Tag: leadership
Stop Feeling Stuck In Your Career
As a leader, there are many transitions that you make. Probably the first is the move into a leadership position, followed by transitions into larger, broader roles or new industries, functions or career paths. Think back to your last transition. When did it begin? If you are like most people, it began immediately before you stepped into the new role. In reality, the transition process actually started with that first thought you had about making a change. Your mental energy shifted at that point and you started thinking about and weighing up the options. If the change was external, caused…
Read Stop Feeling Stuck In Your CareerYour Difference Is Important
Africa gave birth to me, England raised me and Australia adopted me almost 25 years ago. What this means is that I blend the best of eastern wisdom traditions with the rigour of western science. I have come to believe that my ethnicity and my refugee experience are the core of whom I am and, as this gets reflected more and more in my work, I have realised that this approach strengthens my difference in the market. But it was not always like that for me. As a migrant I wanted to blend in so badly that I softened my…
Read Your Difference Is ImportantWhy Physical Resilience is Not Enough to Future Proof Your Leadership
We live in very uncertain times. More so because as the pace of change is increasing, technology and artificial intelligence are disrupting the way we work and live. Because we don’t know what impact this will have and when, we cannot control the future. As the future is so unpredictable, we try to cling to things that are certain. In fact, everything is uncertain and impermanent. We try to control outcomes by doing more of what we know hoping that will bring certainty However, what we know, might not be relevant, in a world where resources are diminishing, and technology and artificial solutions…
Read Why Physical Resilience is Not Enough to Future Proof Your LeadershipMindfulness In The Office
Imagine for a moment that the agenda for your next team meeting started with a “mindful moment”. As you walk towards the meeting room, you are confused. You don’t recall seeing this on the agenda in the past. What does it mean? You become nervous. What did you need to do (that you have not done) to prepare? What is a mindful moment anyway? You sit down and notice others pointing to that agenda item as your manager walks in and begins to chair the meeting by asking everyone to close their eyes and take 3 deep breaths. What would…
Read Mindfulness In The OfficeHow to get the best out of your team – Create a Leadership User Manual
Back in my banking days, I joined a team in which I was given a one-page document by a very senior leader, entitled “how to get the best out of me”. The document included a list of ways in which he worked, what he expected from his team members and how he would support me and my team. It was a bold move. Some people might even call it arrogant if they didn’t take it for what it was, which was simply giving me a tool which took the personality guesswork out of a new environment. I thought it was…
Read How to get the best out of your team – Create a Leadership User ManualWhy using our strengths leads to career success and happiness
If human beings are perceived as potentials rather than problems, as possessing strengths instead of weaknesses, as unlimited rather than dull and unresponsive, then they thrive and grow to their capabilities. Barbara Bush In the world of business and careers, we’re often asked to differentiate ourselves from others. Surprisingly, people are often reluctant to look at their strengths and how they can effectively use them to stand out in the crowd. Instead, the focus is often on their weakness and what they need to do to improve them. This is partly due to how our brain is wired, stemming from…
Read Why using our strengths leads to career success and happinessSelf-Awareness – A Critical Tool in Effective Leadership
Self awareness is our capacity to stand apart from ourselves and examine our thinking, our motives, our history, our scripts, our actions, and our habits and tendencies. Stephen Covey A client once asked me how he can develop self-awareness. His vulnerability in recognising the need to develop this skill was both courageous and imperative in his leadership journey. Often leaders are asked to focus on how they lead others but the real leadership journey needs to begin with how we lead ourselves and to do this, we need to be aware of our thoughts, feelings, behaviours and actions. We often…
Read Self-Awareness – A Critical Tool in Effective LeadershipSpring Charge Your Career
“Spring is a time of growth, renewal, new life and cleansing,” says Michelle Dalbec, Kripalu Yoga Teacher and Trainer. Are you and your career sprouting shoots of possibility? In the southern hemisphere, it’s spring. We have experienced our first glimpses of warmer weather, the days are getting longer, and there is a sense of forward-looking towards the festive and holiday seasons, as the earth’s natural rhythm stir us to awaken from the heaviness of winter. We experience renewed energy and look to clearing out the old to make room to grow the new. Often, we think of spring cleaning…
Read Spring Charge Your CareerWhy leading a professional services team requires a different approach
An accountant friend recently told me of her struggle with what she called “good leadership”. My friend is an expert in her field and, as a partner, she handles the marketing and sales of her accounting practice whilst leading a team of accountants to deliver excellent client services. Her practice is thriving and she loves what she does. Following recent leadership training, she was challenged by the principle of empowering her team to take over almost all responsibility for delivering work to clients while she retains overall accountability (hah) for her team’s work. The traditional “general management” model of leadership…
Read Why leading a professional services team requires a different approachMindfulness: A Powerful Tool For Leaders
The concept of ‘mindfulness’ has become a hot topic in the mass media of the past few years. We see on just about every business related website or blog a mention of how mindfulness can benefit your health. But the proliferation and recent popularity of the concept of mindfulness has been met with some scepticism of late. A recent article in the Harvard Business Review titled, “There are Risks To Mindfulness at Work” career consultant David Brendel suggests that some executives are “escaping” their responsibilities by retreating into what he describes as mindfulness. Brendel outlines one particular example where mindfulness…
Read Mindfulness: A Powerful Tool For Leaders