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'...
Change and personal development (3)
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...
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:
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...
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:
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...
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...
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...
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...
7 min read
How to lead change when people don’t care
It's hard to lead change when people are too busy and distracted to care.
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......
3 min read
Be yourself to beat burnout
The Lion King was one of my favourite childhood movies. It was one of a few films that my cousins had on VHS and we would watch it on repeat, until...
1 min read
Time to change: 4 signs that you need to take action
In a recent Wednesday Wonder, I asked you how you know it's time to change something in your life - what the signs are, and how you know whether to...