You need to protect your team from outside forces Being the leader of a team brings with it certain responsibilities. The responsibility and accountability of leading others is one of the greatest privileges that can be asked of a person. It can also be one of the greatest challenges. With Jake in our family, it has reminded me of the requirement to look and act like the leader at all ...

Lesson 1 - The team rules need to be understood and applied by all members of the team. The addition of our dog Jake to the household has forced us to consider our house rules and what will be tolerated / not tolerated by all members of the family. Would Jake be an inside or outside dog? What rooms will Jake be allowed in? How do we deal with discipline issues with the dog? How...

Jake is the newest member of our team / family. He is an 18 month old labradoodle (pictured) and the last 15 months have been an exercise in joy, commitment, frustration and persistence. When I think on the impact our new member has had on the rest of the family, I have realised that it is not very different to a new person entering a team in business. I have also realised that animals ...

I must admit to feeling disappointed. As a leadership and team development facilitator, I look for examples in media / corporate life, politics and personal experience to illuminate key points I want to discuss and raise in training. I have been reviewing the key examples that I use for points on vision, personal ethics, integrity, trust, responsibility and have come to realise that not...

I must confess to being slightly sport obsessed, using sporting references in training and facilitation, so it is no real surprise that it ends up in my blog as well. Last night saw the Queensland Maroons defeat the NSW Blues again, resulting in a 6th straight series win for Queensland. It also marked the last time the Maroons captain, Darren Lockyer, would play in a State of Origin ser...

I love my LinkedIn discussion groups. Groups of like-minded individuals from around the world discussing (often far more articulately than I can!) topics that interest them; for me that topic is most often leadership. One of the members of the Center for Creative Leadership group, Sarandeep Singh asked: ‘What is one KEY attribute, that you would look up to in a "Leader"... and why?’ &...

A recent Linkedin group discussion asked: ‘Given that most of us can master any skill we choose to, with the right support and experience, what makes us attribute 'high potential' to some people and not to others?’ I think this is a great question and pertinent to all businesses. I have rated someone as 'high potential' when they: 1. Show drive to do what others won't do. I sat in on a...

In the June 16 issue of BRW (brw.com.au), Leo D'Angelo Fisher listed the following 10 steps to being a great manager: 1. Managers are leaders and leaders are managers - don't get caught up by artificial dichotomy. 2. Leadership can be shared. 3. Leadership requires high-level personal attributes. 4. Leaders are part of a team. 5. Managers / leaders know their team. 6. Create a sens...

A recent post on LinkedIn by Tania Tytherleigh asked a simple question: ‘What are the qualities of a rock star trainer?’ Tania highlighted that passion, commitment and integrity were essential qualities for a rock star trainer. I really liked the premise of trainers / facilitators as rock stars, so here are the 16 qualities that I think make a ‘rock star’ trainer: They are brilliant a...