How a Crisis Reveals your True Character
When I was a teenager, I moved from a small, community oriented school to a large, bullring of boys. It was a leap into the big, real and rough world. I was joined by a mixed crew of newcomers. There was the worldly expatriate, the Korean, the first black pupils and the religious seminary graduate. […]
The Leadership Blind Spot
The phrase of my week is ‘Impression Management’. Oh and I love it, for how aptly it describes much of the superficiality in our society. It immediately reminded me of a story shared by an accounting executive who was rebuked for nestling his second hand, seven year old car in the Partners dedicated parking. The […]
The two most important questions you must answer!
I love change. I am tickled by technology and the audacious dreams humanity keeps bringing to life. Everything we want to do, seems possible – and likely. I get all gawky geek-like when I imagine a world where mundane and repetitive tasks are performed by a wide brethren of digital proxies. In other ways, I […]
The future is More Human than Ever!
This will be my final post of the year – my 21st of 2017. To start, I have completed my dissertation proposal and will be diving full steam into research mode from 2018 onwards. My topic focuses on the impact of Leadership Character and Stage of Adult Development on perceived levels of integrity and team […]
Rituals and what they tell us about your culture
I often hear this question – ‘How do I make my culture better to keep up with theirs, like that company over there (usually a tech giant that they read about in a glitzy magazine)?’ The more nutritious question (and one I rarely hear) however is; ‘How can I define, see and capitalize on the […]
I didn’t know much about culture!
They say ‘Culture eats strategy for breakfast!’ They say it with such conviction, often as a precursor to their own philosophy on leadership and the future. They say it often, almost as much as I have said it. I have sat through countless meetings with senior executives who claim high expertise and command of the […]
If the President were a Psychologist
‘Constructive Disruption!? Read the banner advert. What an odd idea, I heard a lot of people saying. It was the title of a recent Consulting Psychology Conference (and I may have had something to do with it). It was designed to challenge psychologists to assert their relevance and voice in the post-apartheid reality. It urged […]
We trust behaviours more than intent!
‘Trust me, it will all be OK.’ ‘Trust me, my intentions are good.’ ‘Trust me, just trust me’ Usually all said with a glint in the eye and a warm, nodding smile. It seems trust is preoccupying not only my thoughts but my work too. Trust me, it must be important then (I write that […]