What really motivates people to be honest in business?

It's people who make or break both reputations and profits. Hiring and people development practises matter. Values that are normalised by behaviour - wrong and right - matter too. A culture of integrity and ethical conduct isn't the words in a company's code of conduct; it's the sum of the behaviours of the individual employees and the collective.

Learning and Development Are Interdependent, But They’re Not the Same Thing

In my experience, too many learning and development professionals are still ignoring the implications of neuroscience and adult psychological development when going about their work of developing leaders.  This isn't to say they don't have the best intentions at heart. It just means they stick to what they know, to what has always been done, … Continue reading Learning and Development Are Interdependent, But They’re Not the Same Thing

Searching for love to escape yourself

Does your dating life - or just your life in general - feel like groundhog day (read: repetitive if you didn't watch the tedious 1993 movie)? Love, sex and dating are often venerated as 'the ultimate goal of life'.  But how much of your quest for love is about avoiding being with yourself?  Real love … Continue reading Searching for love to escape yourself

Can Promotions Be Seen as an Endorsement of a Leader’s Dark Side?

According to Harvard Business Review, "Worryingly, leaders tend to do a poor job of evaluating their own dark sides, particularly as they gain power and move up the ranks. Some perceive their career advancement as an endorsement or encouragement of their bad habits. Eventually, however, those weaknesses may derail them, and perhaps their teams and … Continue reading Can Promotions Be Seen as an Endorsement of a Leader’s Dark Side?

Followership: The Forgotten Side of Leadership

Followership really does matter. I think Maya Angelou highlighted this when she said, "Those of us who submitted or surrendered our ideas and dreams and identities to the 'leaders' must take back our rights, our identities, our responsibilities." Companies seem to be obsessed with leader and leadership development. But what about the followers?  According to … Continue reading Followership: The Forgotten Side of Leadership

Reinvent Your Identity, Turnback Time, and Even Hack Your Biology

You are who you think yourself into becoming.  The roles you play in your life dramatically affect who you are and how you act. Start seeing your identity as flexible and malleable. Don't fall into the trap of the fixed mindset by believing that 'this is just the way I am'.  Don't see your identity … Continue reading Reinvent Your Identity, Turnback Time, and Even Hack Your Biology

It’s Hard Out There For a Bitch

Bitch: this word is a gut reaction arising from deeply engrained stereotypes. We all need to question that reaction a little bit more the next time we hear a crazy bitch narrative about women - whether at work, in politics, in entrepreneurship.  We even need question it's evil little sister: Bossy.  Bossy is the substitute … Continue reading It’s Hard Out There For a Bitch

How to Know When You’ve Found Your Path in Life

How do you know you're on the right path... in life, at work, in your relationships?  According to Caroline Myss, the answer is simple: you don't have to betray yourself. It takes mindfulness or conscious self-awareness to feel the discomfort of self-betrayal. In my work I notice too many people just numbing these uncomfortable feelings … Continue reading How to Know When You’ve Found Your Path in Life

The Secret to Living Longer May Be Your Social Life

I've just read Susan Pinker's fantastic book, The Village Effect: Why Face-to-face Contact Matters.  It'll make you rethink the way you live your life & approach your health.  According to Julianne Holt-Lunstad's 2010 research, the thing that's most likely to reduce your risk of dying is social integration (on multiple levels, both strong & weak … Continue reading The Secret to Living Longer May Be Your Social Life

When Male Unemployment Rates Rise, So Do Sexual Harassment Claims

These findings help show that sex discrimination and sexual harassment in the workplace is a way to assert power and control. Traditionally, being the breadwinner is an important part of men’s — especially married men’s — gender identity, and when that role comes under threat, men assert their masculinity in other ways.  Money is power, … Continue reading When Male Unemployment Rates Rise, So Do Sexual Harassment Claims