Blog
When The Universe Speaks (WT760)
This week I was talking to a former boss of mine, Sue Schmotz. Sue was my supervisor when I worked for the Southern Queensland Institute of TAFE, around 1997. When I became a manager, Sue shared lots of little gems with me. One of the best lessons she taught me was, “The first rule of management – It’s not a popularity contest”. There are times when we do need to have those difficult conversations and I am so pleased that since 2000, I’ve been an accredited instructor for Thomas Gordon’s Effectiveness Training and more recently Leader Effectiveness Training, which teaches us how to have...
What Is Your Body Telling You? (WT759)
Well this year didn’t start out how I intended. Against some advice from friends and family, about 5 weeks ago, I started injecting myself with the so-called weight loss wonder drug, Mounjaro. I was looking for an easy way to shed some kilos and others I knew were getting great results. On Sunday I ended up in hospital with faecal compaction. Did you know that our small intestines range from 3metres to 5 metres in length and are called the small intestine because of the size of the diameter? The large intestine is about 1.5 metres, so there’s a heck a lot of piping to clear if you find...
New Year New You New Habits (WT758)
Happy 2025! I trust the new year has started well for you and that you said goodbye to all the things you wanted to leave behind in 2024. It’s a new year. It can be a new you. And you have the choice to create new habits. This year I intend to create more videos and offer live webinars on various topics. To that end I’ve been setting up my studio. Part of setting up the studio meant I had to rearrange over 500 books on my bookshelves. It has been a back breaking task and mentally challenging as I re-sorted every book according to author surname rather than book size. I had previously...
Again! Again! (WT757)
I trust you enjoyed a nice Christmas day. You know, it’s amazing where our inspiration can come from. On Boxing Day morning, Ross and I went for a walk along Redhead Beach. We love to let the water lap over our feet as we make our way to the section where the dogs can roam freely and frolic in the water, catching balls and generally hanging out with each other and having a good time. On the way back to our car we cross over a little creek that runs toward the ocean. The creek has enough water for kids to play safely in the water and build sandcastles and the like. This morning we observed...
The Importance of Practise (WT756)
This week I met with one of my business advisors. We were discussing some potential new services I can offer. I needed to get the wording right so that it flowed when I described what was included and how it works. “Can we practise please?” I asked. He sighed, thinking I was asking to book another time. We had time left in our appointment, so he was relieved when I said, “Now, can we practise now please?” We role played. I made my offer. He gave feedback. I learned and was able to improve. Practising is so important. The reason is because when you practise you grow your muscle memory....
It Doesn’t Matter, We’re Just Practising (WT755)
Yesterday I commenced with a group of leaders to provide a series of inhouse leadership training for Community Therapy. Big shout out to Scott Lynch and Emily Steel for organising the training and for having such a “dream team”. Because it was a new group to me and I hadn’t been to the venue before, I was feeling a bit nervous. As I prepared, I remembered a mantra I’d learned from Benjamin J Harvey at Authentic Education. “It doesn’t matter. We’re just practising.” What this means is that sometimes we tie ourselves up in knots thinking that “we have to get it right”. “This is it. If I make a...
When We’re Ready (WT754)
This week I was discussing strategy with Mark See, a client turned colleague/friend (as most of my clients do). In the 10-15 years that Mark and I have known each other, Mark has been very fortunate to have experienced working for a visionary entrepreneur who sold his business to a big corporation which became even bigger. Mark gets what it means to be strategic. He’s also forthright with his opinion, so you can imagine the response he got when he told his new corporate leaders that he would take action on a project “When we’re ready”. He wasn’t resisting. He wasn’t being petulant or...
Make It Into A Game (WT753)
When I first started my business, I used to have a game with myself, where I challenged myself to give out two business cards to people who didn't know me or didn't know what I did, each and every day. That was in the days of physical business cards. I realised I haven't played a game for a long time, so I decided to make up a new game. This game is called “Call To Action” or “CTA”. The rules are, that I must complete at least two calls to action each day. My game was inspired by Cham Tang, who encouraged us to get into some sort of action to propel our marketing and grow our businesses....
Beware The Resting B-Face (WT752)
Last week I attended a 6 day training course, “Present Like a Pro” with Authentic Education. It was an amazing course, truly transforming and I can’t wait to put what I learned into action. One of the interesting topics that came up was to beware the resting B-face. I’m assuming you know what “B” stands for. Rhymes with “itch”. The presenter, Benjamin J. Harvey, explained that over the years our facial muscles learn to rest in the same places over time and that there are only 7 universal facial expressions and only one of these is what we might deem “positive” in emotion. This one is the...
It’s Okay to Say “But” (WT751)
If you’ve done any training with me, you’ll know that we teach you not to use the word “but” because it negates everything that goes before it. For example, you wouldn't say to your staff member, “I really like the work you're doing, but I’d like you to improve here”. All they will hear is “I’d like you to improve”. Instead of “but” use “and”. “I really like the work you're doing and I’d like you to improve here.” Now, there is an exception. The one time that it is okay and encouraged to say “but” is when you've just complained about something or you've been ungrateful about something. In...