1 min read
Meetings are murder
Every session I run, in every organisation, inevitably turns to the meeting problem.
Wednesday Wisdom (5)
1 min read
The difference between strategy and plans
When I was a broke student and single mum, I remember creating countless household budgets to try and stay on top of things. I’d put the ideal budget...
2 min read
Focus - to have, to do, or to be.
I had a minor mutiny on my hands last week. I got so little “work” done in the last two weeks that my long-suffering Business Manager Diane revolted....
1 min read
How to be more strategic
I teach two-day workshops and eight-week courses on how to be more strategic. I've written you three books on the topic. But you're busy, and you...
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...
4 min read
Why your strategy is failing and how to fix it
Many of us have the wrong idea about strategy. We think it's about workshops and documents and then struggle to understand why everyone's still doing...
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...
1 min read
You can’t work with what you can’t see
Put your hand up if you’re ever been a martyr. Walking around carrying an invisible load of resentment, wondering why every other unreasonable person...
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......
2 min read
Preparation beats prediction
One of my favourite strategy workshops to run is about strategic risk - preparing for the worst. I recognise that sounds dire, but I promise it...
1 min read
Leverage as less
Leverage: is it about doing more - or doing better? Doing everything with nothing I love the idea of ephemeralization, the brainchild of clever...
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...
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...
1 min read
Mate, it's just work
Much of my stress comes from work—or at least, that's where I choose to experience it. And I'm my own boss, doing whatever I want! I can only begin...
1 min read
Get strategy off the shelf
What’s the name of your last Shelf Strategy? You know the one – where you did all those workshops and argued over semantics. The one where you wrote...
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
3 myths about decision-making
I've been interested in what it means to make good, long-term decisions for a long time. I entered a policy career fresh out of university, all fired...
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...
1 min read
Act as if: how your identity changes your habits
Goals motivate us When I started running, I could only motivate myself to train if I had an event coming up. I started at a 5K, and a few years...
1 min read
Create a personal strategy
I just finished reading Bullshit Jobs: A Theory by David Graeber, which is a thoroughly excellent book about the modern world of work. According to...
5 min read
How to lead when you're worried
It’s a worrying time to be in charge. How can you be a successful leader when you're worried about the future? We live in a time of unprecedented...