I have a confession to make. I was one of those who tuned in to the last fifteen minutes of a breakfast radio show that had graced our airwaves for 10 years on Friday morning. Why? Part curiosity, part nostalgia. In the lead up during the week, the media promised a ratings bonanza. There were outpourings of love, tears, and plenty … Read More
NSW Flames and Blame Games
Our thoughts and prayers are still with the families and fire fighters in the New South Wales Blue Mountains and the uncertainty and fear that hovers along with the acrid black smoke. The Australian Army did what I believe it had to do this week and came out and expressed profound regret about the explosives drill that caused one of the … Read More
The Eurythmics Strategy – Should sisters be doing it for themselves?
I was totally inspired at a recent conference to see the extraordinary creativity of young Australians using YouTube and home movie making to tackle bullying at school. The major thrust of their strategy was sending the message that bullying is uncool and if you can get the bystander to confront the bully, the target feels supported and the bully sees that … Read More
A Special Kind of Magic
I had cause to reflect this week on a magical time in my working life with the tragic passing of my old boss at ANZ Bank. I witnessed the outpouring of grief and warm memories from my old colleagues and the way in which people have kept in touch over two decades; looking forward to our reunions hosted by the … Read More
Bully Busting and Bystander Apathy
I was privileged to attend and present at the inaugural No2Bullying conference last week on the Gold Coast. It was fabulous to hear so many excellent speakers on the topic of bullying yet confronting to hear so many vivid tales of personal and professional devastation from bullying at work, schoolyard bullying and cyber bullying. Only today my partner said how … Read More
Does fortune favour the working father?
Our mental model of “conflict” often compels us to gravitate towards that tricky stuff that occurs between two individuals. However, just as stressful and mentally tough can be the goal conflict or values conflict we experience when two or more of the big priorities we have in life are at odds (or at war!) with each other. There is a growing awareness … Read More
It’s just not cricket – or is it?
The decision by the Australian captain and coach to stand down 4 players ahead of the test against India today has attracted a furore. Setting the tone for what’s acceptable and what’s not is critical to establishing good cultural norms. A robust feedback culture, respect for leadership and a commitment to excellence is essential in elite sport as in other workplaces. A … Read More
A Tale of Two Cycles
When studying the MRI results after 10 years of jogging, I made the decision to reinvent myself as a cyclist. I figured all I needed was a beautiful road bike until someone told me it might help me maintain my fitness if I rode it now and then. I’ve been doing so for a few weeks but should never have … Read More
Lance Armstrong – competitive cyclist, cancer survivor, con man, confessor
Well, if you’re like me, you’ve watched both parts of the Lance Armstrong special (OK, I admit it, a couple of times each). I’ve met people like him, a small number and mostly in corporate; fiercely competitive, astronomically high on self-belief, selfish and self-absorbed in their focus about what needs to happen to ensure their success. In the wake of … Read More
When Christmas is More “PC” than it is Merry
They seem to be annual these days. The two types of Christmas stories that strike fear and dread; the one about the Scrooge boss who gave staff a $10 Christmas gift voucher to a shop that closed down in September and the one about the humbug council that won’t put up “Merry Christmas” banners for fear of offending some locals. … Read More