At a team meeting, a woman offers a clear, workable solution to a stalled problem. She precedes it with an apology for ‘thinking out loud’, softens it with a question mark, and finishes by inviting others to improve upon it….
How do we keep dialogue moving when there is disagreement? You may have heard a crazy idea, seen an obvious flaw in a proposal, or disagreed with the stated goal. Our standard approach to highlighting discrepancies with other people’s logic…
There is a particular look that crosses the face of an executive at 4.17pm on a Thursday. It is the look of someone who has just attended their third ‘alignment’ meeting of the day and has realised that not only…
It doesn’t appear on the organisational chart, but it exerts its influence. It sits quietly in meetings, tightens throats during presentations and drafts emails early hours of the morning. Shame. Modern shame is subtle. It wears a lanyard with a…
Listen closely to how people speak and you will hear something curious. I’m not referring to accents or idioms, more to obligations marching through the conversation. We must finish that report. We should call our mother. We have to stay late. We need to be better, faster, thinner,…
For generations, strength in leadership has been understood in simple terms. Stand tall. Keep your feelings to yourself. Deliver results. Preferably without blinking. This model has built organisations, driven productivity and produced a steady supply of leaders who can power…
In an era of relentless productivity, the Achiever personality type has become something of a cultural emblem. Confident, competent and effortlessly polished, Achievers are the individuals who rise quickly through organisations, the colleagues others turn to in moments of uncertainty…
Among the many personalities that shape the modern workplace, few embody connection and care quite like the Helper. For First Line Leaders, this inclination to support others can be both a defining strength and a quiet challenge. When balanced, the Helper-leader…
Promotion brings pride, pressure and plenty of lessons. Here’s how to navigate your first leadership role without losing your sanity. Being promoted to your first leadership role is a career triumph, a hard-won victory built on talent, graft and no…
Are you the kind of leader who notices the detail, who takes pride in delivering work polished to a high standard and who sets standards that lift the whole team? Perfectionism may be your secret weapon. That part of you…
