Hello and welcome to the September edition of our Monthly Newsletter 'Developing Leaders', the once a month focus on leadership, leadership development, high-performing teams and business culture. Looking for some light reading as the sun is starting to shine some more? This month, our short articles are focussed on your leadership development, and in particular, your personal le...

Question: Can you admit when you are a wrong? Put another way - are you a defensive leader? Alternative: Do you work with someone who never (ever) admits that they are wrong? Instead of recognising a mistake or acknowledging an error, they 'double down', and try to convince you that they were right? This is Defence - 'digging in' on a position or opinion when you should shift or ch...

Well that got some people thinking! Developing the critical thinking of your leaders and team members can have an enormous impact on the way in which problems are dealt with, meetings are conducted and conflict resolved. In this Diploma of Leadership and Management unit, we focussed on how to develop the critical thinking skills in others. Using De Bono's 6 Thinking Hats as a base, p...

'Be the leader that everyone respects and wants to work for.'Which, in short, means: 🔹 Set a clear path and vision for where you are going,🔹 Set and communicate clear values and behaviours that you adhere to,🔹 Work hard yourself - but not into the ground - in balance with your team,🔹 When behaviour drifts (yours or your teams), correct it quickly with clarity and empathy, and🔹 Acknowl...

Are you too lenient as a leader / manager? If you aren't sure, here are some telltale comments (said to others or in your head) of a lenient leader: 🔹 'It was only a little bit late'🔹 'I am sure it will be better next time'🔹 'I am sure they tried their best'🔹 'They are really busy at the moment, I'll do it myself'🔹 'There is a lot going on at the moment - cut them some slack'🔹 'With w...

'Easy or hard is about you, not the hill'. Thank you for sharing Hazel Harrison - a perfect quote for a Monday morning! This fits so nicely with content of the Emerging Leaders Program last week - focussed on Responsibility and Intention. The 3 key behaviours that bring life to leadership are: 🔹. A - Accountability🔹. I - Intention🔹. R - Responsibility Leaders actively choose ...

Do you 'beat yourself up' when things don't work out the way you planned as a leader? There are 6 ways a leader can be less efficient / less effective when it comes to leading themselves and others, having a net negative effect (the others being Blame, Leniency, Excuses, Exoneration and Defence). Understanding your behaviours under stress is an important development step for a lead...

How you define success as a leader? Is it your results? Is it your team? Is it how comfortable you feel in leading? This is a short shout out to the leaders of small businesses, family businesses, teams and anyone who is willing to take on the challenge of leading others. It takes ownership, accountability and a fair dose of responsibility to successfully lead others. The path is r...

Agreed! 👏 But what does 'dignity and respect' look like when it comes to behaviours? 🤷‍♂️ You would be hard pressed to find a person that didn't agree with this statement - but I guarantee you will find it hard to find 3 people that AGREE on the BEHAVIOURS THAT DEMONSTRATE DIGNITY AND RESPECT. Why? Because our experience (at home and at work), country, culture, upbringing, choices,...