James Clear is best-selling author of Atomic Habits, one of my favourite books, and is on track to sell a million and more copies worldwide. Last week he spoke at Thought Leaders Business School and I had the opportunity for a conversation with him over dinner. What follows is insight on how we react around greatness, and what we can learn from ordinary humans doing extraordinary things.
The secret to extraordinary results
How to handle being star-struck
James’s top insight on being better at anything
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Read MoreEmotions are a troublesome thing in difficult conversations. Rather than feeling boundless, we end up frozen, shut down, or worst - explosive. They lead us off track from the constructive progress we wanted to make in the first place.
Why catastrophising can be a useful approach
The wisdom of Petyr Baelish from Game of Thrones
3 steps to preparing for the worst
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Read MoreHave you got an issue to raise with the boss but are fearful of consequences? Have you seen others speak up and get punished for sharing their opinion? What is it costing you to stay silent?
How fear is a product of our assumptions
Why suspending judgements before speaking is a useful approach
Why openness is the best defence, and compassion the smartest weapon.
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Read MoreHave you ever had a difficult conversation go off the rails? Have you ever lost the plot and said things you regret? Has anyone ever shouted you down and treated you badly? Boundless Leaders know that when a storm hits, it’s best to let it pass, then clean it up.
How Suits characters model what not to do, and what can’t be done
When avoidance is the best strategy
Not everything is solvable
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Read MoreSpeaking up is an ordeal. There is plenty at risk: reputation, relationships, remuneration. Is it sometimes better NOT to speak up? Are there times when it’s better to keep to ourselves and let the cards fall as they may? How does this stack up if we are committed to being Boundless Leaders?
Risks of being a whistleblower
What to consider in speaking up
How to find your own commitment to action
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Read MoreHave you ever been so entrenched in an argument you just cannot budge? Maybe you’re absolutely convinced you’re right, and they’re wrong. Nothing they say will convince you otherwise. And frustratingly, they feel the same way. So you’ve had to pull in outside help to settle the argument. Is this the point of no return? Or is it possible to mend the divide?
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Read MoreDo you avoid tough conversations? Do you stress about the fallout after the fact? What makes conversations so challenging in the first place? In this article we unearth the cause of what makes a conversation tough, a circuit breaker to make it easier, and a tip to keep our imagination in check.
Why conversations feel tough
A circuit breaker for de-escalation
What to do before going into a tough conversation
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Read MoreLeadership is hard and lonely. It’s very easy to get caught up in trying to solve challenges all on our own. This is the fast-track to getting stuck! As leaders we need teams we can trust, who’ve got our back, with whom we can share the trials and tribulations of our calling. Here’s how to build bonds in your team beyond cocktails and canapes.
Leadership is not a solo activity.
Beware of culture by default.
5 principles for designing shared experiences.
Read MoreBanging your head against a brick wall? Does the breakthrough you crave seem elusive and out of reach? Desperate for a sign that things are working? When should you kill off your dream and let it be? No one likes to feel like they failed. Here are some guidelines to help navigate the challenges when things aren’t working.
The Valley of Disappointment happens before a breakthrough
Strategic quitting is not the same as killing off your dream
5 questions to ask before you throw in the towel
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Read MoreWe mourn with our New Zealand neighbours. As they come to terms with what happened and grieve the loss of life, we need to be asking what can we do, how can we make a better future where people can live peacefully and practice whatever faith they choose? It starts with some fundamentals.
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Read MoreWe all screw up. Most of us don’t expect to screw up. The shock of it is almost as bad as the consequences of it. The real pain of screwing up is often the disappointment of not living up to our own expectations. How do we move through the heady emotions and make good again?
Are some incidents impossible to forgive?
What good can come of shame?
How long should we feel bad?
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Read MoreConfidence is overrated. It’s an elusive horizon that keeps us from the real work we need to do now. What we need instead is COURAGE. Focus on that and confidence comes, eventually. Here are some things to keep in mind.
Why confidence is the wrong thing to focus on
The building blocks of activity that results in confidence
Three principles to help us build courage as a practice
Read MoreStarting a new role? Now leading your peers? Have you achieved a new milestone in your business with new demands and new expectations? It takes some getting used to. Boundless Leadership is about the relentless pursuit of a better future. Embracing new opportunities and roles should feel effortless and on track. The opposite is often the case! Our old inner world, setpoint, and paradigm can hold us back, dragging back from boundless edge of possibilities. New levels need new paradigms. We also need an acclimatisation process.
The invisible barrier that drops when we get promoted
Getting used to the new role: some things to consider
The three most important steps to take to handle the transition
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Read MoreSometimes life throws you a real rotten lemon. There’s not much chance of lemonade in it. Positive thinking does not change the sucky-ness part of what happened. Re-framing downplays the consequences. Finding a more useful belief only happens when we’ve dealt with the mess. So what do we do instead? Here are my suggestions on how to wade through tough times and come out stronger on the other side.
A Chinese parable that stands the test of time, that we can adapt for a more useful approach
A modern take of using beliefs and positive delusion
The three steps I used to get over a car accident.
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Read MoreThe Haynes report is a call for better leadership. If this Royal Commission has taught us anything, it’s that leadership is a hefty responsibility, and we need to do our best to be our best. It’s too easy to miss the important stuff, or to be dragged down, distracted. If you have the courage to lead, make sure you give yourself the best shot at doing it well, starting with the fundamentals of deep rest, so often overlooked.
The need to steer our senses, and not be led by bad habits
How we can revamp the boardroom to promote better thinking
Apps and resources for stimulating, controlling and depriving the senses for better rest.
Read MoreHow does your day finish? With a blur, a sigh, a cold drink? End of day habits drive the tone of the day. This simple, inexpensive, easy to do and easy to stick to habit can make the big difference in a day, and a year, well-led, and well-enjoyed.
We can craft peak experiences with focus on senses
Build your leadership success day by day through your yearly theme
Use a Moments Journal to keep you focused and on track, while building memory and attention
Read MoreI work with high level leaders: big thinkers, with big hearts who want to make a big difference. We focus on Boundless Leadership which is the relentless pursuit of a better future so you can have more impact with less struggle.
If you are a CEO, MD, GM or senior executive I have a range of programs that might suit you and your team for your development of strategic thinking and deep self mastery.
Read MoreIt’s the end of the year! And we are on the threshold of a brand new one.
As is my tradition for the least 15 years, I have a brand new reflection and planning tool for you. I’ve opted for simple graphics (i.e. none) in favour of maximum usefulness and content.
Free downloadable resources (no opt-in required)
Read MoreAre you engaged and at risk of burnout? Apparently 1 in 5 engaged employees are. That’s bad news as the research also shows how few of us are actually engaged in the first place! It seems that if you want something done ask a busy person is a default that works, and to our detriment. If you are a keener, like my client ‘Karen’, and is excited by everything, then chances are you need to learn how to say yes better, not just less frequently. Filter what does not fit!
Boundless Leaders need boundaries
Saying yes to avoid saying no is a common trap
Use a strainer to make better choices
Read MoreThe biggest difference I see between an Achiever (someone who is driven by results) and an Amplifier (someone who is inspired by purpose beyond themselves) is how they manage their calendar. Our calendar habits are like our supermarket shopping: we either jam it full of junk for quick hits, or we take our time around the outsides, carefully choosing food that will fuel and heal. Here are three ‘nutritious’ habits that will move you towards amplifier.
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