Leadership

The more we accept the ‘Elephant in the Room’ the more we renovate the room around the elephant, until the elephant grows so large that the elephant is no longer able to exit the room.  It is at this point that we have an ‘Elephant’ sized problem that we are unable to resolve. We need to STOP renovating around the Elephant, and instead start addressing the ‘Elephant in the Room’.  We need to have the courage to speak up in a respectful but direct manner and simply make an observation of the Elephant. 

Are we getting Safety Right?: Must versus Recommend? Like many Safety Professionals and Leaders, I am passionate about getting safety right and generating safety cultures that not only keep people safe but drives engagement and performance.  I am very fortunate to have had the privilege of working with a very broad and diverse client base and being able to observe differing ap ...

The “Choice Mindset” empowers a person to choose their life and to create the life they want.  The “Choice Mindset” eliminates excuses.  The “Choice Mindset” generates success and improvement.  The “Choice Mindset” enables the higher road and lifts us to display integrity and authenticity.

The HPET® Team Diagnostic tool and methodology is one of the most effective team diagnostic tools to provide actual evidence of team effectiveness (rather than simply a summary of personality or thinking styles) and provide a clear pathway to improvement.  The HPET® is cost-effective and easy to implement with the online survey, and provides a summary report as part of the first team debrief workshop.  Furthermore, we can provide the team with ongoing support with team interventions and strategies for obtaining the required shifts in the High Performing State. 

I have recently observed and heard a number of senior leaders (and senior OD and HR professionals) seeking only positive emotions in the workplace from their employees.  Furthermore, these same organisations have a view that the experience of negative emotion is ‘bad’ and should be avoided. I am deeply concerned by this growing trend and share below not only the compelling evidence and research but also explain why negative emotions are necessary for success.

As a parent of two beautiful girls I understand the desire to protect and nurture.  I also know that every parent has the best intentions for the way they parent and provide the caring and nurturing environment that our children need. As a leader I also know that I have a similar genuine intention to develop my people and generate a high performing team.

Rather than investing significant amount of resources on ineffective interventions, perhaps we need to consider equipping our leaders simply with the ability to have effective conversations. I believe there are just THREE conversations that every leader needs to know how to implement. 

How important are mistakes?  This question has been playing through my mind over the last few weeks while working on a conference presentation on ‘Disruptive Thinking’ and the work with a number of our clients on cultivating a ‘Culture of Accountability’.  In addition, as a father of two young girls I have been considering the role of mistakes in my daughter’s development and our response as parents to their mistakes. I believe we need to re-evaluate how we respond to mistakes, as both parents and leaders, and consider if we need to re-think how best to harness the power of a mistake.