The Cost of Being Right
What does it really cost an organisation when its leaders always have the right answers? Leadership has never been about having all the answers. Yet somewhere along the way, many organisations began rewarding leaders as though it were. Executives are appointed because of their experience. Boards place their confidence in leaders who have navigated complexity, […]
Alignment Is Not Agreement: The Leadership Practice That Holds Teams Together Under Pressure
Leadership teams do not lose alignment because they disagree. In fact, many leadership teams that are drifting apart still agree on most things. They agree on strategy. They agree on targets. They agree on what needs to be done. And yet, something beneath that agreement begins to loosen. It shows up in subtle ways. In […]
When Leadership Loses Its Centre: Rebuilding Alignment, Trust, and Shared Purpose
Leadership teams rarely drift apart all at once. More often, the distance forms quietly. It shows up in meetings that feel efficient but leave important things unsaid. It appears in decisions that are technically sound but strangely disconnected from the deeper purpose of the organisation. It can be heard in the shift from honest dialogue […]
The Leadership Inclusion Audit: 7 Questions Every Executive Team Should Ask
How boards and leadership teams can examine whether dignity, voice, and opportunity are truly embedded in decision-making. When Leadership Intention Is No Longer Enough Most leadership teams believe they are inclusive. They point to diverse hiring. They reference leadership principles. They emphasise fairness as a value. Yet inclusion is rarely tested through intention. It is […]
Why Your Team Fizzles in Q1
Why Your Team Fizzles in Q1 How to protect energy, rhythm, and execution in the early months of the year. Q1 leadership momentum always starts with promise. There’s energy. Focus. Crisp new plans. A team briefing filled with bold goals and strong intentions. And then—almost imperceptibly—something shifts. Meetings run longer. Priorities start to blur. The […]
Appreciative Leadership: Leading from What Works
Appreciative Leadership is not about ignoring problems; it is about choosing where to place your focus. It begins with an assumption: that within every individual, every team, and every system, there are seeds of greatness waiting to be amplified. Most leaders are trained to diagnose deficits. They scan for what is wrong. Appreciative leaders, by […]
The Importance of Reflection in Leadership
In a world obsessed with momentum, the ability to pause has become an undervalued asset. For leaders, the power of reflection is not a luxury. It is a necessity. Great leaders do not simply charge ahead. They stop, assess, and recalibrate. They understand that silence speaks and stillness reveals. Reflection is where wisdom is born, […]
Managing and measuring work
Let’s start with a story to set the scene around managing and measuring work. Just because you have over 50 flavours of jelly beans does not mean you should have over 50 types of performance measurement. You cannot move your company forward and retain a happy, productive workforce if you cannot give them clear, actionable […]
Driving for Results
An example of driving for results is Ellen MacArthur. She grew up wanting to sail. Her dream was to voyage around the world, non-stop and on her own. It was clear that she was determined from a young age. For three years, she saved up her school lunch money to buy her first boat. At […]
Winning at Negotiating
Types of Negotiation When negotiating, the ideal aim is to achieve a ‘win-win’ deal for both parties. That way, everybody feels like their needs are being met by the end of the bargaining process. There will be times, however, when the win-win approach to negotiating will not be a priority. If you intend to avoid […]
The Art of Approachability
Let me tell you a fascinating story about approachability. Dr. Wendy Levinson, a researcher, listened to lots of talks between doctors and patients. She discovered something intriguing: Half of the doctors had never been sued, while the rest had been sued twice. Surprisingly, their skills and the info they shared were similar. Curious to find […]
Exploring The Art Of Becoming an Effective Listener
All effective communication starts with effective listening. Why are we not good listeners? Most of us know what it takes to be good listeners, but often we only listen when we want to or feel that we have to. In some cases, we may only listen to certain people and not to others. Being an […]
Exploring The Art Of Talent Optimisation
If the people you hire quickly slide from the ‘good idea’ option towards the ‘bad idea’ end of the spectrum, then you may be referring to a success profile that is too specific and not broad enough to take in the whole picture. Alternatively, your company could be focusing too much on present skills. Rather, […]
How to enable your team to work remotely
How to enable your team to work remotely Unprecedented change calls for new ways of thinking and problem solving The shift brought on by COVID-19 has completely altered the way we operate. Remote working has become a norm, challenging traditional work setups. Businesses, both prepared and unprepared for this transition, face significant hurdles in productivity, […]
How to be a future leader now
How to be a future leader now The SCARF model was developed by neuroscientists to frame and address the responses of threat and reward. Research and findings in social neuroscience, and the potential negative response in challenging situations, has resulted in practical, impactful and sustainable solutions. These are more relevant now than ever before. These […]
Are Women Better Leaders?
Are Women Better Leaders? The recent sentencing of Harvey Weinstein highlighted not just his own actions but also brought attention back to the dangers of toxic masculinity. This raises a pertinent question: Are women better leaders? In today’s workplaces, language and traits often associated with leadership can be gendered. HR terms like “manpower” suggest a […]
Leadership: How To Detoxify Your Workplace
Leadership: How To Detoxify Your Workplace How do you detoxify the workplace? Changing a toxic culture often takes intervention and external perspectives from a qualified leadership coaching company. This does not mean you, in your capacity, can’t make an impact. Small, meaningful actions done with the right intention can bring about change, even if that […]
Work-Life Balance: The Illusion
Work-Life Balance: The Illusion Vexing question of creating balance in life Companies eager to please the workforce have ‘templatised’ this vexing question of work-life balance into a set of deliverable actions – flexible working hours, working from home, Friday bars, generous paternity leave etc. All of these mask the core issue, isolating work and life […]
What Neuroplasty Means For Us
What Neuroplasty Means For Us Neuroscience has given us incredible insight into how our minds and brains work. We are not our brain. We are just the user of it. The greater our understanding of it, the better we can use it. Take neuroplasticity for instance. Simply put, it is the brain’s ability to learn […]
Standing Alone – Together
Standing Alone – Together Servant-Based Leadership is gaining traction in the business world. It’s all about fostering positive, collaborative teams and communities. This concept aligns with what we call “Exponential Leadership.” It’s about having self-aware leaders who embrace coaching, agility, and inclusivity, moving away from old-school “command and control.” Oddly enough, while we’re craving new, […]