​Let's face it…much of our success and satisfaction within the workplace (and beyond for that matter!) arises from the effectiveness of our interactions with others. Sometimes, the challenge can be in clearly understanding what others need, want and expect from us. At other times, challenges can arise when we aren't sure of or don't adequately...

In a recent blog, we introduced the Human Synergistics Circumplex™, a proven framework to measure, report, discuss and better understand individual and collective human behaviour, and their impact upon business and organisational performance (refer: Catching Smoke: A Proven Framework for Addressing Culture and Leadership). Today's blog focuses...

​As business owners and managers, we all know the importance of ensuring that every dollar we spend is working for us, so with employment-related expenses being amongst the largest expenses that most businesses have, it's essential to ensure that we invest particularly wisely in this area. Despite this, one area that often escapes scrutiny is staff...

​Search for "leadership" on Amazon and you will be invited to purchase more than 117,000 books on the subject. It's been a prominent item of discussion in business improvement circles for decades. This is not without good reason though, with effective leadership being a centrepiece of businesses that consistently achieve success. I often say t...

​I'm sure we've all had the experience at one time or another of seeing apparently sound decisions fall apart at the point of implementation, or otherwise proceed but result in unintended consequences. This can of course happen in connection with any type of decision, and staff-related decisions are certainly no exception. Indeed, training ini...

​Objectively addressing matters such as culture and leadership in a business or organisation can be a tricky business. Individual views of what constitutes "good" cultures and leaders can differ for example, and pinning down just what our current culture "is" and what we need it to be, can be akin to trying to catch smoke – elusive and frustratingl...

We are sometimes asked about "the evidence" to support our exclusive 8 Elements to Success through People(c) Model (fair enough too!), so if you need some convincing about the value of more closely focusing on HR in your business, check out our latest infographic. Click on the image to view.

​Cleaning out my office the other day (a task that has been many years in the making!), I stumbled across an article in an old edition of Harvard Business Review (May 2013) that's worth a revisit. The article explores the interesting issue of the ideal workplace. Based on research by the authors, Rob Goffee and Gareth Jones, who canvassed...

Check out our latest infographic which details some pretty strong reasons to take work health and safety seriously.WHS - Time to Take it SeriouslyVenngage Infographics

Effective Leadership is one of the core elements of our exclusive 8 Elements to Success Through People(c) model, and is key to diving business performance and profitability.​One of the common attributes of highly effective leaders is that they are inevitably great coaches. They manage their people in a way that gets the best out of them –...

Handing out a few chocolate frogs at a staff meeting does not in itself a recognition program make! ​So, you're taking the plunge and are planning to implement a staff recognition program….great stuff! It seems easy enough - throw out a few bottles of wine or movie tickets, shake a few hands, smile for the camera and you're done! Happy staff, happy...

A. THEY ARE BOTH BORING BUT NECESSARY!​I probably don't need to spend too much time convincing you that they are both pretty boring as far as topics of conversation go, but you may need a little more convincing that they (position descriptions at least), are necessary. Put simply, a position description is a document which outlines the ke...

​We all know that effectively managing employees is key to the success of our business. We variously rely on our employees to serve our customers/clients, to market and sell the goods and services of the business and to implement the processes and systems that keep the business flowing. As business owners or managers, we can't be there all the...

​Anyone that's had responsibility for managing others will I think agree that is can sometimes be a challenge. There are days that, regardless of what you do, it's apparent that you just aren't getting the results you are hoping for. In some ways it might almost seem like you're trapped in a Goldilocks fairytale – one member of your team's complain...

​The new year begins with a personal confession. I'm a perfectionist. I like things to be "just right". I HATE it when things go wrong, when they're not the best they can be, when I'm not in control. I tend to be quite conservative and reluctant to take risks and I grow impatient and frustrated when I can't quite get to doing the things I need...

I'm an accountant. I'm all about making money. If you want to make money, get your culture right first. Don't waste your time on the other stuff. by Giam Swiegers, former CEO of Deloitte AustraliaMost of us understand its importance, but actively managing workplace culture in order to optimise results can be a tricky business. Even once you've...

​I was watching the ABC program Q&A a little while ago, when the panellists were asked their view of Pope Francis, having been elected to the Papacy 12 months prior. What struck me most about the response of the panellists was their unanimity, particularly given that, as other avid viewers of Q&A will attest, having the panellists agree on ...

​A common challenge for many supervisors and managers when it comes to managing people is providing effective feedback. This is particularly the case where they need to give feedback to a team member who is presently not meeting expectations and/or where they have done something wrong. Some supervisors and managers become paralysed by fear tha...

​I was intrigued by a recent story out of the USA that the nation's second-largest drugstore had announced that it will later this year stop selling cigarettes and other tobacco products in its 7,600 stores. The move is likely to cost the company US$2 billion annually. In announcing the decision, CVS/Caremark's CEO said "Ending the sale of cigarett...

​One of the "Do not pass go, do not collect $200" items in our 8 Elements to Success Through People© Model is Clear Vision and Strategy. A key part of this involves articulating, communicating and reinforcing the values of your business. In the context of a business or organisation, values can be seen as statements of "the things that mat...