3.40pm Friday, 20 August 2010     Well, this commentary has been coming for some time. Although it's nice to have some time away from fighting fires (of the team and individual type that is) the topic is not one that fills me with confidence.  But it does fill me with some optimism, ...... read more

10.20am, Tuesday 6 July 2010   Whether you're a genuine sports fan, reluctant follower because everyone else in the office is interested, or card carrying member of the 'I hate sports' club there are valuable lessons for all businesses from sporting endeavours.  Whether a team sport or a ...... read more

Thursday 1.15pm, 10 June 2010   As an executive coach one of the areas I'm often asked to help people with is relationship management.  Not necessarily of a personal type, although that comes along occasionally as well, but of the professional variety.  Broadly speaking these conver ...... read more

A recent announcement by the new US government that they are putting negotiations for a free trade deal with New Zealand on hold has been, in the eyes of many, further evidence of doom and gloom and generated fears of future protectionism in the largest economy in the world.  As a trading ...... read more

So often I come across examples of conversations - be they meetings or presentations - that fail due to lack of a little bit of planning.  This is not to say planning guarantees success, but it certainly limits failure significantly and makes things easier for us when it comes to implement ...... read more

Today, 40 years ago, man first walked on the moon.  Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin stepped out of the lunar lander and became the first men to walk on a stellar body while Mike Collins, the third astronaut in the Apollo 11 mission orbited the moon in the command module.  They were a little ...... read more

One of the most critical determinants of success in hard times is collaboration, especially with potential alliance partners.  Just as we expect our employer to work with us to help us through tough economic and personal challenges, and vice-a-versa, so do we expect the same from the government ...... read more

Yesterday morning 3 police officers undertook a routine drugs search warrant in a suburban house in the provincial city of Napier in the Hawkes Bay area.  Next thing all hell breaks loose and within minutes we have a fatally shot police officer, and another 2 police officers and a civilian (the ...... read more

This past weekend I've had the privilege of taking away some fantastic young adults to the New Zealand National Athletics Championships.  As a sprints and hurdles coach I'm very aware that our responsibility is not just to help our athletes perform, but that they enjoy applying themselves ...... read more

Just today I was having an interesting conversation about leadership in harsh economic times, and in particular the way some leaders react to bad news, circumstances they have never encountered before in the marketplace, and doom and gloom.  Some leaders act, but most tend to react or ...... read more

Well, how long is a piece of string and how long do you have?  The short answer is, No.  Despite what geneticists tell us there is plenty of evidence that while some behavioural characteristics are established at birth it is what we learn growing up that generates our behaviour and perspec ...... read more

Hiring new staff in a recession always creates concern for businesses.  After all, wages and salaries are generally the single largest overhead a business has to cover, and staff cuts are one of the quickest and most effective ways to rapidly reduce costs and therefore improve profit/loss state ...... read more