Right now I'm going for daily walks. I mix it up. Sometimes I turn right. Sometimes it's left. And yesterday I had the pleasure of my first Autumn (Fall) leaf crunch. I love that sound. It takes me straight back to the innocence of childhood. As I was happily reminiscing, there it was yet again. Footpath rage. I could feel it rising as, once again, I had to step aside while a fellow walker seemed oblivious to the physical distancing rule. Normally, I don't say anything. But I have been known … [Read more...]
The question we’re all starting to ask
We're all in this together, having a very individual experience. THE QUESTION For some, the question is, 'Are we there yet?' They're over it. Others, while enjoying the slower pace and simpler life that lockdown brings, wonder, 'Can we keep it more like this?' And while it might seem far away and staying grounded today is no mean feat, many are wondering: 'What's the next normal?' WHAT'S THE NEXT NORMAL FOR YOUR WORKPLACE? As a leader, you'll likely have a say in the next normal … [Read more...]
How are you?
Are you exhausted yet? There's been so much change that it feels like a month went by in the last week. It's a bit surreal. There's a long weekend this weekend for many, being Easter. But it doesn't feel like that. The days tend to blur when you don't go anywhere. A different kind of Groundhog Day. Although I do like this teddy bear trend. This one brightens up my daily walk. You're Part of the Solution And just like Bill Murray's character discovered in the movie, eventually, you learn to … [Read more...]
Keep your people psychologically strong
Are you squirrelling? You know, collecting acorns for the hibernation? Today, I feel like Santa Claus because I've got a sleigh full of acorns to share with you. These acorns are in the form of a brand new online program: Leading through the COVID-19 Crisis. You're welcome. It's free. If ever there was a time to give back, it's now. It's far from business as usual. This 5-module program will hopefully make your job of leading through the COVID-19 crisis a little bit easier. As a … [Read more...]
Especially now, you’d be smiling too
It's been an emotional roller coaster ride. My sore throat last week suddenly morphed into a fever and cough. After barely sleeping, at 6am, I thought, as best one can with a fever, "is this it"? Since everyone I've told has wanted to know, I thought you might want to too... This is what happens when you're tested for Covid-19 My local GP clinic sent a text saying, anything Covid-19, keep away. Call the national hotline. So I did. First option was call 000 (our 911). But I wasn't a 000 … [Read more...]
Isn’t this a test of humanity, not leadership?
How’s the self-isolation going? I’ve rescheduled my whole world so far this week to work remotely. Why? Well, Victoria has been declared a state of emergency and, more importantly, I woke up with a mild sore throat. No fever. No known contact with a traveller or sufferer of Covid-19. I feel ok. It hasn’t taken me out. But I figured, better safe than sorry. I don’t want to become a source. So, thank you Skype, Zoom, Slack, all of them. All the platforms are being put to good use. I am so … [Read more...]
Are you being quietly lazy?
My first job at the university newspaper was to write the back page of the next edition. It wasn't what I'd signed up for. I’d agreed to doing layout. Not happy! Still, I felt obligated. I remembered seeing this mini-poster showing all the grammatical uses of the ‘F’ word. You know, noun, verb, adjective, adverb etc. with examples. I was a teenager, so all is forgiven. I blew it up to full-page newspaper size and took the risk. Next week it was all over campus. The risk paid off. I was … [Read more...]
Learning leadership from Judge Judy. Or, how to handle your moody boss
You can learn leadership from anywhere. Judge Judy is one unexpected place for me. Go figure! You know what it's like. You've got something important to run by your boss. You want to time it right, so you do the smart thing and ask her Executive Assistant: "what's the weather like today?" Everyone knows what that means. How's the mood in the land of the Big Cheese. Now, you'd hope that one of the reasons the Big Cheese got to that position is because they're great at emotion regulation. … [Read more...]
