Leadership
A study into hybrid working and working from home in the Australian Public Service. I note that building managerial capability to manage hybrid working remains a major gap...
Hybrid working from home improves retention without damaging performance
A report in the Journal Nature covering a six month randomised control trial of hybrid work in a Chinese Technology company found that job satisfaction improved, quit rates reduced, performance was maintained and there was no impact on promotion...
What makes a good public service leader?
One of our facilitators, Michael Manthorpe, recently took part in the IPAA ACT Senior Executive Leadership Conversations program, here is his advice on ‘what makes a great SES leader?’...
A key leadership capability is judgment. This article outlines the elements of judgment and how to improve them...
How we respond to failure in our organisations has a profound and lasting impact on individual behaviour and how much we learn as an organisation...
A sensible article about the importance of 'being present' and advice on how to do this. This skill is very important to your success in work and in life...
Words of Wisdom from the Health Secretary, Blair Comley
An excellent interview from The Mandarin. I especially liked the priority being given to delegation and stopping micro-management...
There but for the grace of God…
Sue Robertson's reflections on leading the APS Integrity Taskforce...
Robert Cialdini has written an excellent book on persuasion and negotiation. This summary outlines six principles of persuasion commonly used by compliance practitioners...
Leading with Compassion Has Research-Backed Benefits
If you demonstrate that you care about the people who work for you they will stay working for you longer and be more productive. This article outlines the research...
This brief video explains why some of the highest performing individuals should never be put in leadership positions...
Gen Z work to live, not live to work
A good article about the different motivations of many younger staff members. At the core, nothing has changed. The job of the leader is to understand why their staff come to work and to work out how they can help their staff to give their best. This requires flexibility, care and understanding...
How to deal with a Machiavellian boss
Is your boss Machiavellian and how do you deal with them if they are? If your boss is Machiavellian it is time to look for a new job...
A proposal for reframing the APS Senior Executive Leadership Capabilities
A thoughtful article by David de Carvalho about another way of thinking about the five core capability clusters that make up the current framework. The foundation for everything else is 'exemplifies personal drive and integrity'...
NSW Education staff to spend a week in schools as part of induction
The NSW Department of Education has announced that all central office new staff will spend a week in a local Primary or High School as part of their induction. This is a very good initiative. Many central office staff do not understand the work that they are responsible for. Their job is to serve those who do the real work...
It is important to vary the way that you make a decision to suit the circumstances that you are facing. This blog outlines a good framework to use...
Kindness Can Have Unexpectedly Positive Consequences
Kindness has a powerful and underestimated impact on others. It is a strength of many good leaders...
Rebuilding trust and integrity after robodebt
Gordon de Brouwer and Kathy Leigh talk about what now needs to be done...
Sir Geoff Mulgan talks about leadership. This is an excellent short article and podcast...
Create a User Manual for your team
This is a good idea. The more that the members of a team know about how to get the most from each other the higher the better...
Learned helplessness is an enemy of good public administration
A reminder of the importance of public servants speaking truth to power and of an important speech given by Allan Hawke...
Life and Learning after One Hundred Years
George P. Schultz, the former US Secretary of State, writes that ‘Trust is the coin of the Realm’. It matters more than anything. Do your colleagues and your staff trust you? (Long essay)...
The best leaders are demanding and supportive
This story is from the financial world but the message is important. Being demanding and being supportive are not mutually exclusive...
This document outlines the values and behaviours of IKEA. A lot of this would be adopted by a wise public sector leader...
Why is everyone so gloomy when the evidence suggests that they should not be? As a leader you need to be prepared for the worst but positive in your approach to the present. Here are some ideas about how to do that...
How to Tell if Someone is Bluffing
A brief video which explains a negotiation and inquiry technique which you can use in everyday life (ignore the American flavour - this technique works)...
Flexible working in the Australian Capital Territory Public Service
A research paper written by the UNSW on how to get the best results from flexible work in the public service...
Beyond the hype: exploring what transformation in government really means
An exploration by two excellent public service thinkers of the role, purpose and relationship between iteration, innovation, transformation, and imagination in government. I love the reference to the importance of imagination (echoes of the late and great Brendan Sargeant)...
How to implement flexible work arrangements
The NSW Public Service Commission has a wide range of practical online resources for managers on how to implement an ‘if not, why not’ approach to flexible work. Recommended...
What Good Feedback Really Looks Like
Feedback - both positive and negative - is essential to helping managers enhance their best qualities and address their worst so they can excel at leading. They provide guidance on how to provide feedback...
The Problem with Saying “My Door Is Always Open”
Leaders often have an inflated idea of how easy it is for others to speak honestly to them. Many leaders simply don’t appreciate how risky it can feel for others to speak up. Here is what you need to do and say to enable others to speak...
The Ukrainian army is doing exceptionally well against the Russians
There are lessons here for the public service. The Ukrainians use a leadership model which empowers individual soldiers. The Russians still use top down decision making where soldiers wait for orders about what they are to do . Good public service leaders follow the Ukrainian model...
Decisiveness is Just as Important as Deliberation
The most difficult challenge in decision making is executing a decision you do not want to do. Delaying the decision makes the problem worse...
Bullying and harassment are rife in the public service: here’s what to do about it
The National President of IPAA, Gordon de Brouwer, has written an excellent article with an attached paper drawing attention to the extent of bullying in the Public Service and suggesting practical steps to reduce the rate of bullying. Each of you can take these steps within the area for which you have responsibility. Take action and encourage those above you to also take action...
From the great attrition to the great adaptation
This podcast argues that in 2022 leaders will have to adapt to attract and retain good staff - otherwise these staff will leave to work elsewhere...
How to become a good listener - and why that’s important
Many of us are poor listeners. The good news is: you can learn how to do it - quite easily in fact...
An aide memoire for a career chat
An excellent guide and handout to help you to have a career chat with your staff. It will also be of help to you. Thank you to Vicki Woodburn for sending it to me...
What You’re Getting Wrong About Burnout
Rest helps to avoid burnout but it is not enough. Other actions leaders can take to reduce burnout of their staff is to communicate that the work has purpose, to create a sense of belonging and to remind staff that they are making progress...
Power leads to hubris and self-focus. This article offers strategies for recognising power's pitfalls and avoiding them. You need to read this...
What it takes to be a Prime Minister
Sir Anthony Seldon, author of The Impossible Office? The History of the British Prime Minister, examines why we are now in a point in history where those filling the role in the UK don't have the necessary experience to maximise the importance of the position...
A Quarter of Australian Employees Are Seeking a New Job
Gartner made this press release in April 2021. I have included it to remind you that we are in the middle of a war for talent. Good leaders who look after their people will do better at holding high quality staff...
How toxic leaders destroy people as well as organisations
An expert in organisational leadership breaks down the five types of toxic leaders and what impact they have on the culture and staff around them...
Workplace civility, inclusivity, engagement and wellbeing
We often read about toxic bosses but overlook the impact of our own incivility. Good manners and respect for others matters. Has work pressure and busyness led you into unintended incivility? If so, do not be surprised if the performance of your people drops...
Google has studied the secrets of effective teams. They found that what mattered was how the teams worked together with the most important factor being that there is psychological safety within the team. This article gives details of what makes a good team and a questionnaire for you to use with your team...
The Presence Framework for New Remote Managers
This article outlines some structural obstacles and provides a framework to face the fears that every manager doing remote management is likely having...
The more senior your role the more lonely you can be at work. Some of this is inevitable but some of it is the result of an addiction to work. One way of dealing with loneliness is to establish your own trusted network outside your immediate workplace...
Interviews: What’s going on here?
A long article about the art of interviewing. My favourite takeaway -‘I now consider in-person references with someone who knows the candidate well 5x more valuable than an interview. They can be 10x more valuable when you are already in a high-trust relationship with the reference-giver’...
This toolkit provides advice to managers in the NSW Department of Planning, Industry & Environment. It is an excellent resource and I particularly like the flow chart on page 12 and the advice and support they provide to managers...
Leaders And Employees Are Burning Out At Record Rates: New Survey
The interesting thing about this international survey is that it is not about the public sector. It suggests that those who will do well in 2021 will focus on the basics and that empathy is the single most influential factor that prevents burnout...
Some practical tips for leading and managing a hybrid team. I expect that managing hybrid teams will be one of the new challenges that you will all face in the future. Those who do it well will have a competitive advantage. This is not just a COVID-19 issue...
Who won’t shut up in meetings? Men say it’s women. It’s not.
Many of you know this already. Understanding the problem will help you to find a solution...
It’s the mission and not the pay that motivates most public servants
Making public service central can have an immense, positive impact on how we lead, organise and motivate public servants. This paper gives insights into how best to motivate public servants...
A New Model for Ethical Leadership: Create more value for society
Environment and psychological processes can lead us to engage in ethically questionable behaviour even if it violates our own values. Improving ethical decision-making blends philosophical thought with business-school pragmatism, writes Harvard Business Review‘s Max H. Bazerman...
Podcast about the four traits of every successful person and how to awaken the leader within you...
How People, Companies and Nations Can Grow from the COVID-19 Crisis
A video by Jonathon Haidt about how we can thrive in the Age of COVID-19. Excellent advice for individuals, leaders and parents. Highly recommended listen to the first twenty minutes...
Stockdale Paradox: A Message for Uncertain Times
A short video explaining why we need to be realistic about the challenges that we face and determined to prevail. It will help you and your staff to navigate the next year. Highly recommended...
This article explains why it is really important that your team includes people who are smart and people who have good social skills. You need both capabilities otherwise your team will not perform highly...
The five keys to a successful Google team
Who is on a team matters less than how the team members interact, structure their work, and view their contributions. Here are the results...
Trust: It arrives on foot and leaves on horseback!
An excellent article by Mark Crosweller about the important role of a strong ethical framework to underpin our decisions, especially when we get tired...
Why Don’t Women Self-Promote As Much As Men?
A fascinating study into the extent to which men, no matter what the incentives, self-promote more than women. This is an issue to be aware of as you assess the performance of your staff...
New Zealand Public Service Commission - Flexible Work Guidance and Resources
This guide provides definitions of the different types of flexible work and advice to managers about the issues that you need to consider with tips, case studies and a range of resources. You are all going to face requests for more flexible working arrangements. These resources can help you...
How to use others' feedback to learn and grow
Most efforts to improve individual and organisational learning focus on teaching people how to give feedback. This video argues that a far better investment for you and your people is to improve your ability to receive feedback...
High-Performing Teams Need Psychological Safety. Here's How to Create It
A two year in depth study of teams at Google identified 'psychological safety' as the most important ingredient in team performance. This article explains what it is and how to create it...
The pandemic provides a unique chance to hone your leadership skills. This article is written by an operational leader. I particularly like his emphasis on your role being to serve the people who work for you, rather than the other way around...
How People, Companies and Nations Can Grow from the COVID-19 Crisis
A video by Jonathon Haidt about how we can thrive in the Age of COVID-19. Excellent advice for individuals, leaders and parents. Highly recommended listen to the first twenty minutes...
Are you paying attention to your team culture?
An article by Darren Stephenson, one of our facilitators, about the importance of team culture and how the culture of the team that you lead will be shaped by your behaviour. Recommended...
Work with Purpose: Podcast featuring Brendan Murphy and Caroline Edwards
The work with purpose podcast series is excellent. There are a number of episodes worth listening to. Start with this one...
Is this the secret of smart leadership?
The latest research suggests that people with humility are better learners, decision makers and problem solvers. Leaders who display humility increase the strategic thinking and boost the performance of staff across their organisation...
How Ego and Authority Impact Your Potential
This blog is targeted at high stakes negotiators who face intense pressure to get results and where any mistake can have catastrophic consequences. Interesting read...
If you want others to follow, learn to be alone with your thoughts. The position of the leader is ultimately an intensely solitary, even intensely lonely one. However many people you may consult, you are the one who has to make the hard decisions. And at such moments, all you really have is yourself...
Remote working and supporting staff mental health
Advice for Managers at the United Nations. A two page summary...
How Will You Measure Your Life?
A graduation address at Harvard Business School. It looks at how to find happiness in your career and how to have great relationships with your spouse and family and argues that 'management is the most noble of professions, if practiced well'. Recommended...
Decision Making During a Crisis: A Practical Guide
Practical guidance and a checklist to gauge whether you and your team are making good decisions during a crisis. Based on research into a series of crisis management exercises with a range of Australian organisations...
The 15 Diseases of Leadership, According to Pope Francis
An excellent analysis of common causes of poor leadership. Many of these problems are caused by too great a focus on self-advancement rather than serving others. The article recommends that you score yourself against these maladies and determine to what extent are you a healthy leader?..
For Leaders, Decency Is Just as Important as Intelligence
Intellect and emotional intelligence are vital, but it is decency that ensures IQ and EQ are used to benefit society, not tear it down...
Allan Hawke, a former Secretary of three Commonwealth departments is an expert on public sector leadership. It is one of the reasons that we use him as a Mentor in our Secretary level Learning Group. Allan writes about how to achieve 'results through people' in the Public Service. Highly recommended...
Neurogenesis, leadership and rewiring your own brain
Transformational leaders all shared a capacity for complex problem solving and decision making, exercising steerage rather than control, self-awareness and skilled personal interaction. They were all pragmatic optimists. To lead well you need to 'get off your bum and talk to people'...
An excellent valedictory speech which traverses the problems of bureaucracies and the importance of solitude to effective leadership...
There is more than one way to work
A fascinating interview on dignity and work with Brunello Cucinelli founder of the eponymously named fashion house...
Valedictory address by Duncan Lewis, former Director General of ASIO and former Secretary of Defence
Duncan Lewis argues that an APS College should be established. He also expresses concern at those in the APS who get promoted because of their skill in upwards management...
How to Resist the Lure of Overconfidence
We are emotionally, mentally and biologically attuned to respond to confidence. Exercising caution is important when we encounter people with too much of it. Here are strategies to use...
Leadership to support working parents
by Julianne Cowley
What to know if you have a pregnant staff member...
by Julianne Cowley
'I'm pregnant' - how leaders make a difference
by Julianne Cowley
Workplace incivility - what is the impact
An article that explains the negative impact of workplace incivility and the value of common courtesies. Most people think that they are courteous but drift into being rude or worse under pressure. Read this and reflect on your and your team's behaviour...
‘You don't leave your depression at the door when you walk into work’
Georgie Harman, the CEO of Beyond Blue and a former senior executive in the public service talks about her personal battle with depression and suicidal thoughts at work...
Meaning as a motivator for staff
A TED talk by Dan Ariely on what makes us feel good about our work...
The Difference between GOVERNANCE and LEADERSHIP
A speech given by Dr Allan Hawke AC to the Australian Institute of Company Directors. This is well worth reading...
The Best Bosses Are Humble Bosses
Some employers are realising they’ve been missing one of the most important traits of all: humility. Humility is a core quality of leaders who inspire close teamwork, rapid learning and high performance in their teams, according to several studies in the past three years. Humble people tend to be aware of their own weaknesses, eager to improve themselves, appreciative of others’ strengths and focused on goals beyond their own self-interest...
How toxic leaders destroy people as well as organisations
New research suggests three in ten leaders are “toxic”. An expert in organisational leadership breaks down the five types of toxic leaders and what impact they have on the culture and staff around them...
The Art of Letting Other People Have Your Way
This is an outstanding podcast about how to negotiate well. Chris Voss explains how most of us approach negotiations the wrong way. I think he is right and this is the best podcast I listened to over the Summer break...
Grit: The power of passion and perseverance
What makes people successful- it is not IQ or EQ, nor their looks. The only attribute that correlates highly with success is 'grit'. A short and thought-provoking TED talk. The bigger question is how do we build this quality in our children and staff - the talk gives a partial answer to this...
Trust us: authenticity needs work
An article about the loss of trust in 'big business' and the need for more authenticity from leaders. This issue readily translates to the public sector which is another institution under attack. It is our responsibility to do what we can to build trust both with staff and with the community...
Burnout at Work Isn't Just About Exhaustion. It's Also About Loneliness
The key to this article is what each of you can do to create a workplace where connections at work reduce the impact of burnout...
Like It or Not, You are Always Leading by Example
This article describes a great way to assess your leadership and the leadership of those around you...
Amanda Horne asks what is your motivational focus? What is the motivational focus of the people around you?...
A great example of leadership. Gordon de Brouwer explains the approach he is taking to devolve decision making…
A very good article about the powerful effects of meditation on the performance of Executives...
Think like a writer to tell your story
The power of story telling in getting your message across...
Positive mental health at work
Amanda Horne provides practical examples of workplace strategies for assisting people with mental health problems that have been used in Australian workplaces...
What Google learned from its quest to build the perfect team
New research reveals the surprising truth about why some team thrive and others falter. There are two key elements - members of good teams speak in roughly the same proportion. That is, they take it in turns and they have strong social sensitivity (EQ)...
The key to professional success
Why generosity in the workplace continues to be more effective than selfishness and why it is critical to personal development...
Leanne Ansell-McBryde's latest blog on 'practices introverted leaders do that can make them more successful than their extroverted counterparts...
We are creating too many 'superchickens'
This Ted talk reminds us of the value of social capital in the workplace and the negative impact of heroic individualists...
A practical tool to guide staff on what matters
Provided by a Deputy to their direct reports, this one pager provides strategic guidance on where they ought put their effort and guides them to do the strategic work and empower staff to carry the day to day load. What guidance do you give?...
An animated cartoon from David Marquet
Why it's better to delegate rather than micromanage...
Givers take all: The hidden dimension of corporate culture
Givers are more likely to occupy the highest rungs of the success ladder. By rewarding givers, and screening out takers, companies can reap significant and lasting benefits. The article gives tips on how to screen out the takers...