My CV, Thoughts and Information
This could be the moment.jpg

Beacons

My thoughts around organisations, business, strategy, governance and professional matters

Posts in Leadership
The theory of organisations, management and leadership

Drucker made it clear that leaders, managers, academics and researchers in the fields of organisations, management, communication and change need to challenge the very foundations and assumptions of their work. Roddick said "we went looking for employees, but people turned up instead." The starting points for all organisations are people and values.

Read More
APEC & the business leadership of women

The evidence demonstrates that increasing the involvement of women has markedly beneficial effects on business, both short and long-term. Therefore you would think that Boards and senior management teams striving to do the best possible thing in the interests of the company and shareholders would be clamoring for much greater participation on Boards and in senior management for women.

Read More
The Asian Century - Again

In the Asian century, business as usual is not enough. Because what we know clearly is there isn't a single aspect of government policies and national planning that won't be touched by the great changes to come. Food security and foreign investment, immigration and education, stock market structures and financial regulation, energy policy and environmental standards.

Read More
The Young, The Bald & The Leadership

Instead, she set about making a documentary called Baby, Let Your Hair Hang Down and started working with children who suffer from alopecia. She researched the identity and image problems children suffer as a result of the disease, which can lead to bullying and trauma. This is all on top of continuing her usual work.

Read More
Leadership Communication is The Leader's Beacon

The Leader’s Beacon? Dr Martin Luther King Jr used the phrase “a great beacon light of hope” in his famous dream speech. Beacons are both symbolic and practical. They mark the final destination of journeys. They illuminate the path ahead and provide early warnings of possible dangers. They call people together to unite in taking great actions. And, in the case of radio beacons, they help us listen and respond to messages from others.

Read More
When "Money Talks" = The Failure Spiral

Various Australian governments, by allowing money to talk so loudly, have put themselves into a spiral where this same pattern is repeated over and over. And each time the pattern is repeated, the cost of fixing it becomes higher and higher. Also each time, it is our values, our lives and the futures we are trying to create that are diminished.

Read More
A fun way to practice strategic thinking

Find an organisation in the news that is attracting a lot of criticism for an aspect of its performance. Look particularly at those where a lot of people are proposing solutions which have a really common feel to them. Identify some underlying long term issues affecting that organisation and see if you can come up with a different solution to everyone else.

Read More
Challenge Corporate Policies to cure Bureaucratosis

If you feel as though your passion is draining because you are spending so much time dealing with corporate policy breaches or reporting; If you feel as though you are having problems achieving in your work because of the barriers and complexities of policies; If you feel as though you need someone in your organisation just to ensure and audit policy compliance even though this position doesn't add to productivity or customer delight:- ... start by challenging and analysing the policy itself before you move on to other explanations.

Read More
Thinking is a valuable resource

I remember well the stunned reaction of a senior management team when I presented a detailed strategy and action plan that eliminated my own role from the organisation. Before the presentation, I was seen to be talking to a lot of people at all levels of the organisation, therefore I was plotting. It never occured to any of them I would advise they change the nature of my own position and employ a person more suitable to the needs of the organisation.

Read More
Who makes a good senior management team

There are options for the structure and make-up of senior management teams, which include: * Alignment to the strategic plan * Multiple teams to cover varying leadership areas, with some consistent members on each * Selection based on leadership skills and alignment to corporate values, not just departmental management * Including external people on your management team

Read More