7 min read
Learn from your mistakes: make the most of failure
Everybody makes mistakes, but only some people know how to use them to get better. If you've made a mistake this week, that's great. It means you're...
Leadership
1 min read
Reasons, seasons and changing jobs
You're probably familiar with the opening line of a poem by Brian A. Chalker:
2 min read
Make peace with problems
Let me paint you a picture of a workshop I facilitated recently. Fourteen senior leaders crowd around the boardroom table of an artful...
4 min read
Understanding idea technology
Idea technology, a term by Barry Schwartz, is an excellent framework for thinking about the ideas that drive our thinking and decisions.
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...
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...
1 min read
Save your relationships with 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
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...
3 min read
How to stop AI from stealing your job
Have you been keeping up with new AI tools like MidJourney and ChatGPT?
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
Serve the room: questions to ask for leadership success
In local government, many elected members think they must be approachable and responsive to their constituents. They personally follow up on service...
2 min read
5 career mistakes everyone (from junior to executive) should avoid
A few years ago, I asked a group of public sector executives one simple question: “What are the biggest mistakes you've made in your career?”
3 min read
Values-based living: The hardest and easiest path to peace
When I was 25, I left my job with two kids, a mortgage to pay, and a husband on apprentice wages. I'd left my policy job in frustration, looking for...
1 min read
The problem is never the problem
Picture this: you're frustrated with your partner. They've loaded the dishwasher wrong, again, and they've left the door wide open for you to knock...
3 min read
Setting boundaries around bullsh*t
I've drawn a new boundary around my professional life: no more leadership team coaching.
4 min read
Gaslighting at work
I met a curious, clever young woman recently. She was smart, a real systems thinker, and passionate about doing great work. When we got to talking...
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...
7 min read
Why women are so bloody exhausted right now
This week, I had a great question from a Wednesday Wisdom reader. J wrote: "I'd like to ask for advice - especially as a woman - on how to not get in...
4 min read
Good People and Bad Systems
Change is hard to talk about, because people tend to feel personally attacked. They have good reason to feel that way. When we talk about the things...
4 min read
Nail Your Next 8 Weeks: How to keep strategy alive
In this article: How to run a great strategic check-in Free template for a 2-day strategy session Strategies are great, and 3-5 year plans are...
5 min read
Find Your Why Journey Update #2
I recently sent out a Wednesday Wisdom about a traumatic time I've experienced in my personal life and business.
7 min read
Stop being nice: 7 reasons why your niceness is dangerous
I have a confession to make: I'm suspicious of nice people.
1 min read
How to Make Your Problems Useful
There's no way to avoid problems, I'm afraid. Problems are like cockroaches and glitter: even when the world ends, they'll still be there.
4 min read
Why Your Team Needs A Meeting Policy - and What To Include
Take charge of your conversations I'm a big fan of individuals taking charge of the meetings they're in. In fact, I'd love to banish boring and...