Transitions: From subject matter specialist to leader

“The real trick in life is to turn hindsight into foresight that reveals insight.” Robin Sharma Last year I had the privilege to coach a specialist art teacher, Paddy O’Rourke as he took on his first leadership role as head of the art department in an Auckland College late in 2019. At year-end, Paddy and I had a conversation on some of the challenges he faced, what he had found satisfying, and what he had learned. Making the transition...

Something old, and wonderful!

“Innovation is a mixture of the old and the new with a dash of surprise.” Al Etmanski A long-time colleague of mine Dr Maris O’Rourke spotted this in the Nelson Airport shop last weekend. My first book Leadership Material is number 28 on their list of 50 best sellers! It has just slipped in front of Lee Child’s The Midnight Line. You can get your copy at any of the airport bookstores or on kindle or paperback on Amazon....

Falling Off Our Foils

“When you make a mistake, there are only three things you should do about it: admit it, learn from it, and never repeat it.” Paul Bear Bryant Leadership teams who have values and behaviours are always going to fail. That they do fail isn’t the main point. The main thing is what do they do when they inevitably fail? That is the secret to their success. Teams willing to review their failure to ‘back one another’ or retain their ‘generous...

When the going gets tough, the tough keep going

“The path from dreams to success does exist. May you have the vision to find it, the courage to get on to it, and the perseverance to follow it.” Kalpana Chawla I am 80% through writing my next book, Leadership Leaders: Releasing the power of relationships for exceptional participation, alignment and team results. My first book focused on leaders’ development. Leadership Levers firmly places leaders as guardian of their group’s development. I have found this book challenging to write and I have lurched from...

Dodging a bullet

The February covid lockdown was inevitable. With the increased potency of the virus, specialized workers and New Zealanders returning all risks new potent strains crossing the border and entering the community. At the time of writing, the initial cases, and cause, had yet to be identified. How much risk are you willing to take? Similar to drink-driving, there’s a risk. If you drive after a few drinks you are likely to be caught or have an accident. If we accept...

Leaders’ words shape their identity

“We lift our gaze to not what stands between us, but what stands before us” – Amanda Gorman, American Laureate. The capacity to spot and emphasise what is good among disappointments and failures is one of leaders’ great assets. Criticising comes easily when you are on the receiving end of poor service or poor leadership.

Don’t get off a train moving 100km an hour

“Life doesn’t get easier or more forgiving, we get stronger and more resilient” – Dr. Steve Maraboli. What a year it has been. In these last few months, many of my clients are making significant changes to how they do business. Pandemic responses have been normalised and volatility, turbulence, disruption, disasters, political and social unrest still permeate everyday interactions. It is easy to see that leaders would be challenged to function well, along with everyone else. How have you fared?

Why losing out doesn’t always equal rejection

“Every time I thought I was being rejected from something good, I was actually being redirected to something better” – Dr. Steve Maraboli. This past month, both in Aotearoa and internationally, has seen high stakes rugby matches, elections, and high level appointments made. One of the downsides of high level sport, job interviews and political election is that there is only one winner.

Collaborations That Enhance Customer Experience

Events conspire. When events work in our favour, we achieve dramatically. When they don’t, we are managing a nightmare. The same can be said for the customer experience.

The Power Of Exquisite Moments

Amidst the relentless tough news of the past months, COVID restrictions, uncertain futures, worrying headlines, and political nitpicking, I met with a group of my professional peers last week. This meeting was our first face-to-face meeting after a year of Zoom meetings. The group atmosphere was warm and appreciative of simple human connections recognising years of working together, yet arriving in this new and fresh moment. We had broadened our lens on what was happening in the world and focused...