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Last week at the Women in Manufacturing Leadership Summit in Melbourne, I spoke about navigating change and uncertainty. You might call it leading in disruptive times. After all, we are in the 4th Industrial Revolution. Still, some things don’t change. Take the human condition. Here’s an example that’s just as apt for the workplace as it is for a Nonna and her bambinos. Imagine you’re out with a group of friends having a picnic in the local park. Mostly adults and a couple of kids who are happily entertaining themselves – let’s say one is colouring in and the other is playing on their iPad. Then, unexpectedly, their Nonna comes along. She wants to see her special little people and made an extra big effort to be there. Instead of the kids rushing up with excitement and giving their Nonna a big hug… the kids looked up briefly and say: “Hi” and then… go back to their colouring-in and playing on the iPad. You can imagine how Nonna felt. You can imagine her saying, with a brave smile on her face, “Well, they’re pleased to see me!” You can imagine her wondering if it was worth making the effort. Is

Agency. It’s the extent to which you believe you make things happen (an internal locus of control) versus things happening to you (an external locus of control). They can make your work life hellish until the cows come home. In oh so subtle ways. They can exclude you from meetings they should invite you to, they can have a “typo” on your title on social media blasts, they can ignore your meeting requests. And you’re so busy with hundreds of emails daily and back to back meetings, that it slips through the cracks. But at some point, you hit a limit and you take your power back. Enough is enough. You’re tired of feeling helpless and sounding like a victim. How depends on you. Your position, your stage of life, what you have the energy for. How much water is under the bridge. When you remember you have a choice, it feels good. Really good. You start to feel clearer, stronger and more at peace. Options start to open up. You can think again. If you’re going through a rough patch, it can be hard to see. It can help to remember that this too shall pass. But more importantly,

First, the bushfire support update How awesome is this… people from as far-reaching as the Czech Republic to Trinidad and Tobago purchased the online course Leadership Essentials this past week! Thank you!!! In case you missed last week’s email, until the end of January 31, 2020, I’ll be donating 100% of all purchases of Leadership Essentials to the Australian Red Cross Disaster Relief and Recovery Appeal. It’s to help those communities impacted by the bushfires. There are just two more days to go. It’s not too late if you want to help too. Simply click here now to learn more and make your purchase that I’ll then donate.    And now the weeds… Who’d have thought such a pretty flower is actually a weed? This is Lantana. It’s one of the 20 Weeds of National Significance in Australia. The thing with weeds, no matter how pretty, is that they’re both persistent and difficult to control. As a leader, it’s easy to get stuck in the weeds. There are plenty of persistent and difficult problems to solve. The trick is to make sure you don’t stay there. You can get stuck in the urgent, while the important is forever delayed. My

Happy 2020! As I’m sure you know, it’s been a challenging start here in Australia with the bushfires. A family member who was evacuated, spent two nights on a church floor and just got out with enough petrol before the roads were closed, said: “it was apocalyptic”. I’m glad they’re safe. But what of the communities ravaged and without homes, workplaces or incomes? Will you help me help them? Until the end of January 2020, I’ll be donating all, that is, 100% of all proceeds from sales of the Leadership Essentials online course to the Australian Red Cross Disaster Relief and Recovery Appeal. They help those communities impacted by the bushfires. Click this link to learn more about the course and to make your purchase. Get it for yourself. Why not get it for a friend or colleague while you’re at it? You get the course, they get every cent. Join me to help those in need… and thank you! And yes, I’ll let you know how much we donate.

It’s that time of year. End of year catch-ups. Kids concerts. Too much champagne. Shopping frenzies. Holiday planning. You’re busy! But not everyone has places to go and people to see. It can feel lonely. So it’s timely that one of the exhibitions currently on at the National Gallery of Victoria is Kaws: Companionship in the Age of Loneliness. That’s me (above on the left) at the exhibition yesterday with my excellent friend. We met at work over three decades ago and she still provides me with companionship that I treasure. The exhibition itself is designed to celebrate generosity, support for others and the deep need we have for companionship. And it’s a perfect reminder that this is the time of year, if ever there was one, for you to be an excellent friend. What will you do? I’d love to know. Scroll down and leave your comment below.

You know I was thinking you wouldn’t be interested in this, but a leader has to have her eyes across many domains. I’m talking about online security. Don’t we all wish it wasn’t a thing? It’s something I never thought I’d have to get my head around. But I have to. And it’s something I take very seriously. That’s why I have PCI Certification with Trustwave. It means I meet the Payment Card Industry security standards. Now, I know that’s good. Many small businesses like mine don’t even bother. Still, my thinking is you never want to rest on your laurels. And that’s why, when you purchase any of my online products like Leadership Essentials or Lessons in Leadership Audio Series and click through to purchase, there’s a change. Not that I’d imagine you’d ordinarily notice this, at least I wouldn’t. But what you’ll see is that I’ve upgraded to an external, secure shopping cart. Yes, my payment set up was always secure, but embedded on my site. I like that this is an independent, payment portal. Yes, you have all the normal options to pay available to you, along with Paypal. But to me, this is another layer of security.

Gosh, these eBooks are popular. This time, I’m referring to the FREE Successful Salary Negotiations eBook that I shared with you last week. Help yourself if you haven’t already. Simply click here and scroll down to get your copy.   And now for today’s big news! When I was doing my PhD, what struck me was realising that so many leaders unwittingly caused so much heartache. The wasted potential was even higher, including their own. It wasn’t intentional. But their leadership skills let them down. The truth is, everyone has blind spots and areas to improve. Everyone should have the opportunity to realise their potential at work, including you. It starts with a solid foundation. That’s what all great leaders have. A solid foundation built on the essentials required for leadership success.   And that’s exactly what I’ve created for you. Leadership Essentials gives you an easy and affordable way to make sure you’ve got the fundamentals right. Click here to learn more. Think of it as a tax-deductible Christmas present to yourself, or even your team. It’s a way to make sure you start 2020 strong.

While economies are slowing down, it doesn’t mean you have to. There are still great opportunities to be had. And three of them, belong to my clients! Yes, three of my executive coaching clients have recently been promoted to new roles. And they all successfully negotiated their salary. I, like them, am pretty chuffed with their results. So, to help you negotiate your salary, and hopefully share in some of the spoils like those clients of mine, I’ve put together a handy new free resource for you. In this free eBook, Successful Salary Negotiations, you’ll learn: The latest on the gender negotiation problem and what to do about it. Four ways to warm up your boss and set the stage for your pay rise success. What ‘those in the know’ know and do to get those fabulous increases. How to manage the negotiation process itself and get more of what you want.   Simply click here and scroll down to get paid what you deserve. Why? Because you’re worth it! As JFK said: “Let us never negotiate out of fear. But never let us fear to negotiate”. Feel free to share this free eBook with your friends. And let me

Today is Cup Day. Melbourne Cup. The final field of 24 horses ran around the Flemington Race Track until they clocked up 3200m. It’s in its 158th year. It’s a big deal here. It’s a public holiday. And it’s known as ‘the race that stops a nation’. Turns out, horse racing isn’t that different from the workplace. Here’s my field of 14: The 2019 Melbourne Cup The Workplace This year there are only two Australian horses running. It’s a global marketplace. There’s only room for 24 starters. Not everyone gets to the top. It’s the richest handicap two mile race in the world (with $7.75m in prize money this year). It’s worth getting to the top, at least financially. The horses range from young (3 years) to old (8 years). It’s inter-generational in the office too. Youngest does not mean fastest. Horses take time to be at their best. Same for humans, it’s never too late. Good breeding helps. Having raw ability and talent is an advantage. They always talk about the horse’s connections. They say your network is your net worth. Nothing beats preparation. Yep, nothing beats preparation. The barrier draw can be crucial – wide barriers suit those

One of my clients refers to the dinosaurs she’s discovered roaming the floor of her new workplace. Not old as in nearing retirement age, but old as in past their ‘use by’ date. They aren’t making a useful contribution. They’re poor performers. When another talks about managing poor performance at her workplace, she says the owners feel morally obliged to keep people on. It’s like once they’re hired, they’re hired for life. And that means people are getting away with poor performance, at least from my client’s perspective. For her, it would be better for the business, my client and her colleagues who are picking up the slack if they either lifted their game or were asked to leave. Why is poor performance being tolerated? Is someone avoiding a difficult conversation? Yet another client chose to tackle poor performance head on. He was new to the CEO role and wanted to “clean up the leadership team”. Poor performance would no longer be tolerated. Not on his watch. He wanted the business to reach its potential. If poor performance is a surprise to the underperformer, then you are likely to be in for a challenging time. For that new CEO, it