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Imagine arriving in at work and your inspired team is already hard at work. The place is humming. You’re feeling proud and almost redundant. Isn’t that every leaders’ dream? And then there’s this whiff of conflict. But it’s not trouble in paradise. It sparks joy in you as you see it spark creativity in them. Move over Marie Kondo. This requires no tidying up from you. What. So. Ever. How do you create an environment like that? Well, according to Judith Glaser, it’s neuroscience. In our Audio Series interview, Judith shared with me her three levels of conversational intelligence. Do you know which kind of conversations trigger the lower, more primitive brain and which activate higher-level intelligence such as trust, integrity, empathy, and good judgment? I didn’t either before I spoke with Judith. What an inspiration and what a privilege it was for me. Here’s an easy way to find out for yourself. Simply observe your conversations today and notice how you feel. There are the conversations where you’re simply telling and asking. The transactional, “I’d like a latte please. Fat milk.” There are the ones where you advocate for your position and inquire about theirs. Let’s be honest. We inquire because we’re hoping to bring them over from

A gift for all guests It was like walking into a wedding reception, There were tables dressed in white, a buffet of delicious morsels, a bar that most made a beeline for, and about 100 guests. At the door was a book for us all to record our memories of the Grande Dame, as I shall call her. She would be mortified. She’s humble and later said she was embarrassed by the whole thing. But she really is grand. Actually, one of the most amazing women I know. And very much a lady who sets the benchmark high. She ran this organisation for 27 years, a trailblazer who showed me what it means to stay true to your values and be of service. I’m not alone. She received an Order of Australia and is on the Victorian Honour Roll, both in recognition of her work. And staying true to form, while we were asked to simply bring ourselves, she greeted us all with this delightful gift. A “Stress/De-Stress Pack”. I don’t imagine I will live up to her standards. But it sure helps knowing what’s possible and having something to strive for. She’s a North Star for me. Who’s your

Hello again, groundhog. I’ve been thinking about echo chambers this week. Leadership echo chambers. The kind that can limit your leadership learning and hold back your development. A kind of leadership groundhog day. It’s from the feedback I received about the Lessons in Leadership Audio Series. A few of you highlighted how you much you value the mix of experts – from the well-established to the new discoveries. That is, the people you’d never heard of until now. Of course, I can’t know who’s new for you. It’s one of the reasons I spoke to so many experts for the Audio Series. 89 all up. I did the research, subjecting them to my red velvet rope.   Are we all listening to too few voices? The beauty of the new discoveries is that they broaden your horizons, as one person said: with “exciting and practical advice for leaders and leadership”. They bring new ideas and concepts that you won’t hear from within your echo chamber. So I’m wondering, is this something you’re doing in your career? Following the same leadership people and those recommended by them? Could the echo chamber be holding back your development? I’d love to know what

Cheetahs are the fastest land animal. Running at up to 120km/hour, they give the nimble Usain Bolt a run for his money! Recently, I was reluctantly reverse mentored. You know, by someone younger than me. The reluctance didn’t last long, but I felt it. Keenly! Yes, I learned some new and valuable information. But it was only after the fact, when a journalist from the ABC’s Radio National Life Matters program called to ask for my two-cents, that I realised it’s true value. It helps keep you nimble! You can hear me talk about it here. I’m speaking at about the 13-minute and 16-minute marks. If you’re going to benefit from anyone trying to help you in any arena, regardless of age, you’ll want to stay curious and keep an open mind. Breathe, listen and get your growth mindset on. Not always easy! By the way, it aired while I was learning about the board meetings which S is famous for. And, I discovered that journalists are nimble, too. They don’t muck about. On the initial call with the journalist, we quickly realised I couldn’t come into the studio for a live interview. So I suggested she might want to

Last week I met the inspiring S. She gave me permission to share. S was one of the nurses looking after me on Tuesday. The day I happily discovered that I’m not allergic to penicillin after all. She is a proud wife, mama of two and one newly-famous dragon lizard. I saw the Instagram posts. S also works with one of the Australian Rules Football (AFL) Clubs here in Melbourne. She says she’s the Mother Hen for their AFLW team (that’s the women). In other words, the Wellbeing Officer. What she’s famous for, she says, is her Board Meetings. Everybody at the Club knows about them, from the CEO down. She even got called into the President’s office one day and asked, “what are these board meetings?” They’re in her calendar for all to see. 8:50 am – 3:00 pm Board Meeting Twice a week, come rain or shine, this is her schedule: 8:50am: drop kids at school. She tells me she’s trained them to roll out of the back of her van and take themselves off to school, no fuss. 10:00am: one-hour and 10-minutes later, she’s in her wetsuit and hitting the waves at Bells Beach. In case you

Avoiding Responsibility at Work Lately I’ve had very frustrated executives in my office saying, “don’t say anything I just need to rant”. And they let fly. The theme is (other) people avoiding their responsibilities. It takes various forms: Avoidance of conflict. Avoidance of decisions. Avoidance of leadership.   You’re Right, It’s Not Fair! They lament about what they’re left with: The inefficient and unfair workaround. The lack of justice riles them. The time-wasting politics. The frustrating: “it’s like walking through treacle trying to get anything done around here”.   Or, as one of my clients says: “it’s like a zoo, so many elephants in the room”. And that got me thinking about Jumanji. You know, where four high school kids embody an avatar after they are sucked into the Jumanji jungle game.   Leadership Lessons from Jumanji As we learn in Jumanji, the only way the players can escape is to work together to finish the game. Yes, you have to play the game, you can’t sit on the sidelines… the rant clears the way for my clients to begin to work out how they want to play. You can’t break the rules… this is what my clients seem most

The response to the Lessons in Leadership Audio Series launch has been absolutely incredible. You can see why below! Here’s what you need to know.   There is no single authority on leadership Even if you have your leadership favourites, those you always learn from, the truth is, there is no single authority. Not when it comes to leadership. It’s smart to listen to different perspectives. And the Audio Series brings you 89! Plus one, makes 90… me. What a privilege it was to interview these world-class experts. Even with a PhD in the area, I learned something new from each and every one. You’ll get to learn from some of the top leadership thinkers in the world! Think Marshall Goldsmith, Jim Kouzes, Judith Glaser, Dorie Clark, Peter Bregman… and 84 more.   Organised for easy access Yes, it’s a treasure trove of insight and experience to help you improve your leadership. But, 89 is a big number. I figured it’d all be a bit overwhelming unless we organised it for you. So you’ll discover the interviews are sorted into four main leadership pillars and 33 key leadership topics. Easy to navigate, easy to access, easy to self-direct your learning

I’m so excited that the day has arrived! The Lessons in Leadership Audio Series is here. And here’s your chance to grab a special, early bird discount. It’s a super-efficient way to learn what you need to know, from world-respected experts. And all at the pace that’s perfect for you and the way you love to learn.   What You Get In a nutshell: A massive library with 110 information-packed interviews. Lifetime access to an outstanding program, which has already helped thousands of people in over 100 countries. All the interviews organised into 33 essential leadership topics, making it easy for you to self-direct your leadership learning. The ability to track your progress. The ability to make notes on the interview page itself. Insights and answers from 89 experts, with each lesson guided by me. A total of more than 55 hours of Lessons in Leadership. A 30-day money back guarantee.   An Extra Thank You As I mentioned a moment ago, as an extra thank you for being one of my loyal readers, I’m offering you a special early bird price. It’s already a no brainer investment at USD$250. Yes, that’s for lifetime access, no ongoing monthly fees. However,

Before I go onto today’s post, I want to thank those of you who took the time to go and watch the video from last week. I got some amazing feedback from people, thank you! If you haven’t seen it, you’re not too late. It’s still up. Simply click here to watch it. So, are you spread too thin? One thing I’ve learned about myself is that I don’t like it when I’m too busy. I simply can’t be my best. At anything. I become scatterbrained and can’t focus. It feels like skating over the surface, anti-thinking. And that’s a big problem. For us knowledge workers, our job is to think. So, I’ve learned to build in breathing space. Given myself permission to daydream. To think. To think about how I can better help a client. To think about nothing at all. It doesn’t have to be a long time. Perhaps all you need is a minute or two to recalibrate. But when you need it, you need it. It’s not something you schedule. It can be like stealing moments. Those moments in between. They take the pressure off having to perform every moment of every day. And serve as

It’s party time down under. This 30-year certificate arrived via snail mail this week (I’m a bit confused by the 1 February 2019 date too). Still, I had no idea I’d been a registered psychologist for that long. Three decades! Now, I’m normally a pretty cool cat but this triggered me. That’s a lot of years. Yes, there’s many more to go, but more like 15, not 30. Thanks to world-renowned business educator and coach, Marshall Goldsmith, I had an action plan. I spoke to Marshall about what to do when you’re triggered. Time isn’t something I can control. But what I bring to you is.   Another reason to celebrate You may have read the previous emails where I’ve been alluding to this project I’m hand on heart proud of (here and here). Well, I’m not keeping Marshall all to myself. He’s part of the new Lessons in Leadership audio series. One of 110 audio interviews that thousands of people found useful and now built into this stand alone, learning leadership product.   Opening the kimono I’m super excited (and think it’s about time) I give you a sneak peak. The product quick tour video is up. Click here