Blog

Articles and think pieces on life, work and leadership. Subscribe for more.

Subscribe

Join 12,000+ subscribers who get fresh new content.

Communication

1 min read

How to ask quality questions

Bad questions kill relationships. When we turn up to a meeting, conversation, or email powered by judgement and annoyance, our questions reflect...

2 min read

How to ask bigger questions

Most meetings and workshops are a waste of time. They're full of people resolving trivial issues that could be handled by email or delegation with...

4 min read

Tell, don't sell: how to get what you want at work

I had a great conversation with an IT leader in Australia this week. She was doing good work, but she was feeling increasingly frustrated by people...

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

Big questions enable bold choices

Most meetings and workshops are a waste of time. They're full of people resolving trivial issues that could be handled by email or delegation with...

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...

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...

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...

8 min read

Learn from your mistakes: 7 steps to growth

In late 2019, I interviewed a Mayor on stage at a conference in Australia. His Council had done some seriously impressive work for which they were...

2 min read

Master the world’s most valuable skill

Critical thinking is the world’s most valuable skill. Unfortunately, being overworked and overwhelmed keeps people from learning how to do it. They...

2 min read

Disagreement needs dignity

I had a positive social media experience this week (...I know right?!). Someone with a large public following had posted an open question about a...

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.

4 min read

Say no nicely: challenging conversations

Last week I talked about the importance of putting first things first, to prioritise progress. But here’s the thing with priorities. Setting them is...

3 min read

People want to connect

Last week, I wrote about how to get people interested in your strategy and change initiatives and the importance of being real and using plain...