2 min read
How to Grow From Stress: Quick questions to dig deeper
The last couple of months have triggered a shift in our understanding of the world. World wars, the digital revolution, 9/11 and the GFC are other...
1 min read
Go Back to Basics
I injured my ankle badly in November 2017, when I started training for my first marathon. After a tough uphill slog on a sunny Monday morning, I was...
3 min read
How to spend your Anzac Monday
We get a bonus "weekend" day this week. You might be tempted to treat it as a normal Monday, because what even are public holidays right now? Or, you...
1 min read
Meetings that Matter: Rethink your purpose
How many meetings have you been to this week? I ran an afternoon workshop for one of my learning communities recently where one of the participants...
2 min read
Chasing cows
Ever started a job and had that new-starter clarity? You're baffled by all the things that don’t make sense and say annoying things in meetings like:...
2 min read
Beyond Crisis Leadership: When the cracks start to show
Crisis is a bit exciting, isn’t it? It's different to regular drama, because it has: Surprise Serious threat Short decision times. Tick, tick and...
1 min read
The new normal
We're hearing the phrase “new normal” a lot this week. That’s a funny one isn’t it. I’ve never been much of a fan of normal… but this week, I get it....
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...
1 min read
Organisational Culture: A Wild Goose Chase?
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...
5 min read
Systems and mindsets
Do what you’ve always done, and you’ll get what you’ve always got. Think about changing your systems and mindset.
1 min read
When in doubt, zoom out.
Early last year, I visited the M.C. Escher exhibit in Melbourne and enjoyed having my mind blown by some of the mind-bending perspective pieces on...
1 min read
Seize this temporal landmark
I’m a sucker for a fresh start. I’m excited to start a new notebook, let alone a new year. This time, we’ve got a new decade, for goodness sake......
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...
1 min read
You Can’t Work With What You Can’t See
Put your hand up if you’re ever been a martyr. Walking around carrying an invisible load of resentment, wondering why every other unreasonable person...
2 min read
The paradox of public leadership
“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times” “I must be cruel to be kind” “The child is the father of the man” Literature is full of...
1 min read
Public time is public money
What do you do for work?” Gulp. When you work for the government, sometimes it’s tempting not to tell people. Primarily if you work in local...
2 min read
Is The Pain Real? Precedent, Phantom and Projection
One of the worst things I’ve experienced in my adult life was a horrific abscess I had in my tooth when I was 22. I was immobilised with pain and the...
1 min read
Snow melts from the edges: futurist thinking
I am often astonished at how little some executive teams know about what’s happening inside and outside their buildings.
1 min read
Make better decisions by anticipating disaster
People are stupid when it comes to risk. For one thing, we don’t understand risk in our personal lives. We grossly overestimate our chances of...
1 min read
Real leaders let go
The number one complaint I hear from senior public leaders is about time—or a lack thereof. This isn’t really about time, of course, but space. There...
1 min read
Pushing back
Marie Kondo, in The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up, suggests getting rid of everything in our lives that doesn’t ‘spark joy’. Clearing clutter...
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...