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A dial, not a switch Oct 11, 2026 Some dilemmas keep coming back no matter how many times you solve them.
How to share disappointing news with people that report to you Feb 22, 2021 Sharing disappointing work-related news with someone that reports to you is probably one of the least satisfying parts of any business leader’s job.
A promotion should cause you to change Feb 16, 2021 “They’ve really changed since they got that promotion”.
Your colleagues often face personal challenges you are unaware of Feb 15, 2021 I’ll never forget the day one of my direct reports walked into the office and apologized for being late.
The last few minutes of an interview are critical Feb 11, 2021 Almost every job interview ends in the same way.
Why leaders should hack their familiarity loop Feb 10, 2021 I’m currently reading a book that explores the science behind habit creation and reformation.
Eating too many cookies taught me an important lesson about leading and lagging indicators Aug 28, 2020 I’m fascinated by indicators.
Leadership lessons from Beethoven and Bolt Aug 25, 2020 During lockdown our family invested in a MasterClass subscription.
A clear picture of the future is the foundation for flourishing Aug 21, 2020 What is more important: Complexity or clarity?
Staying and quitting is worse than quitting and leaving Aug 6, 2020 It’s not great for a team when someone quits and leaves.
You should give a rat’s ass about your team’s growth Jul 29, 2020 This week I learned that we’ve managed to teach rats to sniff out land mines.
Push your leaders over the edge of their comfort zone Jul 24, 2020 I remember when my daughters couldn’t swim properly without water wings yet.
Micro management fuels the “revenge to stay up late” Jul 23, 2020 I’m sure you’ve engaged in a bit of 報復性熬夜.
You shouldn’t need permission from your boss to take care of yourself Jul 21, 2020 Can you take a day off when you worked on a Saturday?
When you can’t see the ball anymore it’s time to bench yourself Jul 17, 2020 Its been a tough week.
Herd immunity, herd mentality and how to beat the odds Jul 16, 2020 We‘re starting to see more and more of our friends, family and colleagues affected by COVID-19 infections.
Use forcing functions to craft a more productive work environment Jul 15, 2020 I’m not a very disciplined person.
What is more important: Strategy or hard work? Jul 10, 2020 What is more important?
Home is where the heart and great leadership is Jul 1, 2020 Has working from home affected the way you approach your work?
How prepared are you for your next interview or important meeting? Jun 19, 2020 Two of my friends absolutely nailed important interviews recently.
How habits and science helped me finally lose 10kg of fat Jun 12, 2020 I was overweight from the age of 12 all the way to my mid-thirties.
The problem with stakeholder management Jun 10, 2020 I’m not a fan of the term stakeholder management.
Managers of one are key to high performing teams Jun 8, 2020 I’ve noticed something about the top performing people at work.
At home, during a crisis, trying to work Jun 3, 2020 Every manager needs to understand and acknowledge that we are living through a massive crisis.
Do things that don’t scale, then scale them May 26, 2020 If I had a dollar for every time I’ve heard a leader say “that doesn’t scale”...
Focus is the new talent May 21, 2020 Ask any classic villain.
Pontificating is for the pope - Learning to be succinct May 20, 2020 A few weeks ago my good friend Frank told me he’s noticed that I sometimes belabor a point.
An MBA teaches you more than just coursework May 19, 2020 So it’s finally happened.
How to play follow the leader May 15, 2020 The pandemic has brought the performance of government leaders around the world into sharp focus.
What if your worst enemy was actually a wonderful person? May 5, 2020 Picture a public figure you hate.
Roam is the first note taking tool I might use forever Apr 30, 2020 Confession time.
The Tour de Garage - A lockdown half marathon Apr 29, 2020 The pandemic and lockdown has posed many serious questions to society.
Steve Jobs was a wonderful and a terrible leader Apr 24, 2020 If you’ve seen the movies and read the exposés you’ve probably made your mind up about Steve Jobs.
Leadership seen as a process instead of a person Apr 22, 2020 Are leaders born or made?
Meetings - Why less is more Apr 20, 2020 We’re all tempted to fill up our team’s diary with meetings.
Date the model but marry the vision Apr 16, 2020 Strategic leaders are able to look at the big picture and think long term.
The flexible shall not be broken Apr 9, 2020 I might be crazy, but I’m trying to do 2.5 years of masters coursework in 9 months.
Numerical fluency helps leaders kick ass Apr 6, 2020 Leaders that understand how exponential growth works responded much faster to the coronavirus outbreak.
This is not a normal work from home situation Apr 3, 2020 James Clear explains in Atomic Habits that your environment is the invisible hand that shapes your behavior.
Your leadership always has a legacy Mar 31, 2020 The decisions leaders make today can make or break tomorrow.
Is your decision reversible? Mar 27, 2020 When faced with uncertainty and multiple options, leaders should consider how reversible each decision is.
A problem to solve or a tension to manage? Mar 26, 2020 Sometimes we struggle to solve a leadership problem because it’s not a problem to be solved.
A critique of three global leaders Mar 23, 2020 There are three observations that stood out for me this weekend.
Nobody cares about your R2 million banana during a crisis Mar 20, 2020 Nobody cares about your R2 million banana during a prolonged global financial and health crisis.
Words mean things and they matter Mar 19, 2020 History will record that Donald Trump chose the exact day on which US cases leaped past that of China to call it the “CHINESE Virus”.
Give the elderly the first hour at grocery stores every morning Mar 17, 2020 80% of COVID-19 fatalities are people over 60.
Celebrating a national state of emergency Mar 16, 2020 Why would my primary school daughters celebrate our country entering a national state of emergency?
An introduction to risk for leaders Mar 13, 2020 Leaders should make an effort to understand key risks.
Hollywood can help you build above average teams Mar 11, 2020 Price’s Law predicts that in an average team of 9 people, the top 3 performers will add about half of all the value.
Why market bubbles are unavoidable Mar 10, 2020 Are market bubbles the result of greed and incompetence?
Don’t pass on things you’ve heard and your opinions as facts Mar 9, 2020 Jürgen Klopp is one of the best football managers in the world, but he is also generally just a really wise person.
Leaders determine if time is an enemy or a friend Mar 5, 2020 Even great teams will eventually drift towards insignificance without good leadership.
KPIs are a terrible substitute for good leadership Mar 4, 2020 When a measurement becomes a target, it ceases to be a good measure.
Thoughtful opinions held loosely Mar 3, 2020 The story behind the Semmelweis Reflex teaches us that just like washing hands can save lives, being an open minded leader can save your company.
The best leaders keep one eye on informal processes Mar 2, 2020 There’s nothing better than a business process that is simple to understand.
Why do teams become less effective the bigger they get? Feb 28, 2020 Carrying a 400 kg pool table can help us understand the Ringelmann Effect and why teams become lazier as they grow.
Three men make a tiger Feb 26, 2020 Lots of tigers roam the business landscape.
Online information is abundant but not always accurate Feb 25, 2020 Leaders can’t afford to stop learning or be closed minded.
Leaders should promote signal and eliminate noise Feb 21, 2020 Focus in the workplace is both a precious commodity and an endangered animal.
Two keys to delivering large projects Feb 19, 2020 Delivering a massive project is not for the feint of heart.
It’s a marathon, not a sprint Feb 14, 2020 We have too many burnout related resignations.
What family friendly and flexible working means to parents and children Feb 11, 2020 To many big companies their individual employees are no one.
Understand something before you try to fix it Feb 10, 2020 The reason a company process or team structure exists might not be obvious to you.
Company culture starts with who you put in charge and who you hire Feb 5, 2020 To understand a company’s culture you have to keep an eye on the Whos of Whoville.
Death by distraction in a world of message overload Feb 3, 2020 I often feel overwhelmed by the number of concurrent “threads” or “topics” in chat and e-mail.
Planes are made for flying, what about you? Jan 30, 2020 The winds of life can be a clue to understanding yourself better.
When top performers get uncomfortably comfortable Jan 29, 2020 Rewarding your high capacity staff with fresh challenges and a steep learning curve is one of the best gifts you can give your company.
The difference between a real team and a pseudo-team Jan 21, 2020 Some teams underperform because they are not really teams.
Sometimes a nudge is all that’s needed Jan 17, 2020 If we can help men aim better in public toilets, then surely we can nudge our teams at work towards higher performance and greater job satisfaction.
Unspoken or unclear expectations are silent killers Jan 16, 2020 Unspoken or unclear expectations might be silently sabotaging your performance management.
Performance management is no laughing matter Jan 13, 2020 Some leaders don't have a solid understanding of what performance excellence actually is.
An understanding of human nature is vital Jan 10, 2020 Retailers can teach leaders a lot about the importance of understanding the power of human nature.
Are you being busy or productive? Jan 9, 2020 Did you recently renew your annual subscription to the 12-hour workday club without even thinking?
Great leaders inspire and motivate Jan 2, 2020 You better believe there are leadership insights to be gained when a 37 year old rookie takes over as head coach at Arsenal Football Club.
Great leaders make the most of time and timing Dec 24, 2019 Time and timing are both critically important concepts for leaders to grasp.
Rewatch Twins to see how important staying up to date is Dec 21, 2019 Rewatching a 30 year old movie reminds us of the importance of keeping up in any industry.
The power of strategic unorthodox interview techniques Dec 19, 2019 Can taking candidates to breakfast and arriving early to ask the restaurant to mess up the order be a winning strategy?
Time away helps leaders gain fresh perspective Nov 27, 2019 Leaders need proper breaks to make good decisions.
The Curse of Knowledge Nov 26, 2019 If you think individual knowledge and skills can’t hurt team performance then its time to learn about The Curse of Knowledge.
Good leaders help people take good breaks Nov 24, 2019 Leaders play a huge role in how people feel about taking time off.
Podcasts should be the 25th hour of every leader’s day Nov 16, 2019 What would happen if you got to meet and learn from 365 extraordinary new people over the next 12 months?
Other people can often see valuable things that you can’t Nov 14, 2019 Kings and queens know that additional perspective creates invaluable insight and understanding.
How you treat people at work matters Nov 13, 2019 How we treat the people at work is way more important than we realize.
Braess' paradox proves that sometimes less is more Nov 10, 2019 Traffic around Seoul sped up when a major highway was removed.
Be a boat, not a rock Nov 6, 2019 Let’s think, how is a boat different from a rock?
Stress + Rest = Growth Nov 5, 2019 This year I’m telling all my engineers they’re not allowed to come to work for 5 weeks.
Three keys to delivering large projects Nov 2, 2019 Postmortems when things go wrong are helpful, but we should also reflect on why something went well.
Should managers make all the decisions? Oct 31, 2019 What happens in a company or team when the manager makes all the decisions?
Should you fire someone who made a big mess? Oct 30, 2019 Making a big mess can help great people to know what they don’t know.
Working with instead of against human nature Oct 26, 2019 What happens when leaders underestimate or don’t understand the power of human nature?
The company you already started without knowing it Oct 24, 2019 What if you owned a company and your current employer was your first and biggest client.
The courage to be open minded about open offices Oct 22, 2019 Great leaders have the courage to question conventional wisdom and the humility to do the work required to have an opinion.
The dangers of copying successful leaders and companies Oct 20, 2019 World War II and Melanesian islanders can teach us important lessons about the dangers of blindly copying successful leaders and companies.
The dangers of imaginary communication Oct 18, 2019 How do we overcome what is arguably the most dangerous of all leadership and interpersonal failures?
The legacy of your leadership Oct 17, 2019 What kind of leader would you be if you knew everyone you influenced would eventually lead in that same way?
Leadership lessons from the African Bullfrog Oct 16, 2019 Find out what the biggest and baddest frog on the continent can teach leaders about balancing professional and family life.
Gen X can help Millennials avoid burnout Oct 15, 2019 Gen Xers might be getting "old" but could be key to helping younger colleagues achieve work-rest balance.
Over-trust vs Micro-management Oct 14, 2019 What can we learn from Charlie Munger and Jack Welch about over-trust and micro-management?
No bonus points for difficulty Oct 12, 2019 In life and business we don’t need to be the hero.
Where to buy cheap turpentine Oct 10, 2019 You can tell when someone's leadership and work has moved beyond theory when they know where to buy cheap turpentine.
"I Interpret Everything You Say On Who I Know You To Be" Oct 7, 2019 This week a colleague said something about my division in a Slack message.
“I’m not sure” is a perfectly valid answer Oct 6, 2019 Here is some advice for people going for interviews: “I’m not sure” is a perfectly valid answer.
The Best Non-Fiction Book You've Ever Read Oct 5, 2019 How much would you pay to read the best non-fiction book you’ve ever read?
South Africans making a global impact Oct 5, 2019 I love seeing South Africans make a global impact.
The Biggest Room In Any House Oct 3, 2019 I had such a good town hall with all the teams in my division yesterday.
Winning Steps Oct 1, 2019 I reviewed my division’s performance for 2019 yesterday.
Principles Are Better Than Policies Sep 30, 2019 Someone nukes a big Tupperware full of extra spicy leftover curry.
Salaries And Bonuses Sep 29, 2019 I’ve spent a lot of time reading about, talking about and thinking about salaries and bonuses this year.
Seeing The World Not Just As You Are Sep 28, 2019 I want to hammer an awesome insight home today.
Stress + Rest = Growth Sep 27, 2019 My new addiction is studying Charlie Munger.
There will only ever be one Arsène Wenger Sep 19, 2019 I cried when they announced Arsène Wenger was leaving Arsenal.
You've got to care Sep 19, 2019 Yesterday I woke up to some good news.
Old kangaroos and new tricks Sep 15, 2019 I’m currently doing an MBA through the University of South Australia and yesterday was the deadline for my final Strategic Management research report on the Qantas Group.
a place for every thing and everything in its place Sep 14, 2019 Confession time.
Overcome Entropy Sep 8, 2019 Housekeeping in Business
public speaking Sep 1, 2019 I found an old recording of the first time I spoke in public this week.
Confront problems, not people Aug 24, 2019 The way people treat each other has become more and more important to me over time and I’ve recently thought a lot about the difference between being aggressive and constructive.
The power of diversity and teamwork Aug 23, 2019 Most of the elements on the periodic table are metals.
Asking questions can be very helpful Aug 21, 2019 Asking questions can be very helpful.
Imperfect plans are exactly what’s needed Aug 20, 2019 I’ve been involved in a number of important projects so far this year.
Two things are needed Aug 19, 2019 Does your team or company have strategically important initiatives or projects on a list somewhere that you never get to?
professionals from amateurs Aug 16, 2019 One critical question I’ve explored in recent years is what separates professionals from amateurs.
Nervous excitement isn't just for children Aug 12, 2019 The other day my oldest daughter got into the car with a very excited look on her face.
They will never forget how you made them feel Aug 11, 2019 My favorite tweet from last week is by James Clear:
My favorite investment Aug 8, 2019 I want to highlight my favorite and most promising investment...
Admit when your wrong Aug 6, 2019 Looking for entertainment?
One of my favorite books of all time is surprisingly not a business book Aug 4, 2019 One of my favorite books of all time is surprisingly not a business book.
Willing to be wrong along the way Jul 31, 2019 Yesterday my teams and I tried something new.
Some of the hardest things I’d ever done Jul 30, 2019 One of our more sobering discussions at the weekend’s unConference happened over dinner on Saturday evening.
3rd order consequences Jul 25, 2019 This morning I woke up and could barely walk.
The worst thing you can do is nothing Jul 23, 2019 We all know the famous line from Spider Man: With great power comes great responsibility.
Avoid the toxic elements of the modern corporate office Jul 21, 2019 It’s 6am and I’m staring at a diary packed full of meetings.
Your customers will never be any happier than your employees Jul 13, 2019 As part of my MBA course on Strategy, we’ve taken a deep dive into our organization’s strategy.
Demotivated by the stupidity of the modern workplace Jul 13, 2019 We’ve all felt like we’re sinking at work.
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