My Blog
This blog is for me, it’s my sketch pad where I think things through and work things out. Having worked ‘stuff’ out I think it’s good to declare it, so I am sending it to you. Hopefully you will also find it useful.
Latest Posts
The Delegate Leader 2023
“Michael said “I’ve got too much to do and need to get rid of some of it” And Nancy said “Two days on the time management course left me behind on my work and I’ve been catching up since”
Master deep and deliberate delegation and you can forget about time management – here’s how to get started”
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The Systems Leader 2023
John is not making the grade, we need to “performance manage” him – whatever that means!
I wrote this blog post nearly 10 years ago. I was going to change a few words and provide some examples to update it though decided not to as the basic tenet still holds true – for me anyway. What are we going to do about John’s performance?
The Results Leader 2023
On their own few leaders work simultaneously on: the result, themselves and their team – the so called Three Key Factors.
When coaching an executive, I’d often ask “what’s your business result?”. Some respond with incredulity, “Isn’t it obvious Dave?”. It might be to them, more often it’s not, but even if it was, what about everyone else?
Ten years ago, I was steeped in this question and wrote a blog post called The Results Leader. Tomorrow the post is ten years old; it seems as relevant now as it was then so here it is – The Results Leader 2023.
What’s it like at the top these days?
This year I’m adjusting my focus a bit. I’m still coaching leadership teams though looking to do more 121 work with the people right at the top. By all accounts 2023 is going to be a tough year and support is being ramped up for staff, but who is there for the person at the top? They have their business advisors, that’s handled; I’m talking more about them as a person as a human being. If you’re right at the top what’s it like for you?
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Coaching Steve
Steve wanted to work up a strategy for getting his people on board. He mapped out where he thought they were at, and initially decided Nathan was up for the chop. Though it didn’t turn out that way.
This is coaching Steve – an illustration of what coaching is and what coaching isn’t. Includes some insights into leadership and getting people on board and a useful mapping tool.
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Lead with all your colours
We are smart cookies. We can adjust our behaviours to big effect. Though constantly busy, operating at pace, on autopilot our dominant style can become our default style. And when the leaders all unwittingly adopt the same style the effect can be chilling. Once aware, however, you and your team can make some fairly simple adjustments to warm things up. Find out more and how to here.
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Who are you, revisited.
We were talking about values and I took the opportunity to share a distinction I was taught many years ago. Success is about who we are as a human being and who we “be” is informed by our lived values. Here we revisit a blog I wrote seven years ago; circumstances may have changed though the notion is relevant for testing times.
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Double-plus coming of age
“What one piece of wisdom would you give that people would want to share?” Mine is this: your capacity for success equals the conversations you’re having, minus the conversations you’re not having, multiplied by the way you’re having them.
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Calling time on the team away day
We were sent out to shout at the trees. It was the annual management team away day. It was a ridiculous workshop with absurd exercises, totally unrelated to the business numbers. However I did enjoy the shout, not sure about the tree and the golfers definitely didn’t appreciate it. And I forgot about it the day after; in fact I have only just remembered it now 25 years later. So much for team away days.
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3 simple tips for inclusive meetings
You want it to be more inclusive round here. You have your reasons. You have told people, announced it, even exhorted it. But what are you going to do, talk is cheap, to bring about that inclusivity? Exhortation isn’t going to cut it, they have heard it all before. Well, you could start with your meetings, you have so many of them. Here’s three tips that work. Take some courage, it’s a bit different. Some may wonder ‘what’s going on?
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