Getting there through stoppage

Working hard but not getting anywhere! Working hard and getting there slowly! Working hard and hating it!

These are paraphrases of the main responses from an extensive survey taken in a post-2020 America by The ZigZag Project. An NPR podcast series hosted by Manoush Zomorodi, investigates the front-of-mind need of today's modern professionals. At the heart of it, the responses spoke to this feeling of unfulfillment a directionless, and a feeling of grief.

Being passive is anything but...

It's commonly known as introversion. The act of being passive. The re-emergence of stoicism and even taoism for modern professional performance and leadership tells us that philosophies around stillness and even procrastination can help us be productive, increase our resilience, and create practices for better mental health. Ryan Holiday advocates such principals in many of his books and is a huge fan of Marcus Aurelius' Mediations - a philosophical journey through the mind of an ancient thinker where passages are remarkably relevant to todays fast-paced life.

When strengths work against us

Last week I spent two days in a training room as a student at the Australian Institute of Management. The gloriously brilliant Paul Harrison was on deck as the Corporate Trainer and it was wonderful to learn from my peer and friend. But, it was even better to sit amongst leaders from all sorts of industries and backgrounds. We discussed our experiences and thoughts around topics such as managing people, marketing, strategy, and market trends.

Letting go for progress

Among our daily news cycles we'll see stories around corporate hardship with headlines including the terms 'cut backs', 'jobs axed', and 'mass redundancies'. This is scary stuff. Recently, Evans Cycles in the UK made 300 jobs no longer. Telstra, Australia's major telecommunications company, announced 1400 planned redundancies last month (off the back of 6900 cut pre-pandemic).

The uncomfortable reality facing leaders

Laziness is usually associated with slobbery. A lackadaisical and careless approach to work. Associated imagery or personification of this is probably easy for us to all do. But there is a new laziness emerging. Now I can see it, I cannot un-see it - even when looking at things in my personal life.

The wall between us and the field

No chance! That is the reaction we have when the client, the boss, or the person in front of us gives us a target or a deadline we feel is unachievable. Its been happening since well before any of us existed and is central to the heat many are feeling in a pandemic effected world. There is a despondence in our workforce's driving despair and a sheer lack of belief that targets can be hit or deadlines can be made - sometimes referred to as 'negativity'. Fatigue is contributing to this as workers are working longer hours than pre-2020 (the Economist, Nov 2020).

What to do when people let you down

It wasn't long ago I spent a weekend interstate catching up with a friend of mine. We went out for breakfast, played golf, watched some footy, and went out for a few drinks. In between we each took a little time out to organise a few things for work - me for my practice and he for the business he runs. He was excited to get his managers together to share the strategy he had been working on in the previous few weeks. I was excited for him. He had put a lot of thinking and investment into the process and getting everyone on board was a singular focus for his Monday morning meeting.

The path to misery

You're trying to do the right thing by everyone. You go out of your way to please the people in your team. You even work longer hours to do what is required to give people what they want. The hours they want. The exposure to opportunities they want. The instructions they want. The tools they have asked for. Even less work to do. And at the end of it, someone is still moaning. There may even be a scuffle between team members due to the actions we take to keep them all happy!

Adjusting focus during a challenge makes the world of difference

Two punctures in three bike rides!

When trying to keep the festive inches off my waistline while on holiday I have found it tough to get out and do exercise. But, when I got a 'another blow' out, only this time it was about 45 minutes walk from home, I immediately had a few things come to mind....

Beginning well sees us through to the end

In my keynote speech, Regaining Momentum, I mention the contrary nature of starts. They present the biggest friction while being the biggest opportunity. When we ride a bicycle, the hardest peddle is the first push off. Once we are moving the effort needed to peddle is low.

Retaining essence through growth

There is nothing better than working with people and companies experiencing growth and success. Especially during such difficult times. It has been fascinating to hear and observe of all the problems such growth brings up. It is almost irritating for the management of these businesses. They have over achieved during tough business conditions, yet they are being faced with new challenges they didn't expect. One theme I am hearing is a loss of identity felt by the staff.

Protecting ‘what is yours’ linked to more worry and less belief

It turns out that sharing is more than just caring. In a recent study published in the Journal of Business and Psychology, researchers strengthened the link between workplace knowledge sharing and increased creativity (amongst many other benefits. But what does this mean in real terms?

My 5 top reasons for taking on the hardest job in the world

They say there are two certainties in life - death and taxes. I have a third one to add - managers complain over a drink! Business owners, Department Managers, Executives, and Mid or Lower Level Managers... they are dotted throughout our social circles and when conversation turns to work, the tales of struggle pursue.

Hitting and missing targets lack meaning in isolation

Over the past two weeks I had the privilege of attending Simon Sineks two part series talking about his latest work, The Infinite Game. The premise is that business is not a finite game like sport where there are set rules, players, playing time, and boundaries. Business is an infinite game where there is no start or finish line, there is no winner at the end, and almost everything is dynamic along the way. In an infinite game the aim of the people playing is to perpetuate and remain in the game.

Why telling people to 'fall-in-line' is exactly what they want

After months of lockdown, Victorians have been set free. Over the past few weeks we have visited friends and traveled regionally - it's been great. Especially, a weekend we spent in a regional town last weekend. We ate, drank, walked, relaxed, and shopped. It was SO GOOD!

Be strategic with your effort

Can you feel it? Everyone you speak to seems to have zero time for meetings and very long 'to-do lists'. That look of panic you saw on everyone's faces a week before final exams at school are all around us.

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.