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Swinging a Blunt Axe
"If the axe is blunt, and one doesn't sharpen the edge, then he must use more strength." ¹ Without pausing, reflecting and observing, we can easily end up swinging a blunt axe. Maintaining sharp skills and organisational effectiveness…
Posted on April 22, 2020The Girl On The Phone
A girl in her late teens walked past our home in tears at the weekend. Crying into her phone I heard her say, "I can't go out to see my friends and have a drink with them. All I do is stay at home and study." I felt the personal…
Posted on April 15, 2020Uncertain Times Call For Certain Leadership
Last week when speaking with the business owner of a nationwide company, he told me his current mode of operating was like a Commanding General. Recent Australian research suggests this guy has got it right. Catherine Douglas, head of C|T…
Posted on April 02, 2020Assessing Impact
As I have spoken to many business owners and managers across the country in recent weeks, I have come across a range of impacts being experienced. From those whose businesses are experiencing a boom in the current crisis; those for whom…
Posted on March 20, 2020Pivoting Through Crisis
When partner-dancing on a crowded dance floor, I have sometimes spotted an impending collision, most often because the crowd has swelled and is closing-in and restricting our potential dance trajectory. Over time, I have learned to pivot…
Posted on February 27, 2020Planning and Writing it Down
I have completed many executive coaching assignments with business owners, managers and supervisors and one of the predominant challenges they have is balancing reactive and demanding workloads with being planned and forward-thinking. The…
Posted on February 19, 2020When Two Strangers Met
Once upon a time, there lived two people on either side of a small village: Miss Strategy and Mr Tactics. Each of them lived alone and were unknown to each other. To the outside world, Miss Strategy was one of those inspirational types.…
Posted on February 13, 2020That Round and Round, Busy-But-Getting-Nowhere Kind of Work
It's already February (Happy Valentines Day by the way) and I'm writing on this topic. It doesn't seem to matter what time of year it is for those who are involved in a leadership capacity in busy work environments but too many tasks with…
Posted on February 06, 2020Aborting Strategy Work for the Ease of Tactical Execution
Planning is relatively easy. Come up with a bunch of tactics, assign them to people for execution, keep them accountable for results and progress is hopefully being made. However, in the absence of a strategic direction, tactical…
Posted on January 30, 2020Efficiency. Converting Wasted Labor into Surplus Time
I recently reviewed my efficiency and labour intensity across my business and identified one primary area of waste related to marketing. One activity I do weekly takes around five hours to complete and was tedious, to say the…
