Leading Change Blog
Leading Change Blog (119)
Tuesday, 23 December 2014 18:32
Mental Toughness for Success
Few of us wake up in the morning with the intention of being a hero. Instead, we hope to get by without any major stumbling blocks and aim to do what is expected of us. It’s only when confronted with obstacles that threaten to derail our routines and plans that we don the armour and go into battle. As they say, “When the going gets tough, the tough get going.” Here’s something to think about: What if we’re missing opportunities to get what we want ̶ and help others get what they want ̶ by not seeing the obstacles early enough? Successful people don’t limit their worldview. They aren’t imprisoned in their mind by circumstances. They see…
Sunday, 16 November 2014 16:36
Try Feedforward Instead of Feedback
Providing feedback has long been considered to be an essential skill for leaders. But there is a fundamental problem with all types of feedback: it focusses on the past, on what has already occurred - not on the infinite variety of opportunities that can happen in the future. As such, feedback can be limited and static, as opposed to expansive and dynamic. Leaders cannot escape feedback and performance appraisals. However, feedforward is preferable to feedback in many daily interactions, creating a work environment which is more efficient, effective and enjoyable. Scroll to the bottom of this article to download the full pdf attachment. Article supplied with permission from Marshall Goldsmith Stakeholder Centred Coaching www.sccoaching.com
Sunday, 16 November 2014 15:58
Leading With Trust
Leading with Trust: Principles and Practice “Trust is a critical ingredient for leadership, since few people follow someone they do not trust…You cannot even get out of the starting gate as a leader if others do not believe your words.” ~ Cornell University Professor Tony Simons, The Integrity Dividend: Leading by the Power of Your Word (Jossey-Bass, 2008) A Watson Wyatt Worldwide study of 12,750 U.S. workers in all major industries found that companies with high trust levels outperform their low-trust counterparts by 186 percent. In a 2011 Maritz survey, only seven percent of more than 90,000 employees worldwide said they trust their senior leaders to look out for their best interests. It’s not just a problem for rank-and-file…
Tuesday, 14 October 2014 15:19
Empathy in Everyday Conversations
In everyday conversations – whether with friends, family or coworkers – most of us have an empathy deficit – or at least we don’t express it enough. Everyone wants to be seen, heard and appreciated. But not that many people—especially in workplaces—know how to communicate empathy so that others feel seen, heard and appreciated. Most of us are too focused on conveying our own messages. “Self-absorption in all its forms kills empathy, let alone compassion. When we focus on ourselves, our world contracts as our problems and preoccupations loom large. But when we focus on others, our world expands. Our own problems drift to the periphery of the mind and so seem smaller, and we increase our capacity for…
Tuesday, 14 October 2014 12:40
The Success Delusion
Why can it be so hard for successful leaders to change? "Any human, in fact any animal will tend to repeat behaviour that is followed by positive reinforcement. The more successful we become, the more positive reinforcement we get - and the more likely we are to experience the success delusion.I behave this way. I am successful. Therefore I must be successful because I behave this way...Wrong!" Marshall Goldsmith, What Got You Here Won't Get You There Scroll to the bottom of this article to download the full pdf attachment. Article supplied with permission from Marshall Goldsmith Stakeholder Centred Coaching, www.SCCoaching.com
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Tuesday, 14 October 2014 11:49
Leadership Empathy - Why It Matters
“Self-absorption in all its forms kills empathy, let alone compassion. When we focus on ourselves, our world contracts as our problems and preoccupations loom large. But when we focus on others, our world expands. Our own problems drift to the periphery of the mind and so seem smaller, and we increase our capacity for connection—or compassionate action.” ~ Psychologist Daniel Goleman, Social Intelligence: The New Science of Human Relationships (Bantam, 2007) Everyone wants to be seen, heard and appreciated. But not that many people—especially in workplaces—know how to communicate so others feel seen, heard and appreciated. Most of us are too focused on conveying our own messages. Empathy isn’t defined as having warm feelings for all of humanity as…
Tuesday, 02 September 2014 15:23
The Goal Achievement Survey
Hi, We’re VERY close to finishing our long awaited book: The Personal Accountability Code – The step by step guide to a winning strategy that transforms your goals into reality with the NEW science of accountability. We have been working on this one for over a year now, but it’s time to finally wrap it up. The book takes loads of research and my personal insights into the missing link between accountability and goal achievement, distilling this into a 6 step process for customising your OWN personal accountability code for personal and professional goal achieving success. The Personal Accountability Code explodes the myths and perceptions about the old rules of personal accountability and reveals how the…
Friday, 29 August 2014 11:25
Leadership is a Contact Sport
"Given the increasingly competitive economic environment and the significant human and financial capital expended on leadership development, it is not only fair but necessary for those charged with running companies to ask: Does any of this work? And if so, how?" From Leadership is a Contact Sport by Marshall Goldsmith & Howard Morgan. This article is often cited on the topic of leadership coaching and outlines the authors' breakthrough research about what actually works in the controversial and crowded field of leadership development. The article offers executives answers to several of the most fundamental questions about the value of corporate coaching: 1. What development activities have the greatest impact on increasing executive effectiveness? 2. How can leaders achieve positive long term changes in their behaviour at work? Their research reveals that: -…
Wednesday, 23 April 2014 11:35
The Leadership Crisis: What Doesn't Kill You Makes You Stronger
"Experience is not what happens to a man. It is what a man does with what happens to him." ~ Aldous Huxley The ability to extract wisdom from challenging experiences distinguishes successful leaders from their broken or burned-out peers. Difficult and, in some cases, career- or life-threatening events are called leadership crucibles. They are trials and tests — points of deep self-reflection that force you to question who you are and what really matters. Characterised by a confluence of threatening intellectual, social, economic and/or political forces, crucibles test your patience, belief systems and core values. When you're open to learning from mistakes, problems and failures, you become a stronger leader. You gain followers' trust, and they're eager to produce their…
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Wednesday, 16 April 2014 13:06
O'Farrell Gate: The bottle of wine that brought down a premier
If you thought a $3000 bottle of wine was expensive - think again. It turns out that a free bottle of wine can be even more costly, as NSW Premier Barry O'Farrell just discovered. The Story... Barry O'Farrell announced today that he would be tendering his resignation as Premier of NSW over his alleged acceptance of a $3000 bottle of 1959 Penfolds Grange. The story began to unfold in an earlier hearing of the ICAC investigation into alleged corrupt conduct between NSW public officials, MPs and Australian Water Holdings. In this hearing, the Premier claimed no knowledge of the wine which was allegedly gifted to Mr O'Farrell in 2011 by Nick Di Girolamo, the former head of Australian…
