A visionary leader, who is inclusive, has the power to transform a culture into a forward-looking, responsibility-taking and high-performing team that is focused on meaning and value. Typically, rules and regulations hold an organisation back from fulfilling its mission – talent gets attracted and commitment gets fostered to the vision, but that enthusiasm gets lost…
“The key to business success is duck-like – smooth and unruffled on the top but paddling furiously below” The expression ‘in the same boat’ is typically construed as a negative idiom – “you say that you have run out of money – well, I am in the same boat”, meaning that I have run out…
“Organizational culture is the ‘water’ in the fishbowl. If the water is clean, nourishing, energising, the fish will thrive and if the water is toxic, the fish will die, leaving the infrastructure value-less” (Ranjan de Silva, Sensei International) Organisational health – the status of operating efficiently and effectively with a “happy team” of positive and…
“Most people think leadership is about being in charge. Most people think leadership is about having all the answers and being the most intelligent person or the most qualified person in the room. The irony is that it is the complete opposite. Leadership is about empowering others to achieve things they did not think possible….
“The success of your organisation doesn’t depend on your understanding of economics and organisational development or marketing. It depends, quite simply, on your understanding of psychology: how each individual employee connects with your company; how each individual employee connects with your customers” (The Gallup Organisation) Most employees are amazingly resilient and capable of coping with…
“Our ultimate freedom is the right and the power to decide how anybody or anything outside ourselves will affect us” (Dr Steven R Covey) When confronted by significant differences of opinion with others, aggressive communication, or manipulative forms of behaviour, particularly from those in more senior positions, many employees are overwhelmed and overcome – they…
“You could foster happiness and add to our joy – or sow hurt and discord. It’s a choice that you make each day, each hour, and with each thought” (Cathy Marie Hake) When employees feel that they can contribute meaningfully, when they feel valued and thus feel good about themselves, they work at their best….
“When we look upon this earth, the opportunities take shape within the problems” (Nelson A Rockefeller) Adversity is a part of all our lives. At times, adversity seems to break the spirit of some. More often, however, adversity brings out the true spirit and character within people and leads them to make the noblest of…
Organisations are not naturally fertile seedbeds for new learning, growth and doing things in better ways. Leaders who want to instil wide-spread change and improve their respective companies, in fact, need to recognise that they are attempting to change a seemingly unchangeable paradox: organisations thrive on routine and the status quo. Daniel Goleman, in his…
“Plenty of people miss their share of happiness, not because they never found it, but because they didn’t stop to enjoy it” (William Feather) The term ‘balance’ does not imply that we spend equal time with family, equal time with work, equal time with friends, and so on. It means rather that we find in…
The ability of the leader to connect emotionally with employees and drive performance does not just stem from the leader’s mood or ability to say the right thing, but also from a number of coordinated activities that comprise particular leadership styles. Daniel Goleman (Primal Leadership) notes: “The best, most effective leaders act according to one…
In our current turbulent business environment, organisations worldwide are finding it necessary to adapt to ever-changing financial circumstances, revisit product offerings for more nuanced customer needs and strive for innovation and creative solutions to stay ahead of the game. The quest for sustainable growth requires the adoption of new technologies, process re-engineering, restructuring, culture change…
