How to create loyalty through curiosity and empathy

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Imagine how delighted I was to receive a recent message from a colleague checking in and letting me know, “I’m here if you need.” We had a Zoom call, and she asked me about my concern for my elderly mother in aged care, a sector that has been hard hit by the renewed wave of COVID-19 in Victoria. She explained the phrase “I’m here if you need” comes from netball. When a player is taking the ball down the court, her team members run beside her calling out, “I’m here if you need.”… Read more

How to be seen as a leader; accept responsibility

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Peter’s CEO lost the plot, and the board had moved to replace him. Peter and the rest of the leadership team also lost their focus. Staff morale hit rock bottom and the performance of the business was suffering. Everyone waited for someone else to do something. Peter stepped up and challenged the leadership team to turn things around while they searched for a new CEO.

He took a personal decision to lead without any formal authority. People responded well to his leadership though and got back into action instead of observing the train wreck around them.… Read more

To be a successful leader practice self-development

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It was only a matter of time before Grant was pushed out the door. The feedback from the business unit clients was that they were unhappy with him and his department. Projects were off the rails, day-to-day operations were patchy, and there was no confidence they could contribute to business strategy. He was sure that the clients did not know what they wanted, and they changed their priorities when it suited them. Plenty of people would have agreed with him; he was right and they were wrong.… Read more

The Kind Boss Podcast

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I am departing from my usual leadership update to share a recent interview I did with Linh Podetti in the latest episode of The Kind Boss Podcast.

A few key points you will get from my interview with Linh:

✅ How to find fulfilment in your work where your value matches a problem in the marketplace
✅ Practising the gentle art of leadership gets you bigger results. It is an inclusive style of leadership, critical for the unfamiliar world we are now living in
✅ Surrounding yourself with an exceptional team so you can step back and think about the big picture 

🙋 What do you think is the key attribute leaders need right now?… Read more

Leaders who show respect get the best results

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Those of us in Melbourne have just returned to six weeks of lockdown. We had a pleasant reprieve for a couple of weeks of coffee meetings. I got a shock in one of my first in-person conversations, when my friend looked me in the eye and asked me a question. I think I was so used to being online, I had forgotten what it is like to connect with another human being face-to-face. Video platforms have served us well and kept us in touch with each other, but you never make real eye contact or see all the non-verbal clues with the person on the screen.… Read more