Icarus: A cautionary tale for the overambitious

When it came to fables and useful myths to demonstrate a point, the Greeks had it going on. The story of Icarus is no exception. In this Greek myth, Icarus follows his father in fleeing the city of Crete.  His father cobbles together wings for them both made out of wax and feathers – as…

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Five common decision-making mistakes and how to avoid them

Teams tend to make decisions in one of three ways. All three approaches have their place and their strengths.  However, trouble arises when we fall prey to overusing one of them. Or when we automatically apply a decision-making style without much thought as to what’s needed for that situation – a kind of ‘knee jerk’…

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A practical exercise to build a collective vision for your team

Building a high performing, cohesive team is one of your most imperative responsibilities as a leader. Sounds obvious huh? But too often, it’s something we leave to chance, instead of being purposeful and committed to proactively creating one. Building a high performing and cohesive team requires intentional practice – and perhaps more importantly, persistence. A…

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How NOT to run a meeting – let my pain be your gain

When I first became a manager, the thing I dreaded the most was running the weekly team meeting. Cue copious eye rolling, blank stares and sideways smirks, constant phone checking and deathly silence. All the while, I perched anxiously at the head of the table. Not yet comfortable in my new manager skin – I…

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4 Easy Ways To Oil Your Team’s Wheels

One of the best things about my job is the opportunity to learn vicariously. Here are just 4 simple things you can start doing today to improve the cohesiveness and general all round awesomeness of your teams: 1. Cut down on email communication. Put down the mouse. Step away from the computer. Pick up the…

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