Whether you are in a leadership role or not, from time to time we all have to gear up and have those courageous conversations – the ones that we tend to avoid.  And therein lies the trouble.  The more we avoid these, the bigger the issue gets or the more it festers. As one senior leader put it, “if something isn’t feeling right, nine times out of ten, it isn’t!”  And this means some conversation needs to take place –whatever the scenario and whoever your situation is with. 

We all have different “brakes’ that we put on. This stops us from tackling what needs to be tackled.  Some examples of thinking that get in the way include – “I will destroy the existing harmony” (what harmony?  The current “walk on egg-shells” variety? ) or “if I ignore it, it will just go away” (with denial, the issue rarely just disappears) or genuinely not having the skills or confidence to deal with it ( These can be learnt).  (more…)

Whether you are a manager, leader or an employee, having a sense of entitlement can be a dangerous thing. I am not referring to certain entitlements we all have as per legal, contractual or basic moral rights. But more the sense that comes through one’s place in society, organization or political life, where one gets used to a level of position, power, privilege and perks. “Who I am” takes precedence over “what I do” (or how I perform). (more…)

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…)

In times of crisis, how a leader fronts and deals with the situation can either fan an already out of control situation or they can take full responsibility and become part of the solution. Sadly, BP’s CEO – Tony Hayward’s words, behaviour and demeanour have only but fueled the situation.

The BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico is a disaster on many levels. And it appears that it could have been avoided. Questions are being asked of the CEO but answers to date have not been forthcoming – answers which could provide a deeper, systemic understanding about what went wrong and why and how best to deal with this major catastrophe. (more…)