Have you had a first time experience during lockdown? In the past week I have attended an online funeral service, a virtual wine-tasting session, a zoom book launch and held client coaching sessions via video. They were all alternatives to traditional face-to-face meetings. Of course, they were not as good as the real thing. But … Read more How to adopt a beginner’s mindset
When my client David took on his new leadership role he discovered quite a mess. The leadership team were not clear about the purpose of their group. They were not meeting their promised delivery targets. Everyone turned up late for meetings and they did not do what they promised they would do. No-one seemed to … Read more Why leaders need the courage to ask great questions
Back in pre-Covid times, I took my four-year-old granddaughter for a walk to the local coffee shop. What should have been a twenty-minute task turned into a fascinating two-hour adventure. She was wide-eyed with wonder as she peered in between the pickets of a fence to study the cobwebs in the bushes. She was excited … Read more Why leadership is like a fascinating adventure
Creating a vibrant culture is more than listing a set of values and hoping for the best. My client Tony’s leadership team confronted the harsh reality that they risked becoming irrelevant. But they refused to accept their predictable fate and collaborated on designing a new future. They affirmed their commitment to provide extraordinary value to … Read more Why culture change programs fail and what to do about it
Have you had a leader who influenced your career, or who still inspires you to go the extra mile? Dean Phelan and I are interviewing leaders for our upcoming book, ‘The Gentle Art of Leadership.’ One thing we have found is that leaders who practice the gentle art had role models who influenced them and … Read more Great leaders know how to get the best from people