Insights, updates and news
Bound for glory? Why successful teams need more than talent
This is the motto of the modern Olympic Games. Translated (faster – higher – stronger), it is an interesting insight into a culture that focusses on, and certainly celebrates performance through the lens of physical capability beyond that of the normal human. By extension, it perhaps also points to, in part, the apparent rise of performance enhancing drugs, in pursuit of super-human performance at the expense of moral or ethical codes of conduct. We may may never be certain of a “clean” Olympics again, however, we are perhaps witnessing a new paradigm of performance, where athletes are being selected...
Attention managers : feedback on performance improves performance
We believe very much in the value of feedback as a mechanism to improve performance. So why do so many troubling stories abound concerning the negative impact of 360 degree feedback? 1. Feedback is often delivered in a negative way leaving the recipient feeling unvalued and sometimes demotivated. The solution to this is to give sound training to managers in giving constructive negative feedback which includes steps to improve performance. 2. Secondly perceptions on what constitutes good performance or otherwise can differ between manager and team member if that was not clarified at the outset. The way to avoid such misunderstanding...
Profit is not a dirty word – until it is!
I recently attended a business seminar where one of the key speakers made the point loudly and frequently; Profit is not a dirty word! We agree but would add a significant rider—Until it is! The speaker went on to attest that the No. 1 reason to be in business is to make a profit and the most important thing for a business to do is make a profit. However, we see profit as a result, an important one, but not necessarily a reason. Profit may well be the reason that the owner stakeholder is in business for, but there are...
Why does this problem come back to haunt us?
Ever wondered why do the same problems keep recurring? Well there are two good reasons for this annoying and often expensive problem. Firstly, problems often appear in the first instance as symptoms or problem effects. For example a headache is often a symptom of a deeper problem. Taking a painkiller will only at best hide the problem for a while, but it will most likely come back again after the painkiller has worn off. A good GP or alternative health practitioner will ask a series of questions to get to the source of the problem. Those questions will often start...
Need to bust problems down to size? Use “the force” to help!
Problem Buster © uses an array of effective problem solving tools to assist in determining the root cause of problems that don’t seem to go away. Until the problem-solving group can identify the root cause of a problem it is highly unlikely that they will come to a successful solution. The tools used in Problem Buster include Pareto Charts, Run Charts, Histograms, Flow Charts and Scatterplots amongst others. But by favourite tool is The Force Field Diagram. Below is an example of the Force Field Diagram applied to the reason Problem Solving groups are ineffective in their pursuits: ...
Lost in the wilderness? Self-leadership is your road map out!
So, you’re (reasonably) well paid and have a job title that demonstrates you’ve been progressing nicely through your vocational journey, and you’re now reaping the fruits of your labour. Life it seems, is under control, yet for some strange reason, the destination just isn’t what the brochure promised! This story is one we hear regularly. So many successful people are looking for a more meaningful life either at work, post work or outside of work. It is more of a feeling that “there is more to life than my work is currently providing”, maybe some inner feeling of...
Leading and managing team courses – Ballarat
We’ve just released two new Leading and Managing Teams public courses for Ballarat (see below). This 5-day course can be considered as a foundation for emerging Leaders or a refresher for those looking to “sharpen the knife” and keep their leadership and management skills cutting through. Click here to view the program overview or click here to download a registration for these courses. We offer our courses across the State! Please contact us directly to chat about how we can bring Leadership At Work to your people.
Is Your Organisation Really a Learning Organisation?
Photo by krakenimages on Unsplash Some years ago, Peter Senge wrote his seminal work, ‘The Fifth Discipline’. It was subtitled The Art and Practice of The Learning Organisation. I am not entirely sure what a learning organisation is but I think I will know one when I see one! To me a Learning Organisation will have at least most of the following features: An investment of time and resources in developing their people in a variety of learning opportunities. Learning will be considered an essential part of everybody’s job. Learning will be aligned to both the Organisations Strategic Objectives as...
Can’t Find a Good Leader? Try Leading Yourself!
Can’t Find a Good Leader? Try Leading Yourself! In the Leadership and Management Development space we often lament the lack of authentic and effective leadership. Since the Karpin Report of 1995, study after study keeps tossing up the same theme. ‘We need better leadership!’ In our own experience, over 30 years in organisational life throughout Australia, we have also found the need for more effective leadership. As we continue to run leadership and management courses, and indeed write books on the subject, we are now considering a slightly different approach. With talk going around about wellness, resilience and self-leadership, we...
Howzat!
When will we ever learn? As a keen cricket fan and follower of the Australian Cricket Team I had finally convinced myself to come back to support the men in the baggy green hats in their battles against the Indian Cricket Team in late 2020. Long before the ’Sandpaper Gate’ disgrace of March 2018, I found myself embarrassed by the unsportsmanship antics of some members of the Australian Cricket Team. Of course, I have never been in the cauldron of the pressure of representing my country in cricket or any other sport for that matter, so was I being a...