Blog

Investing in my skills as a facilitator and coach is the best decision I’ve made this year. I’m so excited to continue to put into practice what I’ve learned and continue to spend time in the Growth Zone.

As a leader, knowing about what's on your people's 'change plate' helps you understand their behaviours that might otherwise seem puzzling. Your team knowing what's on your 'change plate' builds understanding of what you're juggling.

Words of the Year, resolutions, goals, hopes and dreams.  It's the stuff Januarys are made of.

Transformation Deficit is the gap between the required change effort and employee change willingness.

Facilitation 101 was the very first programme I launched in 2020 back when I was a fledgling founder. Its purpose is to help leaders create an environment that enables greater connection, conversation, interaction, insights and action.

A comment by one of the participants really stood out to me.  He said "I've been through all of these and never realised they had a name."  The fact that these stages are so recognisable and experiential is what continues to keep Mr. Tuckman's model relevant.

22% of New Zealand businesses have noticed Quiet Quitting in their organisations. It’s a number that feels like it could grow (like mould!) if leaders don’t take a minute to reflect on what they could do to re-engage their people to their work, their teams, their customers, and the wider organisation.

Here are three things you can do over the weekend to give you more insight on YOU! There’s no downside to becoming more self-aware. I especially love Tasha Eurich’s perspective: “...when we see ourselves clearly, we are more confident and more creative..."

Today marks three years since I emerged from under the duvet and into a meeting room at Ando Insurance to facilitate my first half-day workshop under my own banner with Vim & Vigour!

It's here, there and everywhere. Providing clarity when leading change becomes a little easier when you reflect on and then communicate the answers to the Seven Questions of Change.

“How you love yourself is how you teach others to love you.” Wise words from young Indian – Canadian poet Rupi Kaur Valentine’s Day isn’t for everyone however it can be for YOU. As in heaping some love on yourself so you can be at your best. I do this by practicing self-care. 

This conversation opens up the opportunity to understand what motivates and grows your team members, helps you to understand your leadership opportunities, acts as a wellbeing check-in, paves the way for career development conversations, and creates alignment. There's no downside!

I've learned from previous summers that I need to curate a smaller pile rather than an overly ambitious one. This year I decided to go for a two and two spread across genres. The temptation is always to go full fiction - it is a break from work after all.

For me, Thanksgiving is the best holiday ever because it’s all about connecting with people. No presents need to be bought. The only requirements are being grateful, hungry and a willingness to help with the dishes.

My saw needed sharpening and this two-part podcast series with the legends of leadership research and practice – Brené Brown, Simon Sinek and Adam Grant – was just what I needed to restore my vim & vigour.

At our very first workshop, Ralph shared the Isthmus timeline with the participants from it’s founding to now. Two-thirds of the page, on the right hand side, was completely blank. That’s when I saw it and that’s when I felt it. This would be a successful leadership programme because the invitation was there to fill the space, to add to the story and evolution of Isthmus with support.

Recently I've had my Out of Office (OOO) on and for good reason! In July I took a break and in August I've been facilitating leadership programmes in Auckland, Hamilton and Christchurch. What I've noticed is that many clients and participants have been replying to my OOO thanking me for my clarity (always) and my humour (sometimes).

According to the research done by Right Management and published in their report “How Ongoing Career Conversations Drive Business Success”, employees reported that if Career Conversations were more regular 82% would be more engaged in the work they do

In doing the mahi, my values have helped to define who I am and how I like to work with others. They have given me the nudge I've needed to be at my best and guided me in making tough decisions. Some days I'm nailing it, some days are aspirational. 

It's been over two years since the pandemic started and we were all starting to get a bit weary which is why a month to stop, reflect and connect with friends and family is exactly what we all needed at our whare.

If you’re feeling stumped about how to have a conversation that gives your team a say on how to successfully charter a new way of hybrid working, then give this framework a try. It’s easy to use and will spark some great insights on how to keep your team connected, engaged and productive!

Traditionally, it was expected that a leader would make an example of the team member by expressing anger to let both the mistake-maker (and everyone around them) know that getting something wrong is not ok. A new approach, once the initial flood of exasperation has dissipated, is to respond with compassion and curiosity.

Carving out some time for self-reflection early in the year can help you stay focused on something bigger and more meaningful than day-to-day muck, trials and tribulations.

As a leader, it can sting a bit no matter why your team member is choosing to leave. However, you can turn the sting into insight by inviting the ‘leaver’ for a walk around the park or out for a beverage. The trick is to get curious instead of cranky!

The Pomodoro Technique is a great way for everyone under your roof - including YOU! - to have focused, uninterrupted work/study time with the reward of a break every 25 minutes and loads of ticks on the to-do list.

Checking in at the start of a meeting with how your team and peers are doing may have become a little tick box after so many weeks of lockdown. This week I tried a new check-in that was a little bit different and a whole lot of fun. It’s called Draw Your Feelings.

I’ve chosen to learn te reo Māori because I want to learn more about the essence of Aotearoa – the country I have chosen to call my home for the last 17 years and, I hope,  many more to come.

This mental check list is an effective strategy that will help you regain focus, feel more relaxed and return you to your emotional best. In less than a minute you can determine the very best action to take in the moment just because you chose to S.T.O.P.

Leadership attributes don't require superhero strength or skills. They are all fully human qualities of fallible yet willing leaders.  And as a bonus, you don’t even have to be good at all of them however practicing a few of these consistently will make you a leader worth following.

At the time I couldn’t see what others already saw – that the time was right to go out on a limb and use all the skills, experiences, falls and begin-agains that led to that very moment of backing myself.

Leaders are constantly reporting that their calendars are chock full of too many meetings leaving them with little room in their days to lead their teams, progress strategy let alone have lunch.

GREAT NEWS! Organisations that are more empathetic and are on the lookout for their employees were 300% less likely to have employees who felt burnout.

I have rebuilt one of my favourite resources! When I was at New Zealand Post, I had a deck of photos that I used to help break the ice, create connection and build context and understanding. Late last year I tapped into the beautiful and free photo library on https://unsplash.com to create a whole new set.

It’s my first day back on deck after a three-week break and I’m thinking about my intentions for 2021. If you’re doing some of the same while winding up your holiday vibe and cranking up your work mojo, then here are five-ish questions to ask yourself that will help you frame up your thinking.

Let's all agree - 2020 has been a weird year! Thankfully summer has arrived to beautiful Aotearoa and it's time for a bit of R & R. I'm taking a few weeks off to recharge my batteries so I can be at my best in 2021.

Author Maya Angelou said “People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel” That’s a pretty powerful statement and yet it’s so true. How people feel drives how they think and act.

At 94 years old time is running out for Sir David Attenborough. His new film is both sobering and hopeful and his message to us all is to take action while we still can. His predictions for the coming decades are terrifying yet he also offers solutions that can help us reverse some of the damage and change the course we're on.

“By three methods we may learn wisdom: First, by reflection, which is noblest; Second, by imitation, which is easiest; and third, by experience, which is the bitterest.” Wise words shared by from Confucius. Journaling can be the start to discovering and learning new things about yourself as well as a great way to explore your thoughts and feelings.

I’m a recent yet enthusiastic fan of Patrick (Pat) Lencioni’s. He has a great way of sharing important and impactful ideas in everyday and applicable language. The world and our current context is complex enough as it is so it’s refreshing to find a leadership guru who is down to earth and easy to follow.

Elephants and cupcakes don’t usually go together and then you add some dead fish and vomit and you’re starting to wonder how did this all go so weird. As a facilitator, I am always keen to ensure the conversations that need to happen in the room do. 

As I write this it’s winter in New Zealand in the year 2020 and that means lots of heavy rain, cold wind and the threat that COVID-19 might return to our shores. The world is a scary, topsy-turvy place right now and we kiwis can’t do our dash across the ditch or hop over to the Pacific Islands to top up the Vitamin D!