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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.
Give me a break Mar 10, 2021 I’ve recently started feeling very odd during the workday.
How to show up for an interview Mar 8, 2021 This is the second article in a three-part series.
2020 was like lifting a car off your kids Feb 25, 2021 Imagine your teenage son is working underneath his car.
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.
Corporate e-mail is like a mine dump Feb 17, 2021 When I was in grade 3 my dad got a promotion that came with a transfer.
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.
A lesson about candor and kindness from David Greybeard the chimpanzee Feb 12, 2021 My family and I enjoy watching a couple of MasterClass lessons after dinner on weekday evenings.
The last few minutes of an interview are critical Feb 11, 2021 Almost every job interview ends in the same way.
High performers beware: You are likely to run out of virtue before time Sep 9, 2020 Diligence is a powerful word.
“I was there” and remain proudly African. Forever. Sep 7, 2020 A particular type of goosebump covers your body when you and 94,736 people experience history unfold in front of your eyes.
Donate your unique self to your family and colleagues Sep 3, 2020 I’ve donated blood many times.
BS makes good manure but unhealthy work relationships Sep 2, 2020 A service provider built a team to deliver a key project for us.
The best teams know that much of next year’s story is written today Sep 1, 2020 I grabbed a virtual coffee with a colleague yesterday.
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?
The most important part of your setup is between your ears Aug 18, 2020 I grabbed a virtual coffee with a young developer recently.
Meetings are both useful and incredibly dangerous Aug 17, 2020 Meetings boil down to talking about some work to be done.
Working with who you want on what you want is really just play Aug 7, 2020 There’s a word that perfectly describes working with who you want to work with, on what you want to work on.
Staying and quitting is worse than quitting and leaving Aug 6, 2020 It’s not great for a team when someone quits and leaves.
Use batching to claw back valuable time and attention Aug 5, 2020 People are worried that robots or AI are going to attack us someday.
Radical idea: Get stuff done without yet another meeting Jul 30, 2020 My teams are trying something new in August.
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.
The underrated super power of writing things out and drawing pictures Jul 28, 2020 I spent less than 60 minutes preparing my detailed technology pack for a big quarterly board meeting yesterday.
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?
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.
Split focus wrecks projects and careers Jul 14, 2020 I once hit a car that suddenly changed lanes.
System setting is better than goal setting Jul 3, 2020 We used to buy cookies and other sweets as part of our groceries.
Home is where the heart and great leadership is Jul 1, 2020 Has working from home affected the way you approach your work?
You can only solve problems that you can articulate Jun 30, 2020 Colleagues with strong comprehension and good communication skills are worth their weight in gold.
Being a sports fan is a dangerous game Jun 11, 2020 It was 30 years ago but feels like yesterday.
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.
Don’t bring a knife to the fight for talent May 27, 2020 It’s amazing what you can learn if you are willing to really listen to people.
May you live in boring times May 18, 2020 We live in unprecedented times.
The Law of Two Feet - Setting people free since the 1980s May 4, 2020 The 80s gave us big hair but also big ideas like The Law of Two Feet: If you're not learning or contributing, use your two feet, go someplace else.
Meetings - Why less is more Apr 20, 2020 We’re all tempted to fill up our team’s diary with meetings.
Lockdown: A tale of challenge and blessing in disguise Apr 15, 2020 The lockdown has brought us significant challenges.
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.
How to compete with Usain Bolt when you’re a bit slow Apr 2, 2020 Is it possible to keep pace with the Usain Bolts of this world if you’re a bit slow?
Reading books together as a team is criminally underrated Mar 13, 2020 After starting a new job I got a cryptically named meeting invite.
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.
English is a language... not a measure of intelligence Mar 6, 2020 Have you ever pre-judged someone’s intelligence or competence based purely on how well they speak English?
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.
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.
Mission Improbable: Getting buy in with a big cross-team meeting Feb 18, 2020 We’ve all been in those meetings with 10 people from 7 different teams.
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.
When something is not your problem but still matters Feb 6, 2020 In business and life there are many things that are neither your responsibility nor your problem, but they make the world better.
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.
A formula you can’t afford to ignore: 1 + 1 = 10 Feb 4, 2020 Why should we invest in partnerships, form teams, join a network, make friends, value family, collaborate and be part of a community?
Planes are made for flying, what about you? Jan 30, 2020 The winds of life can be a clue to understanding yourself better.
It’s Always Your Fault Jan 28, 2020 Unfortunately we often talk about bad luck when there was a great chance of it going wrong and it goes wrong.
Your reputation proceeds you Jan 27, 2020 We continually underestimate the power of personal relationships and reputation over formal qualifications and slick CV’s.
Recruitment lessons from a legendary teenage poker champion Jan 24, 2020 There’s an important lesson to learn from an 18 year old girl won £1 million at one Europe’s largest ever poker tournaments.
Shape your environment because it shapes you Jan 23, 2020 What is easier, changing human nature or changing your environment?
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.
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.
The power of conditioned responses Dec 20, 2019 Learn how nineteenth century research experiments with dogs & bells can help us lead better and build healthy long term relationships.
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.
In praise of praise Nov 19, 2019 Compliments and kindness stand in stark contrast with the negativity that often fills our lives.
A written culture is an investment worth making Nov 15, 2019 A written culture is a strategic advantage that is scarce, valuable, and hard to imitate
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.
The difference between earned and owed respect Nov 12, 2019 Earned Respect is a valid concept, but so is Owed Respect.
How to write 1,000 articles a year Nov 8, 2019 How does one write 1,000 work related articles in a year?
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.
Why conversations are better than messages Nov 4, 2019 We‘re all busy and surely at least getting the message across is better than waiting forever for a conversation?
The pen is mightier than the brain Nov 3, 2019 Teams who rely on oral tradition instead of writing things down are asking for trouble.
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.
Less is more in talks and presentations Nov 1, 2019 Creating a presentation that is clear and concise takes time and effort but makes a big difference.
Should managers make all the decisions? Oct 31, 2019 What happens in a company or team when the manager makes all the decisions?
Future proofing by pushing the boundaries Oct 28, 2019 Do you want to future proof your team or organization?
Never make a thousand decisions when one will do Oct 25, 2019 Can making less decisions instead of more actually be better, or will it lead to inferior performance?
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 packed your parachute Oct 7, 2019 Grant Kirby is VP for Sales at Iress Canada.
“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 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.
Play Until The Final Whistle Sep 25, 2019 Last night proved casual soccer can be fiercely competitive.
Professionals Practice Until They Can't Get It Wrong Sep 23, 2019 I spent almost 1,000 hours playing my favorite game last year.
Experience Isn't Just Elapsed Time Sep 22, 2019 I’ve been thinking a lot about the concepts of experience, seniority and capability in business and the workplace.
Hitting the ground running is much harder than we think Sep 21, 2019 I once jumped out of a moving car.
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.
Here are three ways this principle affects my approach to life at work Sep 13, 2019 Today’s bit of inspiration comes from a guy who doesn’t even have a Wikipedia page.
The Map Is Not The Terrain Sep 10, 2019 The perils of paper shredding...
Overcome Entropy Sep 8, 2019 Housekeeping in Business
Understanding From The Ground Up Sep 6, 2019 What an interesting week.
I should have made a better effort at seeing things from my team’s point of view Aug 28, 2019 I recently shared some good news with my team.
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.
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?
“Dream work!” Aug 18, 2019 If you say the following phrase to my daughters aged 9 & 12:
professionals from amateurs Aug 16, 2019 One critical question I’ve explored in recent years is what separates professionals from amateurs.
Its human nature Aug 7, 2019 One of my favorite writers is Seth Godin.
Admit when your wrong Aug 6, 2019 Looking for entertainment?
Those who stay the course grow as individuals Aug 3, 2019 They say the only constant is change.
The disaster that didn't happen Aug 2, 2019 Our daily lives are so reliant on tools and technologies.
Willing to be wrong along the way Jul 31, 2019 Yesterday my teams and I tried something new.
Only good rewriting Jul 29, 2019 I had one of those short but interesting “water cooler” conversations with two colleagues yesterday (Ridwaan Kharva, Bradley King).
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.
How important the way we treat people is Jul 22, 2019 A few things have happened at work over the past week or so that reminded me for the millionth time just how important the way we treat people is.
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.
An experience I’ll never forget Jul 20, 2019 Throwback to 2018 when Theuns Prinsloo, Kaloyan Petkov and I represented South Africa at the last ever MTG World Cup in Barcelona.
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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