Lead for less friction and hit 2021 with renewed momentum

Steven Pressfield says in his book The War of Art:

"it's not the writing part that's hard. What's hard is the sitting down to write. What keeps us from sitting down is resistance"

We are wrong more often than we think. Doing it well is critical for leaders.

On the weekend Melburnians were released from over 100 days of lock down. It meant everyone went straight to the pubs, cafes, and restaurants where booking were essential. But, many of us missed out and had to resort to what we did in our younger days - get some drinks and go sit in the park!

Why a coach bolsters your leadership and doesn't undermine it

A few years ago I sat with a Franchisee Group that owned a string of locations to discuss the possibility of me working with their location managers. Improving marketing, staff motivation, and general business processes were all on the agenda. When I discussed the service of coaching as a solution, one of the owners turned to me and said, "isn't that what our group manager is meant to be doing? Coaching our location managers...?"

Investing in basics is our number one strategy in uncertain times

The Barefoot Investor is a financial staple across Australian households. It is an easy-to-read financial guide for everyday people giving guidance for financial decisions we all face. I own it, and many of my friends do too. For some reason, I found myself reflecting on it as I was getting dressed over the weekend. Maybe because of the financial uncertainty and instability seen across the world at the moment. But, on reflection I think it was because I was choosing my underwear and socks for the day... Allow me to explain.

Studies show this one daily habit reduces gossip, nonsense, and cliques

Is there anything worse...? Going to work every day knowing grudges and interpersonal conflict is inevitable. Its a sure way to distract us from our work and make us feel exhausted and fatigued even before looking at our first email for the day. When our teams are rife with these issues the possibility of collaboration, sharing, or cross-functional problem solving become near impossible. I have seen teams self-destruct and entire careers derailed because of this.

No one wants to do it, but how do we stop ourselves from falling into the micromanagement trap?

If I were to be call you a Micro-manager it is probable you would be offended by my saying so. But, what if it was a complement?

The not-so-sexy element of rhythm

In a recent interview I did on Shane Hatton's show Phone Calls with Clever People, we honed in on the Technical pillar of Rhythm, which I discuss in The Rhythm Effect. I jokingly talked about this as the 'poor cousin' or 'unsexy bit' of rhythm. We laughed, but I am deadly serious about it. In fact, I am obsessed with the Technical Skills in the framework of rhythm.

A tale of respect earnt and making every word count

This week Justin Westhoff announced his retirement from professional football in the AFL. To most people, this is quite meaningless. To people who follow the game, it is a nice little footnote. For passionate Port Adelaide supporters like myself, it is a moment to reflect on the service of a very unique and dedicated servant to the club.

The counter-intuitive fact about teams leaders need to be aware of

This may seem counter-intuitive. How can it be that being placed in a team can lower people’s motivation? This may be especially difficult to understand if you thrive on group learning and doing things with others.

In 2020 doing this one thing could save 100's of hours for you and your people

Every coaching, mentoring, and training session I do is preceded by a leadership journal or diagnostic of some sort for clients to input their thoughts and experiences. It is a way people can independently 'brain dump' their work challenges and suggested actions in a safe and uninterpreted way. This in itself is a great practice in the face of the complex problems we are trying to solve on a daily basis.

The High Impact Moment Every Leader Can Leverage

One of the biggest enquiries I have had in 2020 has been around momentum. How to get it, how to feel it, and how to promote it. The quick word on this is that momentum is at it's lowest towards the beginning of anything. The morning, Monday's, The first five minutes of a meeting, and of course, our first day in a new job. It is for this reason that inductions are critical.

Lessons For Leaders - An Alchemy Explosion

On the weekend, my wife signed us up to Couch Choir, the newest version of the original Pub Choir founded by Astrid Jorgensen in Brisbane. An amazing NFP movement raising money for charity and bringing people together for uplifting and enjoyable experiences. It is a great example of what happens when people are synchronised - they feel better. But why?

Conversations to define and instil purpose elevates performance

Defining and understanding the reason why we should keep going makes an immense impact on our work. This is different from having a mission, which is a broader, bigger-picture statement (covered in the 5xM Framework and the analytical proficiencies in Chapter 5 of my book The Rhythm Effect). Purpose is more pointed. It is more direct. In fact, it is what gives us direction and is a key ingredient in our ROE game. If our mission is the reason why we are on a journey, then our purpose is the road we choose to take.

Conversations to define and instil purpose elevates performance

Defining and understanding the reason why we should keep going makes an immense impact on our work. This is different from having a mission, which is a broader, bigger-picture statement (covered in the 5xM Framework and the analytical proficiencies in Chapter 5 of my book The Rhythm Effect). Purpose is more pointed. It is more direct. In fact, it is what gives us direction and is a key ingredient in our ROE game. If our mission is the reason why we are on a journey, then our purpose is the road we choose to take.

The Strongest Does Not Always Survive Crisis

What happens when you put a bunch of children on a remote island with no adults? Most high school English reading lists include The Lord OF The Flies - depicting this exact scenario. A descent into savagery, anarchy, and lawlessness where the strong and the domineering take over. The Nobel-prize winning author William Golding, tells this tale showing us the nature of human nature. It is a familiar story - when crisis hits we protect what is ours, we fight off competitors, and we attack weaknesses.

Why Leaders Need To Go Into Bat

As leaders, we all have a responsibility to Stand Up to these injustices. Otherwise, all our hard work to gain and increase trust is diminished. In my experience, whenever a business is struggling with the performance there are cliques and political manoeuvres happening all over the place.

The powerful concept of opportunity

The first thing that comes to people’s mind when you mention rhythm is music. We often talk of people having ‘great rhythm’ or commenting on a song having a ‘nice rhythm to it’. But, what are people actually talking about? It’s one of those things that everyone understands, yet would find it very difficult to describe. And, when asked what the ingredients of rhythm are most would struggle to give a concise answer.

The Agreeable Leadership Style That Sends Us To Extinction

Because of boredom or a want to hold onto comfort, Existor Leaders will agree with whatever people say. They may even agree with statements and poor decisions from peers and junior staff. They don’t build a case or engage with a problem. They just want to punch the clock, get their pay check and go home. Sometimes, agreeing to do a little more work is preferable to an Existor rather than having to argue or stand up to injustice or poor decisions. It is easy to see why Existors are generally not respected.

The Power of Servant Leadership in the Modern Age

In the coming years the team would slowly progress up the ladder. They would cement their place in the premium yearly European cup competition (The Champions League), and they would financially stabilise and then thrive. As a close observer it has been a wonderful organisation to observe closely as they put into place a lot of the concepts I have been researching for The Rhythm Effect.

Being able to motivate others requires consistency rather than rationale

If we think we can have a one-off chat with each staff member or each client and jot down what colour wine they like best, what their favourite currency of incentive is, and if they prefer email or text communication and we are done, we will be sorely disappointed. It is not a shopping list that needs ticking off. People are complex and the triggers that help them to perform are also complex. They are also dynamic so what motivates someone today may change tomorrow. If we do not keep up with the cascade of changes we can find ourselves becoming irrelevant very quickly.