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

We flourish through collaboration and struggle to ask for help

In his TED Talk, When Ideas Have Sex, Matt Ridley asks how we became the only species that becomes more prosperous as it becomes more populous? He suggests that to answer the question, we need to understand how human beings bring together their brains and enable their ideas to combine and recombine, to meet and to … Read more

Taking responsibility is a major reason for promotion

Peter* stepped up and took responsibility when his boss abruptly left under a cloud. The leadership team had lost focus. The business was not performing well and staff morale was at an all-time low. Everyone was waiting for someone else to do something. Peter took on being ‘the one’ to challenge the leadership team to … Read more

Empathy is important, but it’s more than just listening

Kathy’s boss gave her his empathy and listened to her concerns about teamwork in their group and her request to change their meeting structure. He played back what she said, and she came away from the meeting satisfied he gave her a good hearing. But in her mind, he created an expectation he would respond … Read more

Empower leaders at every level and turn the ship around

When David Marquet took over as commander of the nuclear submarine USS Santa Fe, he inherited a toxic culture characterised by fear, blame, and mediocrity. The crew was afraid to make mistakes, and quick to blame others. They did not have the motivation to perform at their best, and were not proud of their work. … Read more