Deadlines – how do you react?
We’re moving house. There’s a defined date – stuff has to be packed and ready to move. Which brings up an interesting topic – deadlines. I’ve been mulling over why we take [...]
23
05, 2023
30
04, 2023
Reframing failure…
Elon Musk’s SpaceX Starship rocket exploded. Maybe not quite the result they’d want. What’s enlightening is their reframe. The SpaceX engineers class the mission a success. They test early and often. They’re [...]
25
04, 2023
Decisions…
Decisions, decisions, decisions. How comfortable are you making them? Especially the hard ones. Ones where you may not know the outcome. I’ve been reflecting on my own decision-making process. Under what circumstances [...]
22
04, 2023
Decisions…
“Would you tell me, please, which way I ought to go from here?” “That depends a good deal on where you want to get to.” “I don’t much care where –” “Then [...]
1
04, 2023
What’s your exit strategy?
When speaking with business owners I ask what they really want from their blood, sweat and tears. The often long hours, financial risk and stress that comes from running a business. Many [...]
11
03, 2023
Shooting the messenger?
If Covid has shown us anything, it’s that every business needs to constantly look to the future and innovate. But you cannot innovate without challenging the status quo. Which starts with your [...]
7
03, 2023
Inferential thinking…
Thought this quote from James Clear is very apt in today’s world. "When you need to learn quickly, learn from others. When you need to learn deeply, learn from experience." To this [...]
28
02, 2023
Can you let go?
A client recently asked me how long it would take to get “beyond” their business. By which they meant when the business could run without their involvement and provide options. To either [...]
21
02, 2023
Will you put your ego aside?
Recently attending a Mahler concert highlighted an important leadership lesson about courage and confidence. Let me set the scene. We were at the newly refurbished concert hall at the Sydney Opera House. [...]
24
01, 2023
Standing out…
We all have competition. How do you stand out? Why would someone come to you over everyone else? Research from Harvard Business Review revealed potential clients are 57% of the way through [...]
20
01, 2023
For Want of a Nail
“For want of a nail the shoe was lost. For want of a shoe the horse was lost. For want of a horse the rider was lost. For want of a rider [...]
9
01, 2023
A life lived in fear…
A couple of nights ago, Barbara and I were watching “Strictly Ballroom” – the classic Ugly Duckling story of the young “beginner” dancer convincing a ball room champion to take her on [...]
25
11, 2022
Is complexity killing your results?
We live in a complex world. And there’s a tendency to think the greater the complexity the greater the value. So we make our products and services increasingly complex and sophisticated thinking [...]
19
11, 2022
I was an idiot!
Years ago I vividly remember sitting in a conference where the speaker proclaimed he’d never had an original thought. To my (now) shame I thought, “Gee – what an idiot The [...]
12
11, 2022
Are you combining efficiency and effectiveness?
I have a background in Engineering. Something I’ve observed with my ilk is we’re often lazy. I don’t mean we don’t work hard. I mean we look for the most efficient way [...]
29
10, 2022
Leadership lessons from Star Trek
I'm a big fan of Star Trek. Both the original and Next Gen series. What strikes me in both are the leadership lessons from both captains, Kirk and Picard. Lessons which apply [...]
25
10, 2022
Mistakes I’ve made…
Over 20 years running a business consultancy I've made a lot of mistakes. Frankly when we started I had absolutely no idea what it would take. I'd moved out of the corporate [...]
21
10, 2022
Who’s driving your bus?
As a business leader, one of your most important tasks is to be strategic and lead. You are the one that sets direction. You are the one that is ultimately responsible for [...]
17
10, 2022
Moving up the value chain
Why do your clients work with you? When was the last time you asked yourself how you create value for them? When I coach partners and consultants in professional services firms in [...]
8
10, 2022
Who are you listening to?
There's an old saying, "If it's to be, it's up to me". It's applicable in business and life generally. Right now Federal Reserves are putting up interest rates. The media talks about [...]
26
08, 2022
The “Key” in KPIs
KPI’s – Key Performance Indicators are a term bandied around in every organization. What people are responsible and accountable for. Having said that, I think many KPI’s are overthought. We tend to [...]
13
08, 2022
Who’s driving your bus?
Who’s driving your bus? I’ve been thinking about self leadership. What it takes to succeed in business. To be both emotionally and financially rewarded for the risks we take. In transactional analysis, [...]
6
08, 2022
What constitutes leadership?
It’s probably an understatement to say we live in interesting times. There’s a lot of uncertainty with everything from the pandemic to high inflation, the cost of living going up, the war [...]
25
07, 2022
How to ensure the right person is in the right role
This video is part of a business advice series focusing on leadership and strategy. It comes out of recent conversations I've had with business leaders regarding staff not working out for various [...]
21
07, 2022
Security – Opportunity – Prosperity
I'd like to talk about the relationship between security opportunity and prosperity and the chasm of possibilities this opens up.
21
06, 2022
What’s your expertise worth?
What is your knowledge, expertise and experience worth to your clients? meter level expert 3d rendering The clients we work with are experts in their field and unconsciously competent. They [...]
14
03, 2022
Can I be contrarian?
Simon Sinek famously asks “What’s your big why?” So following on from that theme, what’s your big why for being in business? While there are likely to be as many reasons as [...]
14
02, 2022
Snakes & Ladders
I used to love playing snakes and ladders as a kid. Rolling the dice and hoping to climb a ladder not slide down a snake! It’s a great metaphor describing businesses. I’m [...]
17
01, 2022
When did you last…?
If you own a business, when was the last time you stopped and asked yourself, “Why?” Why you’re in business. What your end goal is? How close to achieving you are? Most [...]
21
12, 2021
Agility, resilience, resourcefulness
Agility, resilience, resourcefulness. Courage, confidence and conviction. Are all attributes which I believe have a direct correlation with success in life. Agility means you rapidly respond to opportunities and adapt to different [...]
10
12, 2021
Vigilance, diligence, agility and vulnerability
Vigilance, diligence, agility and vulnerability. As a business leader, what do these words conjure up for you emotionally? For many of us the last couple of years have been anything but stable. [...]
7
12, 2021
Revisiting your big “WHY”
How often do you review why you're in business? Why you got started in the first place? If you're like many of us, you may well have fallen into business at some [...]
16
11, 2021
A sad reality…
I speak with a lot of business owners who tell me they have a booming business. Turnover between $1M to $5M+ per year. While this looks great on paper, when I ask [...]
28
10, 2021
The number one risk in business…
A huge risk to growth in business is the number “one”. Dependency on one major client. One key employee. One product. One major supplier. A client is facing this with a supplier. [...]
10
06, 2021
Dig the well before….
It’s 6 months into 2021. Hopefully Covid is on the retreat with the vaccine rollout. Business will open up. Which is why you should adapt your sales and business strategy so that [...]
13
04, 2021
Do you have a solution in search of a problem?
Do you have a solution in search of a problem? You’d be surprised at how often we have businesses espouse some expertise, create a product or service and then look for a [...]
17
12, 2020
The most dangerous number in your business…
I grew up watching Lost in Space. Just about every episode had Dr Smith getting up to no good and the Robot waving his arms with Danger, Danger, Danger. Which [...]
1
12, 2020
Small hinges…
The new year is rapidly looming. What will it bring? None of us can predict the future. But we can learn from history. Now is a great time to sit back and [...]
20
11, 2020
Why camels are a great metaphor in business
Camels. I think they’re pretty ugly and they spit. But that aside they’re one of the most resilient creatures on the planet. They survive in stinking hot deserts all [...]
18
11, 2020
The Camel and the Unicorn
The Camel and the Unicorn. One has been around for millions of years and will continue to do so. The other is a mythical creature symbolising magic and miraculous growth. Which one [...]