's still doing...
3 min read
Share your work in progress
I have a house guest - our former au pair, visiting from Germany. She's launching her yoga video channel and last week; she confided how disheartened...