Work Courageously

I.Q. Matters. But Your E.Q. Matters More.

How often have you come across a supposedly super smart person – often with multiple letters after their name, and a big title on their business card – who did really dumb things? And why is it that those we thought most likely to succeed, so often nose dived in their careers, when they had to start managing with other people? The reality is that our EQ (Emotional Intelligence) determines our success in our workplace, our relationships and life far more profoundly than our ability to computer mathematical equations. And the good news is that unlike your IQ which is relatively fixed, your EQ is something you can build as you age.

Bouncing Back from Job Loss… Faster, Wiser & Better Off

How successful people are in finding new work after losing their job depends largely on their ability to bounce back from losing their job. That doesn’t mean that they don’t feel upset, hurt, resentful or any of the negative emotions that accompany job loss, but they don’t let those emotions consume them. Rather they focus on what they can do, versus what they can’t.

What world will you inhabit a decade from now?

As I plant myself back in Australia after a decade in the USA, it feels a bit like I’ve been in a time warp. Some things have changed a lot. Others hardly at all. But it makes me reflect on just how much can change for anyone over the course of a decade. Ten years can fly passed awfully fast. But it also provides countless opportunities for making changes and for taking chances that can totally reshape the reality of our lives.
So, if you could enter into a temporary “time warp”, and paint for yourself the world you’d love to inhabit ten years from now, what would it look like?
As I wrote in my book Find Your Courage, we fail far more from timidity than we do from over daring. So trust in yourself that whatever direction your dreams and aspirations may take you, you have the courage to follow.

Who Knows What You Know?!

Tooting your own horn isn’t about trying to impress people for the sake of stroking your ego. It’s about making sure that people who need to know what you have done (and can do), are aware of it. After all, the more people who know what it is that you want, and what you can do, the more who can help you achieve it.

Are Your Habits Helping or Hindering?

First we make our habits, and then our habits make us. Every morning I start my day with a big cup of Earl Grey tea, milk and two sugars. It’s become a well-worn ritual that dates back to my days in high school. And while it may not be the most ideal kick-start...

Need to cut yourself some slack? Staying upright when life throws you off balance.

It’s easy to feel off balance when the ground beneath your feet shifts. Or in my case, when you move to the other side of the globe. As human beings we long for connection. We love to feel significant to those around us. We enjoy having a shared history with friends. We are wired to feel a sense of belonging and to be surrounded by people who value what we do and celebrate where we’ve come from. So when we relocate to somewhere new, whether it be a new town a hundred miles down the road, or another country, it’s only natural to feel unsettled, to grieve the familiarity, community and identity we’ve left behind, and to feel a degree of apprehension about our ability to rebuild it all again.

A time for Audacity, not Austerity… and some Tall Poppy Courage!

The new year has begun precariously for many. We hear a lot at the moment about the austerity measures that individuals and entire countries around the world must take to get their financial house back in order. But more than we need austerity, we need audacity… and some ‘Tall Poppy’ Courage!

“New Year, New… Hemisphere!”

While my business is very much US based (which why I will be back here regularly!), I have long thought of myself as a Global Citizen. Yes, I’m Australian by birth, passport and accent. But borders are easier to cross the ever, air miles easier to accrue, and people easier to connect with than any time in human history.
I have also long held (or, perhaps more accurately, been held by) a strong sense of purpose to use my time and talents to empower people and organizations globally to live and lead with greater courage. Given the state of the world today – and the climate of uncertainty, economic insecurity and political instability – courage is more needed than ever. Today more than ever we have to be discerning between those fears that serve us and those which stifle. Today more than ever we must refuse to buy into dogma that drives us to create barriers rather than bridges. Today more than ever we have to refuse to think small, play safe and settle for less than that which honors who we are and the potential of who we can become.

Do you need to trade some of your answers for questions?

Every time I turn on the TV at the moment I hear fighting about how best to get the US economy back on track. Needless to say, I do not have the answer to that problem. But what I've noticed more and more is how steadfast people are in their refusal to ask more...

Sex, Power, Courage: Combatting Sexual Harassment & Abuse

Whether it’s being sexually harassed by a person at work in an authority position relative to us, or to being bullied by a colleague of the same gender, we have a role to play in how a relationship unfolds. Or doesn’t. We need to be clear in setting firm boundaries when the need arises and, when our warnings go unheeded, courageous in speaking up and raising the issues with people in authority who can intervene to address it. We must also be mindful about what we may implicitly be communicating around what we will and will not tolerate. Too often victims of sexual harassment have become such because they have not had the courage to say “Cut it out!”. Before we become a victim to anyone else, we are first a victim to our own fear. Whether it be fear of rocking the boat, being judged harshly or damaging career opportunities.

“Working hard at work worth doing.” Are you?

It is only human to feel sharp disappointment when we don’t achieve something we have worked hard toward. But our hard work and effort is never wasted. It truly is one of life’s deep joys to “work hard at work worth doing.” And working hard toward something that fills you with purpose and passion is always work worth doing – whether it be raising your family, fulfilling a long held dream, building a business that fulfills an unmet need or, writing a book to change lives.

Women in Leadership: Are we confining ourselves to a “Glass Cage”?

As women harness their own personal power, their potential to affect change in the world is vast. But harnessing the full quota of our power will demand a commitment to stepping courageously through the glass cage of beliefs, doubts and fears that may be limiting our leadership potential and impact.

Perfectionism: Are you stuck on the perfectionist merry-go-round?

The quest for perfectionism leaves us stuck on a merry-go-round that takes us around and around in circles, but never forward. The merry-go-round has no place for compassion. It is not tolerant of exposing vulnerability. There is no embracing those aspects of us that flawed; only berating them or trying to cover them up lest they be expose to those we seek to impress or prove our worthiness to. Stuck on the perfectionist merry-go-round we can’t move foreward. Only when we can see how it holds us back can we get off it.

Are your assumptions limiting your possibilities?

Assumptions are the death of possibilities. Where are your assumptions holding you back?

Choosing courage in fearful times

From oppression in Syria to famine in Somalia, from the UK riots to the US Credit Rating, from high unemployment to low housing prices to drawn out wars claiming the lives of the finest of young men and women - there's no doubt about it, we are living in...

Do you allow yourself to be intimidated?

Too ofte we make false assumptions of what others are thinking, projecting on to them our insecurities and fears. I’ve seen many people held back in their careers because they are afraid to approach or engage with people more senior to them, for no other reason than they are initimidated by their rank or status. We bring prejudices and false beliefs into our interactions with people (based on everything from the color of their skin or where they went to school, to the title on their business card) that alienate us from them and prevents us from building a relationship with them. Living with assumptions that others “are better than us”, that “they haven’t got time for the likes of us” or that “I’m just not good enough” can be very costly – to our careers, our relationships and our happiness over all.

How powerful are you? Become Your Own Super Hero.

It is my deepest belief that we are all — and yes, that includes you — powerful beyond measure. That within you lies the resources to create positive change and accomplish extra-ordinary things. But it will require reclaiming the power you give your doubts and fears and becoming your own super hero. The thing that keeps most people stuck aren’t their circumstances or the villians in their life; but their lack of belief in their own personal power.

Neuro-Plasticity: Want To Outsmart Your Brain?

Neuro-plasticity research now proves what many have long known: that you are never too old to change, and more so, that you can rewire your brain to think in ways that lead to greater success in work, love & life.

The Ultimate Productivity Tool To Focus On

The world has changed dramatically in the last twenty years, but the value of focused effort has not. If you want to accomplish a specific goal or raise the bar on your productivity, try these four simple steps to focus your efforts and attention in a world brimming with distractions.

Want to build more trust in your relationships?

Emerson once wrote, “distrust is very expensive.” The fact is, without trust, influence wanes, intimacy erodes, relationships crumble, careers derail, organizations fail to prosper (and ultimately, also crumble) and, in short, nothing much works. Wherever trust is missing, opportunity is lost — opportunity to prosper, to exert influence, to deepen intimacy, to enjoy harmony, to collaborate, to foster understanding, to succeed at the very things that matter to you.

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