5 Leadership musts in the new COVID-19 normal
Leadership is often the most singled-out contributor to success (or not) when discussing how we engage, enthuse and excite people working in organisati…
Leadership
The New Leadership Paradox
There is general agreement in the minds of most thinking people that the world needs leadership now more than ever before. We look to those currently…
What does it mean to be a ‘responsible business’?
What does ‘responsible business’ or ‘purposeful business’ mean to you? For some it might be about transitioning to a greener energy supply and recycli…
The accidental persecution of the innovators
I took a personality test recently. This particular test was co-created by a thought leader I hold in high regard, American organisational psychologist…
The Art of Decision-making as an Innovation Leader
As we all know, innovating and creating something new is usually seen, for good reason, as an important, yet highly risky endeavour. As such, innovatio…
Leadership is personal
The quest for leadership is an inner quest to discover who you are and what you care about, and it’s through this process of self-examination that you …
The betrayal of charisma
Trust and transparency are two indispensable elements of authentic leaders. If trust is broken for any reason, or transparency is not forthcoming, we f…
The great management swindle
There are three things that can be said about human knowledge with total conviction. All of it is interpretation. Much of it is temporary. And a great …
Sustainability – The role of innovation in the race to zero
We face an existential crisis. We must transition to a more sustainable way of life. The exhaustion of our planet’s resources and the climate emergency…
Failing to Succeed
I have always been intrigued by the nature of entrepreneurship and so I regard myself as extremely fortunate to have worked with such highly creative a…
Is your strategy really working? Confront the brutal facts
When you start thinking about your strategy, you first need to honestly evaluate what is going on, both inside your organisation and in the market. Esp…
The Ivory Tower
Economists and bankers one day; university vice-chancellors the next! Life is never dull in the world of corporate philosophy. Especially when traditio…
From charisma to consensus
One of the most fascinating things about the ten year quest that eventually resulted in the publication of my book, The Five Literacies of Global Leade…
Practising adaptive leadership
There is something about the human mind and about the way we think that is at once quirky and persistently primitive: seriously out-of-kilter with cont…
Thinking strategically
Strategy. We hear and use the term every day. Indeed it has become something of a status symbol, separating the exciting ‘macho’ work of MBA-armed exec…
Making innovation better
Did you know that more than 90% of executives are dissatisfied with their innovation performance? Innovation is not delivering the required impact. Thi…
Servant leadership’s role in driving change
The concept of servant leadership befuddles many. The idea that a leader should serve his followers is not only foreign and unconventional, but provoke…
Revealing an organisation’s true colours
Surrounded by flashing lights and pumping music, the CEO stood on stage and announced “we’re innovative – we are the future”! Memories of Steve Jobs! …
Stir It Up: The Agitator’s role in innovation
Wendy was an innovation consultant hired to train and guide our team. At the outset of the innovation initiative, Wendy had made the team agree to the …
Bigger Tank, Bigger Turtle
If you buy a young turtle and put it in a small aquarium, it will only grow to the size that fits the tank. Somehow creatures are aware of the limita…