I like to think that I'm an effective collaborator. I work closely with my team on key issues, seeking their input and insight, and I encourage other business owners and managers I coach to do the same. But an article in a recent edition of Harvard Business Review (Collaborative Overload by R Cross, R Rebele & A Grant, HBR Jan-Feb 2016) has pro...

​I was asked by a small business owner the other day "How often should I be talking with my staff about their performance?". It got me thinking about performance management in small to medium-sized businesses and how it's an important but frequently neglected area. Indeed, an effective performance management process is critical to several elem...

​Workplace Culture – it's a term frequently used by management "gurus" and just as frequently ignored by many who see culture change programs as nothing more than the warm and fuzzy stuff - yoga classes, paying for Christmas drinks, providing fruit in the staff room and the odd "mufti day". Sure, these things have their place, but their place ...

"Performance Reviews: Get Rid of Them" – www.theage.com.au 15/02/15 "Businesses Should Boycott Performance Reviews" – www.afr.com 05/03/14 "Performance Reviews: Is it Time to Kill Them?" – www.executivestyle.com.au 30/06/14 The headlines say it all really – the performance review has been under sustained attack for the last 5 years o...

As usual, the 2015  Conference on Culture and Leadership presented by Human Synergistics Australia delivered the goodies, with some great speakers sharing their personal leadership and workplace culture experiences with an enthusiastic Sydney audience. One of the many things on the day that resonated strongly with me arose out of a p...