Sorry, I can’t navigate this crisis for you!
I’ll start by repeating what we already know. The world is awash with existential anxiety that floats as infectiously as the virus itself! We are all concerned with a sometimes niggling, often pounding, message of warning and impending danger. It’s scary and real, and multi-knuckled in its impression on our health. We are all to […]
Why young graduates don’t need Leadership Development
One of the most rewarding periods of my early career was working with young adults in business. For almost 8 years, I had numerous opportunities to guide and mentor bright and ambitious professionals on multiple graduate development programmes. They were smart, brimming with technical and functional theory, but low in experience. Many were armed with […]
Leadership Development Should Change Lives
An eagle swooped across the double volume windows that had framed the distant, white-capped Rocky Mountains all week. That view hugged the silhouette of the man sitting before us all. We all took a deep breathe as he paused and pinched his forehead into a frown. Fourteen of us watched him battle to hide his […]
The First Time I Fired a Client
My first job in People Development Consulting was almost 20 years ago. Soon after entering the field, I landed a role leading a consulting business. It was a bit like a start-up, but with a wealthy, big brother as an angel investor. I still have fond memories of that time – a dream step-up into a […]
The End of Classroom-based Leadership Learning?
The Holy Grail of my work is to encourage and observe a sustainable, behavioural shift in people. It’s a very difficult daily pursuit and is influenced by so many seen and unseen variables. I am a firm believer that without a solid grasp of the human mind and its functions, many leaders are operating with […]
10 ways Leadership Development must change
A prominent business management journal put out a piece in the 1970s, outlining key leadership competencies for the modern age. In my own words, their research seemed to support that great leaders exert dominance; are often the loudest, most vocal person in the room; and are highly competitive. The article also noted that to succeed […]
Inspired by the land debate. We can do this!
I am sure you will agree, we are living in emotionally charged times. That in itself isn’t surprising, we are an emotional species, it defines us; but the measure of emotion today is more a public display of irrationality than a coveted intimate moment. We are displaying our fears with shot-gun accuracy across most social […]
I choose courage, not fear!
To be honest, I am pretty tired of focusing on what keeps toppling over in society. Intolerance has crept into our beds like cold night air, and fear is throttling our hopes for the future. I have floundered as I wait for someone else to take a bold stand and ‘shut the noise the f%&k […]
Wounded leaders are our choice!
In my last post I pondered the state of leadership behaviour in the world, and how interesting it has been to see people tussling with what it all means. In most cases very little understanding emerges. We could pull at a hundred years of psychological theory and evidence, but in the end, there is a […]
Donald Trump may be your neighbour
There was a time when at social functions, I dodged having to tell people what I did for a living. I had early experiences in my career when the hush, pause and gulp at the dinner table was too awkward to bare. However these days, I feel quite cavalier with it all – I am […]