INSIGHTS

Ever noticed how a small shift in language can change how you see things?  That happened to me yesterday. I was in the wings at the  Product Aotearoa  conference, getting ready to go on, listening to an engaging talk by  Ania Mastalerz  on doing “just enough” research to keep things moving.  Ania shared how  Atlassian  realised the term “Issues” no longer matched how people were using their  hashtag#jira  platform. People weren’t just logging problems; they were logging every

At nearly 30,000 feet this morning I realised that I’d missed a trick in my prep.  I’d neglected to set a goal that had the potential to lift my performance in the room.  It’s easy to miss, particularly when you get fixated on what needs to be achieved.  For me, today, it’s kicking off a Commercial Curiosity programme for a team of 70. The irony - which didn’t escape me - is that the type of goal that can make a real-world difference is tied to curiosity: a learning goal.  ⏵

If you and “no” went to couples therapy… what would come up? Frustration? Tears? Smiles? A slightly weary sideways glance?  How is your relationship with “no” these days?  The health of that relationship is worth exploring, because how you handle “no” will shape the trajectory of your career, your influence and your relationships - both at home and work.  I’m unpacking this with a team in a few hours in a session called: The Conviction of No.  It’s about reframing our relatio

Who likes to play board games? Any Settlers of Catan fans out there?  Or maybe you only play because your family cajoles you into it? 😅 Either way, the humble board game offers a surprisingly rich metaphor to help us level up our influencing, negotiation and leadership game.  It’s all about perspective.  Are you engaging like a pawn on the board - or are you the player?  In a recent workshop with an in-house legal team, we explored the dangers of preoccupation, fixation, tun

"Friendship is born at that moment when one person says to another: 'What! You too? I thought I was the only one!'" - C.S. Lewis Lewis captures something we often overlook at work.  Connection thrives in those moments where we realise that there’s something shared between us. It could be a perspective, an experience or maybe even a goal.  In that “What! You too?” moment, connection sparks and grows.  It’s a moment where, behind the polish and professionalism, there’s a glimps

We’re quickly approaching the year-end rush - that frantic, heads-down place where everyone’s buried in deadlines and the pressure can seem unrelenting.  It’s like we all step into the Task Cave. A place where light dims, focus tightens and connection fades.  And our brains don’t help us: the more they focus on the task, the less they focus on the relationship.  That’s the problem. Because while we’re in the Task Cave, our stakeholder relationships quietly drift - pulled by t

Before it goes off. That’s what we were unpacking in yesterday’s Handling the Baggage webinar. (pun intended!) Baggage is the emotional history we and the other party bring into our conversations and negotiations. It’s the elephant in the room. The background music that drowns out the “substantive” issues on the table.  And it matters.  Baggage distorts conversations, inflames reactions and sabotages outcomes. Yet, it’s tempting to ignore… I mean, if we just paper over that r

Note to self: My presence is the packaging for my message. Before we open our mouths, people are already forming an impression. This newsletter is a 5-minute read on calibrating your presence - and why it matters more than you think. 👇 Kudos to  Two Dudes  for their next-level packaging.

They’re in the corner, head down in a book. They don’t say much. In fact, they’re easy to overlook. Yes, we all love them … they just don’t get much airtime.  In the hustle and bustle - when the voices are loud and everyone’s following the same well-worn path of conversation - it’s easy to miss them. But then, when the moment comes… It’s the quiet cousin who notices what no one else did. Who asks the question that shifts the conversation. Who points out the answer that no one