Most leaders I work with complain they find it tough to carve out time for strategic thinking. And now is the time to shape plans for the New Year.
These might be your nagging concerns:
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What do we do now Trump is in leadership
What the hell do we make of the US election result? Here in Australia there is a range of emotions from bewilderment to despair. The world will not be the same again.
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Read MoreThe lost leadership of gentle men
Having worked as an Executive Coach to some very senior men in the public service, in legal firms, in industry associations and in the university sector I know that men feel nervous about speaking up. They worry about changing jobs and how this might affect their family. They worry that they will disappoint their spouse if they lose pay or status. They worry about being good Dads. They worry about being good husbands and the future of their marriage. They worry about trying to find a sliver of time for themselves without feeling guilty.
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Read MoreA leadership framework for push-back
Crossed arms. Sour faces. Seething silence. You are experiencing a mutiny and this is a defining moment in your leadership journey.
They don’t like the change. They disagree with you. And they aren’t budging.
What do you do?
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Read MoreLeadership moments: 3 influence points for change drivers
Leadership framework for successful change
Change the leadership narrative
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How to Tame a Storm Driver - One of the Four Devils of People Stuff
Do you struggle with people stuff?
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About the author, Canberra leadership expert Zoë Routh:
Canberra based leadership expert Zoe Routh shares a leadership framework for successful change
Zoë Routh is one of Australia’s leading experts on people stuff - the stuff that gets in our way of producing results, and the stuff that lights us up. She works with the growers, makers, builders to make people stuff fun and practical.
Zoë is the author of four books: Composure - How centered leaders make the biggest impact, Moments - Leadership when it matters most, Loyalty - Stop unwanted staff turnover, boost engagement, and build lifelong advocates, and People Stuff - Beyond Personalities: An advanced handbook for leadership. People Stuff was awarded Book of the Year 2020 by the Smart WFM Australian Business Book Awards.
Zoë is also the producer of The Zoë Routh Leadership Podcast.
Leadership principles for being an agent of change
A leadership toolkit for change
Leadership principles for being an agent of change
Leadership reflections before action
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Related Articles:
Change Perspective for Better People Stuff Power
3 influence points for change drivers
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About the author, Canberra leadership expert Zoë Routh:
Canberra based leadership expert Zoe Routh share a leadership toolkit for change
Zoë Routh is one of Australia’s leading experts on people stuff - the stuff that gets in our way of producing results, and the stuff that lights us up. She works with the growers, makers, builders to make people stuff fun and practical.
Zoë is the author of four books: Composure - How centered leaders make the biggest impact, Moments - Leadership when it matters most, Loyalty - Stop unwanted staff turnover, boost engagement, and build lifelong advocates, and People Stuff - Beyond Personalities: An advanced handbook for leadership. People Stuff was awarded Book of the Year 2020 by the Smart WFM Australian Business Book Awards.
Zoë is also the producer of The Zoë Routh Leadership Podcast.
Leadership influence inflection points for change
It’s easy to feel helpless when we see behemoths spouting hate during the in-your-face political discourse. Pick your country and political system, it matters not. It seems we have a plague of ‘us vs. them’ messages haranguing the hapless and gullible. It is terrifying.
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Read MoreA leadership framework for being an agent of change
Elections highlight the conversation of change. Each candidate wants ‘change’ of some sort. They want to make their mark and make a difference.
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Read MoreLeadership moments: turn work worries around
Flip your leadership mindset to gain not loss
Leadership moments: turn work worries around
Leadership principles for inviting others in
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Related Articles:
What leadership principles do you need in a crisis?
How to lead with confidence through uncertainty
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About the author, Canberra leadership expert Zoë Routh:
Canberra based leadership expert Zoe Routh on turning you leadership worries around
Zoë Routh is one of Australia’s leading experts on people stuff - the stuff that gets in our way of producing results, and the stuff that lights us up. She works with the growers, makers, builders to make people stuff fun and practical.
Zoë is the author of four books: Composure - How centered leaders make the biggest impact, Moments - Leadership when it matters most, Loyalty - Stop unwanted staff turnover, boost engagement, and build lifelong advocates, and People Stuff - Beyond Personalities: An advanced handbook for leadership. People Stuff was awarded Book of the Year 2020 by the Smart WFM Australian Business Book Awards.
Zoë is also the producer of The Zoë Routh Leadership Podcast.
Leadership strategies for weeding out worry
Tough times need innovation and creativity, not stress and hand-wringing. Worry keeps us cycling in a frenzy of doubt, dread, and desperation. Conviction is what gets us through the tough times.
Worry sows seeds of weeds in your garden of conviction.
This is what Sonya was worried about:
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Read More3 leadership productivity hacks
Leadership ideas for making productivity easier
3 leadership productivity hacks
Create leadership cadence of accountability
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Related Articles:
How to lead in a low trust environment
Three hidden friction points affecting productivity
Perspectives: Is your strategic plan full of holes? Here's how to fix it now
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About the author, Canberra leadership expert Zoë Routh:
Canberra based leadership expert Zoe Routh shares 3 leadership hacks for productivity
Zoë Routh is one of Australia’s leading experts on people stuff - the stuff that gets in our way of producing results, and the stuff that lights us up. She works with the growers, makers, builders to make people stuff fun and practical.
Zoë is the author of four books: Composure - How centered leaders make the biggest impact, Moments - Leadership when it matters most, Loyalty - Stop unwanted staff turnover, boost engagement, and build lifelong advocates, and People Stuff - Beyond Personalities: An advanced handbook for leadership. People Stuff was awarded Book of the Year 2020 by the Smart WFM Australian Business Book Awards.
Zoë is also the producer of The Zoë Routh Leadership Podcast.
A leadership framework for friction
“We’re stuck with a system where the CEO bulldozes bad decisions that costs us hours to fix up. I have a colleague who spent the best part of year, and about half a million dollars in lost productive time, cleaning up one of these messes that should never have been.”
That’s an enormous productivity loss. Can you spot the friction point?
Say ‘productivity’ and what springs to mind? Calendars? Task lists? Document management systems?
Yes, all these things are important. But so are these things, and they are often neglected:
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Read MoreLeadership feedback mistakes to avoid
You know how it goes. Someone said or did something that has got you annoyed. Or upset. Or angry. Or bitter.
There’s great opportunity here, if we handle the feedback delivery well. The opportunity is to clear frustrations, clarify expectations, or mend relationships.
Many leaders miss the opportunity with the following feedback mistakes.
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Read MoreLeadership strategies for simmering tensions
John spent the good part of an hour with me complaining about the lack of support from the marketing department. His project was a strategic initiative of national importance. If it flopped, it would be devastating for the company’s reputation. He needed marketing’s help desperately. His frustration was palpable.
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Read MoreHow to wield leadership influence without alienating others
Getting people to do things as a leader is trickier than most of us imagine. It’s not simply a question of telling people what to do and considering it done. The days of one-way leadership are gone in this age of hyper-connectivity. People don’t work for us, they work with us.
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Read MoreLeadership lessons in emotional management
Learning to experience and express feelings without being carried away by them is a missing critical leadership skill - the skill of being REAL.
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Read MoreThree leadership delusions leaders have when it comes to their team
Most leaders reading those statistics think they are the exception. That their team is somehow better than the rest. After all, you’re the leader, you’re smart, and you put a lot of effort in to your work. You and your team are different, and there’s no way you’ll be one of those toxic places.
Here are the top 3 delusions leaders have when it comes to their team:
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Read MoreLeadership responsibilities for speaking up
I have a google alert that notifies me of any news article that mentions ‘speaking up’. I get at least two articles per day that mention the obstacles, consequences, and the outcomes of speaking up. This is usually against an injustice. From afar, we give a head nod to those who put themselves in the crossfire for a higher cause. We deem them noble and brave.
And we like to think we would do the same.
But would we?
Here are some common reasons clients have told me about why they don’t speak up:
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Read More9 people and resources for leadership inspiration
There are some beautiful amazing people on the planet sharing glorious insights that can help us expand as leaders. Here are a few of them:
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Read MoreLeadership Practice #3: The Practice of Plenty
I’ve worked in three not for profit organisations over the last thirty years. My experience was the same across all of them: there was never enough. Never enough money. Never enough staff. Never enough time.
As I work now with corporate organisations, I’ve found the litany of ‘never enough’ is as pervasive there as in the not for profit sector. The more we have, the more we want, the less we feel capable of delivering.
The practice of Plenty is NOT an exercise in denial. It is the practice of shaping a better reality.
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