Why you don’t want to feed the big hungry giant of impostor syndrome

Many leaders operate under a facade of having it all together while living in fear that one day, someone will discover they are an impostor in a nice suit! Feeling unworthy, incompetent or undeserving – impostor syndrome – is like a big hungry giant, who demands to be fed. It has an insatiable appetite for … Read more

Why leadership is a skill you learn, not just something you are born with

I recently encountered the tired old debate about whether leaders are born or made. It goes something like there is no point investing in developing people; you either have leadership ability or you don’t. Those who think they have it pedal the case. But it ignores the fact that you can develop your leadership capability … Read more

Why leaders need to stop trying to be the sharpest knife in the drawer

Gary always prided himself as the sharpest knife in the drawer. And for good reason! He was preeminent in his field of technical expertise. But when they appointed him to a leadership role, he became responsible for several areas he knew little about. It dismayed him to discover plenty of people on his team knew … Read more

How choosing people based on behaviours creates an enjoyable place to work

Staff turnover was very high in Tony’s organisation. New recruits rarely worked out for some strange reason. They were well qualified and had relevant experience, but were not team players and often had an entitlement mentality. The usual solution was to move them on. But each departure disrupted morale and gave the business a reputation … Read more

Being well-intentioned doesn’t get you what you want 

Have you ever scheduled time in your calendar to exercise and when the time came didn’t do it? How about when you set aside time for study, reading and thinking and something else overtook it? In my case, I would tell myself next week will be different, but more often than not, it wasn’t. I … Read more