2 min read
The invisible list
My middle child is a bit of a sage. Since she was little, she’s habitually said profound things that make you look at her sideways. In the way that...
Leadership (2)
1 min read
5 things you should know about clarity
1. Clarity is the product of confusion. You don't understand what really matters until you've been distracted by the things that don't. You don't...
7 min read
15 signs of a strategist
In this article Your 4 minute strategy MBA We are all strategists 15 tell-tale signs of a strategist
1 min read
Make meaning by letting go
Making your thinking meaningful to others is one of the most important steps in driving new behaviours. A bit like election promises, strategy and...
2 min read
Values-based leadership: practice what you preach
On Thursday night, I received the final proof of my new book, ready to go to print on Friday morning. I scanned over the cover, checked the layout...
1 min read
How to make tricky decisions
The average person makes 17,000 decisions a day. Most of those are easy, like what to have for breakfast or what time to leave for work, but some are...
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.
1 min read
Delegate, or rip off the taxpayer
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
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!...
2 min read
Stop being a hero
I've always been a bit of a hero. Beating the odds, I shifted my life story from high school dropout, teen mum, and no-hope foster kid to university...
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
Why are you like this?: how strengths overused become weaknesses
Why am I like this?!" is a bit of a catchphrase in my house. Usually, I’m bemoaning something I’ve stuffed up. Either I’ve messed up my admin, worked...
2 min read
The public service has citizens, not customers
I started a new programme with the senior leadership team at Christchurch City Council last week. One thing I noticed about how GMs communicated was...
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...
1 min read
If you were them, you'd be a jerk too
Change is hard to talk about because people feel personally attacked. If we're not careful, "let's make it better" sounds more like "You're doing it...
1 min read
How to move fast without breaking things
Hi, I'm Alicia McKay, and I'm a serial fast-moving thing-breaker.
1 min read
People are the problem (and the point)
How much easier would driving be, without all the other cars on the road? How much more enjoyable would going to the supermarket be, without all the...
1 min read
Put your bloody phone down
Hi, I'm on holiday and don't have much time, so here is a quick serve:
2 min read
How to stop being so reactive
One of the most common questions I’m asked in a strategy process – usually toward the end – is about what to do when things change. Because, they do,...
1 min read
Stop being a plastic bag
In American Beauty*, we watch Ricky’s video of an empty, wrinkled plastic bag tossed about in the wind. We follow the bag as it whips about...
1 min read
How to stop being a plastic bag
American Beauty is one of my favourite movies. In one memorable scene, we watch Ricky’s video of an empty, wrinkled plastic bag tossed about in the...
2 min read
Fast decisions in uncertain times
When our future is uncertain and our workload is high, we need leaders who can make big decisions fast. As we start the COVID leadership autopsies...