The Phone Call That Changed How I Lead.

The Phone Call That Changed How I Lead.

I want to tell you about the moment my instincts were right, and I ignored them anyway. Early in my career, I joined a healthcare business as Sales Manager. Seven people on the team. On my first day, the GM pulled me aside and said something that genuinely shocked me. A new broom sweeps clean. Feel free to let go of anyone you do not want. I was […]

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Mind the Gap: What Gets Measured Gets Managed

Mind the Gap: What Gets Measured Gets Managed

Do you know what competencies and skills your business needs to deliver what you are trying to achieve in the next two to three years? Not what you needed a few years ago. Not what the last job ad you posted says. Going forward, what are the must-haves, not the nice-to-haves. If the honest answer is not really, you are not alone. Australian research tells […]

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You Stopped Hiring Graduates. Did Anyone Tell Your Succession Plan?

You Stopped Hiring Graduates. Did Anyone Tell Your Succession Plan?

Let’s be honest, it made sense at the time. AI tools can do the work faster, cheaper, and without a learning curve. And they do not take annual leave. Why hire a graduate to process data, draft reports, or handle routine analysis when a well-prompted model could do it in minutes? The numbers tell an interesting story. Australian graduate job postings fell almost 15% in 2025 and were […]

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The Difference Between Your Best and Worst Sales Hire Was Decided Before the Interview Began.

The Difference Between Your Best and Worst Sales Hire Was Decided Before the Interview Began.

Here’s something most hiring managers know deep down but rarely say out loud.  The one who nails the interview is not always the one who nails the job. I learned this early in my own leadership career, with a hire I was convinced was going to be a superstar. One candidate stood out head and shoulders above the rest. Relaxed. Confident. Sharp as a tack in the […]

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Five ways of reducing the risk of dropping employee retention

Five ways of reducing the risk of dropping employee retention

Rate of Employee Retention Employee retention is no doubt a key challenge. A recent study by Gartner states that the rate of employee turnover is likely to be up to 75% higher. And in addition, it takes 18% longer to fill any available jobs than pre-pandemic. Not to mention the annoying “quiet quitting” phenomenon, which is white-anting businesses too! Robert Half’s 2022 Salary Guide states […]

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Remote Work – What are seen effects of further shifts in this competitive market?

Remote Work – What are seen effects of further shifts in this competitive market?

After two years of disruption, further shifts in remote work and our lives have emerged. There’s been: the rise of individualism and independence bringing out new confidence to show up as themselves at work. (Fjord Trends 2022) hybrid employment arrangements placing more emphasis on staff being able to work remotely and maintain productivity and service delivery continued challenges to organisations due to Omicron leading to […]

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People Strategy for now and the future – how to close gaps

Planning for a best People Strategy is essential. Your business strategy amounts to no more than words on a page if you don’t have “the right people in the right seat on the bus”. All elements of your employee life cycle must be linked: from attraction through to talent management, leadership development, and ongoing performance management. There is a great reward too in doing this. […]

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People Development – how to handle an employee who thinks they are better than they are

People Development – how to handle an employee who thinks they are better than they are

People development is key to a successful people strategy in all organisations. Many managers out there have likely experienced the unsavoury situation of managing someone who believes their performance is terrific when it’s just mediocre at best. Recent studies in performance management have identified that the “underperformer” is a frequent and draining problem. But what contributes to the perception an individual has about their performance?  […]

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Retention, revenue, and return: Why it’s important you identify and hire top Customer Success talent

Retention, revenue, and return: Why it’s important you identify and hire top Customer Success talent

Over the last ten years or so, cultural trends and customer expectations have combined, resulting in more and more businesses prioritising customer success. Recent research reports that there has been an increase in the total number of open Customer Success jobs for the first time since February. In June, there were 6,515 available Customer Success jobs posted. This number was nearly 500 more than in May. […]

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A Coaching Culture – how does this Protect Productivity and Profit?

A Coaching Culture – how does this Protect Productivity and Profit?

You need to attract and retain the best talent for your organisation and adopt a coaching culture to ensure you win.  However, with the momentum of vaccine rollout in Australia and as the economy continues to rebound, research tells us the labour market will get tighter. For this reason, this situation will result in the war for talent becoming more likely to happen. Hybrid work […]

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