Blog
18 Leadership Lessons From a Conversation With Simon Sinek
As Simon Sinek shared his thoughts on leadership, I took copious notes and distilled these into 18 bite-sized leadership lessons for you here.
How to Choose the Right Communication Channel
Communication is about delivering the right message, at the right time, through the right channel…but how do you choose the right channel?
How to Ask Better Questions
Knowing how to ask questions as a leader can enhance productivity, avoid misunderstandings, build trust and unlock opportunities to connect.
How to Receive Feedback, Graciously
Feedback is like food – it fuels our growth and nourishes our improvement. So why do we find it hard to swallow?
How to Give Feedback, Effectively
Giving feedback is an inevitable part of a leader’s role. But it’s is a skill and – like all skills – it takes focus, preparation and practice.
How to Convey Empathy as a Leader
Without empathy, your team will see you as self-serving. They’ll question whether they can trust you. They won’t put in the extra effort. So how can you convey genuine empathy?
5 Steps to Make Difficult Conversations Easier
There’s no singular way to have a difficult conversation, but these 5 steps can make them a little easier for both you and the other party.
Why We Need To Have Difficult Conversations
Difficult conversations are the conversations we avoid having for fear of opening a can of worms, making a bad situation worse, upsetting someone or fracturing our relationship with them.
What’s the difference between purpose, mission and vision?
Purpose. Mission. Vision. Strategy. Culture. What’s the difference? There can be so much confusion around what these are that their benefit is significantly diluted. So let’s get some clarity.
What is Purpose-Led Communication?
To answer this question, we first need to explore the question of ‘why?’.
Why?
Because people don’t buy – or buy into – what you do; they buy into why you do it.
How 1-2-1 Meetings Improve Employee Engagement
Love them or loathe them, 1-2-1 meetings are like mini health checks that give leaders an insight into the productivity and loyalty of your greatest asset: your people. So how can these meetings improve employee engagement?
Are You a Manager or a Leader?
Do you consider yourself a manager or a leader? Maybe both? All too often the terms get used interchangeably, but the two are vastly different.
How to create a company narrative
A company narrative is a simple story expressing who your organisation - or team - is and what it aims to achieve. A narrative exists to provide a clear and consistent portrayal of your team to both internal and external audiences, helping them get to know you, grow...
What’s your personal brand as a leader?
Personal brand. Like it or not, we all have one. But what exactly what is it? Personal brand vs. personal branding Our personal brand is the perception others have of us based on their direct and indirect experiences with us to date. These impressions are built based...
Simon Sinek: A Leadership Framework for an Infinite Game
I’ve long been a fan of Simon Sinek’s work. His leadership frameworks and concepts are simple and compelling to understand, and what's more, he communicates them in a way that is accessible, engaging and inspiring. Perhaps this shouldn't be a surprise given his...
2 essential ingredients leaders need to earn trust
Trust is the confidence and unwavering belief in the reliability, truthfulness and ability of an individual, collective or organisation. It's like an invisible currency. As with all currencies, there are those with it and those without. For those who have earned the...
Adapting your leadership communication style for the ‘new normal’
Leadership communication style is a constant evolution, but never has this been more true than in the context of the new COVID-world we find ourselves living in. The arrival of this new world means leaders need to adapt not only to survive but to ensure they - and...
Barriers to effective communication (and how to avoid them)
Barriers to effective communication can be easily avoided once you know what to look out for. A bit like computers, we all run on our own unique software that is programmed based on our cumulative experiences to date and what we know and understand to be ‘the norm’ as...
4 Communication Objectives You Need to Know
For communication to be effective, you first need to know what it is you’re trying to achieve. You need to ask why you’re communicating in the first place. What objective are you chasing? Yes, communication is the process of sharing information and ideas. But alone,...
How your body language fosters collaboration (even via video!)
Team meetings are no longer happening in the boardroom or the breakout room - they're taking place in a Zoom room. As video replaces face-to-face interactions, fostering a culture of collaboration amongst your team can be hard. Even though you're not with them in...
How to build a connection with your team
Do you struggle to make a connection with your team? If so, you're not alone. In fact, in her research, Lou Solomon, CEO of Interact and author of “Say Something Real” has found that 91% of employees say communication issues can prevent executives from making a...
How to foster a culture of collaboration
I’m often asked by leaders what messages they should be communicating to their teams. The purpose of leadership communication is to inform, inspire, engage and unite your team. And with this in mind, I believe the most important messages to communicate are those that:...
How to instil confidence amongst your team
I’m often asked by leaders what messages they should be communicating to their teams. The purpose of leadership communication is to inform, inspire, engage and unite your team. And with this in mind, I believe the most important messages to communicate are those that:...
How to connect your team to the big picture
I’m often asked what messages leaders should be communicating with their teams. The purpose of leadership communication is to inform, inspire, engage, and unite your team. With this in mind, I believe the most important messages to communicate are those that serve to:...
How effective communication creates high-performing teams
Picture some of the most high-performing teams you can think of: The New Zealand All Blacks The emergency services team responding to an accident Even the parents working together every morning to get their kids to school and themselves to the office on time Teams...
Why you should actively choose to listen
Of all the skills we're taught at school, I've often wondered why active listening isn't one of them. Especially when you consider that research shows we spend up to 80% of our day engaged in communication with others. Of this, 55% of our time is spent listening....
5 signs you need a leadership communication coach
When I tell people I’m a leadership communication coach, I often get asked why a leader would engage a communications coach - surely, they know how to communicate? Yes, you do - but just like a sports coach or a business coach my role is my job is to make sure your...
Cultivating a reputation of trust, in an age of distrust
According to Edelman’s 2018 Global Trust Barometer Report, at just 45%, the level of trust in Australian business is the lowest it’s been since 2012.But what is trust; why is it so important to business and whose responsibility is it to cultivate?The...
How to be a persuasive public speaker
As a leader, you’re regularly required to speak in public at: Team meetings Customer presentations New business pitches Investor briefings Networking events Industry conferences ...perhaps even videos like this! Despite this frequency, many leaders still find it...
5 steps to active listening
Active Listening is a communication technique that has been designed to help deepen the understanding between speaker and listener. In doing so, we are able to:Build stronger relationshipsImprove our ability to influence, persuade and negotiateAvoid...