5 min read
Could COVID-19 change relationships forever?
When I receive grateful emails and messages from readers and fans, I sometimes feel uneasy. I received one such email last week, which went as far as...
2 min read
Values-based leadership: Practice what you preach
On Thursday night, I received the final proof of my new book, ready to go to print on Friday morning. I scanned over the cover, checked the layout...
7 min read
Embrace meh: 6 surprising benefits of feeling like shit
Feeling like sh*t, or 'FLS' is one of the most common elements of the human experience. I dare you to find someone who’s got through a week without...
7 min read
Embrace meh: 6 surprising benefits of feeling like shit
Feeling like sh*t, or 'FLS', is one of the most common elements of the human experience. I dare you to find someone who’s got through a week without...
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
Leading through change: the power of language
“Words create worlds” - JONATHAN FRANZEN Two years ago, I conducted a personal experiment after reading James Clear's Atomic Habits. To be more...
2 min read
Intangible assets: create business value that lasts
I was listening to the radio this morning when a soundbite caught my attention - a business expert talking about "intangible assets." I've been using...
16 min read
8 ways to kill stress for good
We’ve been on a stress rollercoaster the last couple of years, haven’t we? We had all that lovely acute stress in COVID, where we smashed into panic...
3 min read
Why are you like this?: How strengths overused become weaknesses
Why am I like this?!" is a bit of a catchphrase in my house. Usually, I’m bemoaning something I’ve stuffed up. Either I’ve messed up my admin, worked...
3 min read
Why are you like this? Tricky questions that need asking
"Why am I like this?!" is a bit of a catchphrase in my house. Usually, I’m bemoaning something I’ve stuffed up. Either I’ve messed up my admin,...
4 min read
Five skills for leading strategic conversations
Leadership used to be a pretty straightforward affair. The boss knew all the things and told all the people who worked for them what to do.
12 min read
How to identify, set, and defend your boundaries
It's hard to set boundaries. We don't want to let people down or look bad. But when we refuse to draw a line in the sand about what we will and won't...
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
Angry people
I woke up on Sunday morning full of Christmas spirit. Oh wait, no, I didn't. I woke up on Sunday morning full of indignation, which I channelled into...
3 min read
Get angry, it's great
I woke up on Sunday morning full of Christmas spirit. Oh wait, no, I didn't. I woke up on Sunday morning full of indignation, which I channelled into...
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...
3 min read
How to plan your year when things are uncertain
This is usually the time of year when I’d have my 2021 on the wall, month by month, meticulously planned out—significant pieces of work, trips away,...
8 min read
4 steps to playing the long game
How was your 2020, overall? Mine was a nightmare, to be honest.
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...
2 min read
How to handle uncertainty
Last week, I argued that people don’t fear change. As I outlined in this LinkedIn post, we fear what change represents: loss, uncertainty, learning...
2 min read
How to think about change
If you’re not doing ‘change’ right now, you’re not in fashion. Whether it’s organisational change, personal transformation (hi Spring!) or even...
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...
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 handle uncertainty
Last week, I argued that people don’t fear change. As I outlined in this LinkedIn post, we fear what change represents: loss, uncertainty, learning...