The year is swooping to a close! We did it. We survived our third year of a pandemic. This year was, in that way, a whole lot better than 2021 or 2020.
And yet. We also have a heinous war in Ukraine, devastating floods here in Australia, and terrible fires in the USA.
There is still plenty to fix in our world.
There is also plenty to be grateful for.
To help guide your reflection, here is the End of Year Reflection and Planning Tool.
Personal Insights
Leadership is hard. This was an observation from a participant many years ago. And it still rings true. There are no easy answers. There are no simple solutions. The best we can hope for is to do our best given what we know with what we have at the time. And then learn. And learn some more.
Cycles are the most important change to monitor. Whereas there is constant change, there is consistency in the cycles of change. The seasons change, the cycle of seasons does not. If we apply that to the cycles in business, work, and our own lives, we can move through the changes with positive focus and take advantage of the parts of the cycle that may feel like loss initially. For example, in October, we farewelled Abby who has been our Marketing Officer for three years. As our business changed and evolved, so too did our team members’ goals and aspirations. The farewell was bittersweet: sad Abby was moving on, and happy we have a new colleague, Jules Smith, who has taken over the marketing role with enthusiasm.
Sometimes you can do more by doing less. This year my back injury was fine. Then I hurt my knee skiing. I’ve had 12 weeks of recovery so far. It’s made me re-think (again) that going hard all the time is not the best approach. While my exercise is restricted, I have discovered more energy. It turns out ‘minimum effective dose’ is an effective strategy. Plus, lots of rest. Life lessons, anyone?!
My Year in Numbers
Nights sleeping outdoors: 19
Nights in the desert: 16. (Could have done 100!)
Kilometres hiked: 282
Trips taken for work and pleasure: 23 - Including Newcastle, Wagga, Leeton, Cairns, Melbourne, Merimbula, Clare Valley, Alice Springs (for the Larapinta Trail), Guthega, Kananaskis Canada (for my brother’s wedding), Narrabri, Goondiwindi, Dubbo, Bega, Manyana, Pokolbin, Sydney, New Jersey and Japan!
Podcasts published: I think 48. We are up to episode 291!
Days spent worrying about how my novel will be received: 365
Top listing for The Olympus Project: #1 Amazon Best Seller! Yeah!
New stuff we did
Re-vamped Amplifiers™ so people can attend 90 day programs
Finished the online self-study resources to support Amplifiers™
Welcomed many new clients from government agencies, Councils, Associations, agribusiness, and professional services. We also had the privilege of serving numerous returning clients.
The most popular programs this year have been: HORIZONS - strategy for the future and COMPASS - culture for the future.
Kodak Moments
The Larapinta Trail - every day was absolutely magic! Stunning views everywhere you looked.
My brother’s wedding in the Rocky Mountains. It was just family. What a wonderful way to do a wedding! I have never seen my brother and his wife so happy! They couldn’t stop grinning.
Every time a client stepped up, was courageous, and tried something new. Or leaned into a difficult situation. Or had a laugh. My clients are my inspiration! I am honoured to work with them. I am deeply grateful.
When The Olympus Project hit #1 on Amazon!
Zoë on the Larapinta Trail
A beautiful setting for a beautiful wedding!
Book Recommendations
I’m a big reader. I’m up to 139 books this year with a few weeks to go. Here are some of my faves. If you want to see the whole list, you can follow me on Goodreads.
The book that has had the biggest impact on me this year:
Kate Raworth - Doughnut Economics: Seven ways to think like a 21st century economist
This book was an amazing diagnostic of current challenges brought on by past worldview and economic principles, and a roadmap to a better future.
Honourable Mentions:
Rick Chromey - GenTech: An American story of technology, change and who we really are (1900-present)
Chromey upends the practice of thinking about generations from their birth year and encourages us to think more through the lens of technology and how it shapes attitudes and practices of a generation.
Listen to the Rick Chromey interview here.
Moisés Naím - The Revenge of Power: How autocrats are reinventing politics for the 21st century
This was a fantastic sequel to The End of Power. It’s a great read to understand how despots can rise to the top and how we might prevent democracies turning into autocracies.
Best books for improving leadership skills:
Rachel Audigé - Unblinkered: The Quirky Biases that get in the way of creative thinking …and how to bust them
This is a really practical handbook for challenging our default thinking. Audigé offers specific processes to bust blinkers. Rachel will appear on The Zoë Routh Leadership Podcast on Feb 7 2023.
Vanessa Van Edwards - Cues: Master the secret language of charismatic communication
We studied this book in the last quarter of the year in Amplifiers™. Edwards did an amazing job of showcasing the science of body language for charismatic influence. A very practical and useful book for leaders to elevate their influence skills immediately.
Alan Watkins - Wicked & Wise: How to solve the world’s toughest problems
Watkins uses the integral framework from Ken Wilbur to help us see the challenges we face from multiple dimensions. A useful tool to help orient ourselves in the middle of the toughest problems, and find a way through.
Oscar Trimboli - How to Listen: Discover the hidden key to better communication
Oscar has delivered a fabulous book that extends his work from Deep Listening. It includes some wonderful insights from leaders. Helpful strategies to prepare for listening and to listen better.
George Karseras - Build Better Teams: Creating winning teams in the digital age
Since reading this book, I have been referencing George’s book ad infinitum. His research lays out the exact steps in the right sequence to build better teams. He also makes a really good distinction between fast trust and relational trust, how to do both, and in which order. Listen to the interview with George Karseras here.
Favourite new fiction authors:
Adrian Tchaikovsky - Children of Time series. Beautifully written science fiction
Leo Tolstoy - Anna Karenina. I listened to the audiobook. Narrated by Maggie Gyllenhal, I was swept up in the sheer beauty of description. Amazing.
Favourite new Indie authors:
Kim Catanzarite and her Jovian series. She does wonders with building intrigue.
Andrew Maclure and his quirky comedic sci-fi books, Unwilling from Earth.
Raquel Rich and her time travel series, starting with Hamartia. Great premise.
Roger Wheatley and his creepy books. I love that he is a fellow Canberran, does not follow genres, and writes intriguing stories.
Justin Woolley and his funny sci-fi adventures with Shakedowners.
Best Biography:
Stephen Walker - Beyond: The astonishing story of the first human to leave our planet and journey into space. I listened to the audiobook and absolutely loved it! Wonderful detail of the amazing story of the race to space and Yuri Gagarin’s epic first flight.
The Books I Loved/Hated:
Gregory David Roberts - Shantaram. I listened to the fifteen hour audio and was at once fascinated and troubled by the story. Great writing. Did not enjoy the gratuitous drug use, crime, and other aspects of this ‘hero’ on the run after escaping prison. As a redemption story, I was not sold on it. The series on Apple TV is much better.
Jodi Picoult - My Sister’s Keeper. Premise: parents with a desperately ill child have another child to use cord blood to save the first child. This second child becomes a biological medicine cabinet for her sister. Complex motivations leading to an all too convenient ending. Made me mad at the end.
*Don’t want to wait until the end of the year for book recommendations? I have a new e-missive called BOOKISH - the occasional report on books I’m reading, books I’m writing. Want in? Sign up here.
Podcast Recommendations From The Zoë Routh Leadership Podcast
Most popular interviews:
Chris West - How to use language better in leadership
Dr Sam Mathers - Leadership strategies for psychological safety
Hedda Bird - Why high performance starts with people stuff
Episodes that had a deep impact on me:
Olanike Ayomide-Mensah on diversity, inclusion and equity and how to unbias our organisation systems.
Mykel Dixon on leading fully self expressed. I was inspired to keep focus on doing what lights me up.
David Mattin on future vectors affecting leadership. It was a highlight to speak with someone whose work I read religiously every week.
Podcast Recommendations
These are my go-to listens:
For Future of Leadership
The Futurists with Rob Tercek and Brett King - my all time favourite show!
Exponential Wisdom with Peter Diamandis and Dan Sullivan - game changing insights
Moonshots and Mindsets with Peter Diamandis - a positive look at future technologies
The Future Report with Aussie Mark McCrindle
For Leadership Maturity
The Daily Evolver with Jeff Salzman - an integral look at current events
For Personal Peak Performance
Flow Research Collective with Rian Doris
About Zoë Routh, leadership futurist
Zoë Routh is a leadership futurist, podcaster, and multiple award-winning author. She works with leaders and teams to explore what's coming and what it means for leadership of the future.
She has worked with individuals and teams internationally and in Australia since 1987. From wild Canadian rivers to the Australian Outback, and the Boardroom jungles, Zoë is an adventurist! She facilitates strategy and culture for the future with audacious teams.
Zoë's fourth leadership book, People Stuff - Beyond Personality Problems: An advanced handbook for leadership, won the Book of the Year at the Australian Business Book Awards in 2020. Her fifth book is a leadership futurist science fiction dystopian novel, The Olympus Project.
Zoë is the producer of the Zoë Routh Leadership Podcast, dedicated to asking “What if…?” and sharing big ideas on the Future of Leadership.
Zoë is an outdoor adventurist and enjoys telemark skiing, has run six marathons, is a one-time belly-dancer, has survived cancer, and loves hiking in the high country. She is married to a gorgeous Aussie and is a self-confessed dark chocolate addict.