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Career

2 min read

The paradox of public leadership (or: just give them the damn picnic table)

“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

Revenge of the Arts degree

I'm taking a brief break from my "Taking the Boot of the Public Sector" series to tell you something important about education and recruitment. In...

5 min read

Get out of the way: your future is inevitable

My 8 year old waffle chef What if you're the barrier? A new approach to achieving your goals.

5 min read

You don't know how great you can be: expand your possibilities

My first business was cleaning houses at 17 You don't know how great you can be Aim for expansion, not prediction Be a small fish in a big pond Make...

3 min read

Do more of what makes you awesome

Did you ever have career counselling at school? The first question you were asked was probably something like "what are you good at?" or 'what are...

6 min read

How and when to quit things (and how to do it well)

Last Friday, I announced I was retiring Not An MBA, an executive leadership programme I founded in 2021. It's been a wild ride. For the most part,...

2 min read

The future of work

ATMs and Strategy When ATMs were first rolled out, economists, politicians, and the media panicked. Automation was to rob bank tellers of their jobs!...

2 min read

There is no right decision

This newsletter is brought to you by Not An MBA, the accelerated executive leadership programme that transforms your life and work in just eight...

6 min read

The risks of self-employment: the good, the bad, and the ugly

Self-employment is an alluring prospect. It’s a chance to live your life on your terms, to achieve more fulfilment and meaning from your career, and...

2 min read

The future of work belongs to the strategist

ATMs and Strategy When ATMs were first rolled out, economists, politicians, and the media panicked. Automation was to rob bank tellers of their jobs!...

1 min read

When to try new things: 4 options for creating change

This week, I've been thinking about the warning signals that something needs to change. It stems from some work I'm doing around change and...

6 min read

This is an intervention: it's time to get unstuck

In this post: What to do when you're feeling stuck Strategic leadership: skills to change your life Stop planning, start strategising: how to stay on...

7 min read

When progress goes too far: becoming a top woman manager

Over the weekend, I picked up this delightful little read in my favourite Woodville op shop. At first, I laughed. The cover is dated, the terminology...

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'...

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...

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.

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...

2 min read

Endings: letting go of the good

Last week, I wrote about beginnings, so it seems fitting to talk about endings this week. Unless you're an immortal with unlimited time, energy,...

2 min read

10 questions to boost your professional credibility

There's a reason every job interview asks the dreaded question: "So, do you have any questions for us?" Gulp. I've got butterflies just thinking...

2 min read

Upgrade your worries: reduce anxiety about your life choices

Welcome to another Wednesday Wisdom. Every week, I share with you what I'm thinking about life, work, and leadership. This week we're talking about...

6 min read

The problem with professionalism: rejecting sameness at work

I was the first person in my family to have a professional job. So at 22, fresh out of university, with two kids in tow, I was terrified of starting...

3 min read

7 ways to feel better about your job

Work is a pain in the proverbial. It's also where most of us will spend most of our waking hours. The average person spends over 13 years of their...

3 min read

Strategy: not your job?

When the task obstructs the goal Here's a little vignette from my life last week, juggling work, kids, and clients.