Why it’s okay for CEOs and executives to take time out to manage their energy
Recently, multiple CEO clients have told me they feel guilty when they take time out to recharge. One of these CEOs shared how guilty they felt when, after hitting the…
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How having a not-to-do list can help you find focus
I tried to learn French and German in my first year of high school. It was, at times, a chaotic learning environment. I remember a day when some students barricaded…
Why diversity, equity, inclusion and tolerance of ambiguity are inextricably linked
In 2017, I stood in a room with a group of other executives. I was stepping backwards and forwards in response to a list of questions. The questions explored different…
How flexible thinking opens up new possibilities and reduces stress
No one likes hearing they’re not meeting their boss’s expectations, and neither did I. My first response was that the criticism was unfair – all that work was on track. …
Why success can be a liability when you ignore the unknown
When Steve Jobs bought the computer division from Lucasfilm and started an independent company called Pixar in 1986, no one could have anticipated its runaway success. Until Pixar came along,…
Why courage isn’t everything when it comes to overcoming fears
When I first met my partner, he was petrified of Dentists – not just one, but all of them. He had an accident that needed dental work when he was…
Why Employee Opinion Survey results can be an apocalypse of ambiguity
It was 2018. I looked at the Employee Opinion Survey results and was shocked. The trust in leadership scores had dropped significantly. Being me, I took it personally and brought…
Why our tendency to fill the gaps can cause us to ignore important anomalies
On 3 July 1988, the USS cruiser Vincennes mistook an Iranian commercial flight for a fighter jet. The crew of the Vincennes, a missile cruiser, thought the Airbus was an…
Why putting yourself at the centre of conversations could be a mistake
In a job interview for an executive role in the mid-2010s, I was invited to tell the selection panel about my weaknesses. The first one that came to mind was…
How reframing can help you solve a different problem to get a better outcome
Fifteen years ago, I worked with doctors who believed they didn’t need as much sleep as the next person. We engaged a university, involved the doctors in action-based research and…