Whichever way one looks at it, Paul Henry’s recent comments asking the Prime Minister whether the next Governor-General is going to “look and sound like a New Zealander” are insulting and racist. It falls way below the mark in his role as a TVNZ breakfast host. 

The basic requirement of any job including those in leadership is that we deliver what is expected of that role and take full responsibility for our actions.  When managers, leaders and politicians fail to do this, their leadership including the organization’s culture and ethos are – quite rightly – questioned.

Prejudice and stereotypes invariably blind us. Never mind Sir Anand’s background, calibre and merit in having been an almost perfect fit for the job. He is “culturally different” or more to the point “not white.”  So everything else becomes irrelevant. This is a not a recipe for  building and leading a team, organization or country. (more…)

These points are  in response to Ron McLuckie’s question, “ how do we get organisations and managers recognising and acting on the strengths concept, rather than the negative weakness focus we see so regularly? ”

1) Having right people in the right job/role so they can use their key strengths has to be a start!

2) Continuously ask,  “What is working well for our team or organization?”

3) Ask routinely,  “What do we well which we need to keep doing?”
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Giving and receiving feedback whether at work or home can be challenging. In the work setting, whether it is giving feedback during a “coachable moment” or a more formal context such as performance appraisal or review, there are some principles – discussed below, which make the giving and receiving of feedback positive and constructive. While there is a move towards feed forward now, especially in the work setting, giving and receiving feedback is still something we find ourselves doing. (more…)

We all have our strengths and weaknesses. When we use our strengths in a way that produces results, gives us satisfaction and rewards us emotionally and financially, we feel fulfilled. Our signature strengths enable us do our jobs and fulfill our career aspirations in a proficient and credible way.

But the very strength we have relied upon all these years can also become a career derailer! So when is strength not strength? Well – a common scenario is when we overuse them! (more…)

We all know of intellectual intelligence (IQ) and more latterly, the importance of emotional intelligence (EQ) in health, happiness and work success but what about spiritual intelligence (SQ)?  While interest in IQ is nearly a century old, EQ’s place in business has emerged only in the last decade.  EQ or EI was first popularised by Daniel Goleman in the mid 90’s in the Time Magazine article titled, “Is EQ more important than IQ?”  Since then much has been written and researched on this important subject, which includes the dimensions of self and other awareness as well as social awareness and relationship management.

So what about SQ and where does it fit into the hardheaded world of business, leadership, managing others and ourselves and our careers and working life? (more…)