Leadership Conversations

Are you sold on the value of your superpowers?

Photo by Shreyas Malavalli on Unsplash

Heather decided it was time to stop mucking around. She had been passed over for professional development and promotion and felt that people did not appreciate her work. She looked into why that was happening; that led to her clarifying her key strength for herself. She had a great ability to connect with people, listen to their concerns and build understanding. It came so easy to her that she underrated her value. Like most of us, if it is second nature to us, we are inclined to think, what’s the big deal.… Read more

How to reflect on your mistakes

Photo by Faye Cornish on Unsplash

If you are up to big things, you are likely to make mistakes. You could always avoid tripping up by playing a small game, but it will ultimately rob you of satisfaction. It is more fulfilling to set big objectives and expect to make some mistakes along the way. Successful leaders see mistakes as opportunities to learn and grow.

Virginia learned a lot from what seemed like a small mistake. She failed to produce a report by the date she had agreed.… Read more

Are you translating your vision and strategy into a leadership challenge?

Photo by Lindsay Henwood on Unsplash

The business was going backwards. Linda knew that they needed a new vision and strategy or they would not survive. She initially spent time listening to teams at all levels in the company, understanding their appetite for change. She outlined her view of the future if nothing changed. People began to see the case for a new vision and strategy. Linda and the leadership team created a bold new future for their organisation.

However, that was not the end of it.… Read more

How to discover how other people view the world

I recently had the privilege of speaking to a group of six- and seven-year old’s in my granddaughter’s grade 1 class. The topic was what it was like when I was growing up. One bit of trivia I relayed to them was that doonas had not been invented when I was a kid. I asked them how they thought we kept warm? Their answers were surprising. “Did you light a fire?” one student asked. “Did you use animal skins?” said another.… Read more

Gentle leaders are not to be messed with

Photo by Leslie Jones on Unsplash

Michael confronted the gossip mongers. He tried negotiating with them, to blunt their campaign of undermining and disinformation. He had warned them of the consequences if they continued and could not work out their differences. When they persisted, he invited them to a meeting with the CEO, where he challenged them to substantiate the comments that they had made behind his back.

At first, they denied that they had been behaving in a way that was inconsistent with the company values of honesty and integrity, which they had all pledged to uphold.… Read more