How Much Should You Invest in Professional Development?
If you and your team are not learning, you’re losing – in results, culture and talent retention. Look at any global workforce survey over the last 2-3 years (Deloitte, Gallup, LinkedIn, Google, APAC) and you’ll hear the same story everywhere. People are looking for employers who will support them…
Don’t Follow Your Passion
“Be so good they can’t ignore you” ~ Steve Martin Passion arises from mastery. Not the other way round. So forget chasing passion, master your craft. That’s Cal Newport’s take on the “follow your passion” myth and why we should ignore it and do the…
Don’t Stop in the B Zone
Opportunity very often comes dressed in overalls and looks a lot like work ~ Anon On any quest to turn opportunities into outcomes there are three recognisable phases. First, there’s the A Zone. ‘Ah-ha!’ moments of inspiration. Action is easy and natural. Motivation flows like…
IDEA: 4 simple keys to better communication
Have you ever wondered why you can easily relate to some people and not to others? Have you noticed how some people seem to naturally speak your language yet with others you find it hard just to get on the same page? Do some things…
Pay Attention
In a world increasingly reliant on technology and digital communication, people skills are rapidly becoming the most powerful way top leaders and teams stand out from the crowd. The thirst for real human connection has never been deeper. The greatest investment we can make in…
Strategic Doing
Strategic planning is dead. It’s a flat line. Too much time is wasted on thinking and theories. By the time we take action, the world has changed and the plan is irrelevant. As Susan Scott points out in her excellent book Fierce Conversations, “No plan…
Top skill search on LinkedIn
Jeff Weiner, LinkedIn’s CEO recently identified employers’ most searched-for skill on LinkedIn. It’s not marketing, sales, entrepreneurship or innovation, and it’s not tech anything. The number one search is for communication skills. Great leaders and their teams know how to communicate with anyone in any…
The psychology of change
On Tuesday this week, over 200 business leaders and HR professionals gathered in Brisbane for the Psychology of Change seminar presented by Cameron Nott, psychologist and Managing Director of the Myers-Briggs Company. Managing change was rated by attendees as the number one challenge facing organisations…
And the word of the year 2018 is…
Last week the Oxford English Dictionary announced “toxic” as 2018’s word of the year. “From ‘toxic air’ to ‘toxic politics’, the sheer scope of its application in 2018 made ‘toxic’ the stand-out choice,” wrote OED. “Toxic” has “truly taken off into the realm of metaphor,…
The mark of a leader
Saturday night shone a spotlight on 29 exceptional businesses at the 2018 Sunshine Coast Business Awards. An inspiring night. Made especially so by the way each award recipient demonstrated a key aspect of authentic leadership. That is, they all knew how to say thank you….
The decision tree
To delegate decision-making is a powerful way to build trust and grow emerging leaders. Susan Scott’s “decision tree” model* is a perfect way to begin the conversation. There are four levels of decision: leaf, branch, trunk and root. Four stages of delegated trust in proportion…
Engagement is a competitive advantage
Culture is the way things work around here. Engagement is the way we FEEL about the way things work around here. When engagement is low, the flow-on effects weaken your brand, erode customer confidence and white-ant your bottom line. Engagement is your company’s immune system….