As leaders we are all aware of the litany of clichés that abound about mistakes; nothing is perfect, mistakes will happen, mistakes are a part of daily life, we all make mistakes, and so on. “Mistakes are not failures, they are simply the process of eliminating ways that won’t work in order to come closer to the ways that will” comments Amy Rees Anderson, entrepreneur and angel investor. What is critical is how leaders respond, as it says a lot about you as a leader.  Your reaction becomes a template in your organisation for how others respond to mistakes and your response has a direct im ..read more

  http://vivente.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/2018.09.20-lessons-from-Jack.mp4   Last week I attended the Family Business Australia National Conference.  This annual conference not be missed as the owners of some of Australia’s most successful family businesses share their stories on how they created competitive advantage for their iconic brands. The presenters included Craig Kimberly from Just Jeans, David Fox from Linfox, Stephen Keir and Nikki McLeod from Akubra, Marilynne Paspaley from Paspaley Pearls, Carolyn Creswell from Carman’s and Jack Cowin from Hungry Jacks. The ..read more

http://vivente.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/ask-for-help.mp4   For many people work is where they spend the most time, yet according to a study conducted by Harvard Business Review[1] nearly two thirds of people at work find it difficult to use a four-letter word with their colleagues.  The magic word is “help”.  Why? According the study findings there are five major reasons cited by people as to why they prefer to struggle on and not to ask for help.  The top reason was wanting to be seen as self-reliant.  People believe that completing the work themselves would ..read more

http://vivente.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/sleep-deprivation.mp4   If you find you Snack and graze a little more than you used to Have a couple of extra kilos staying around in places you don’t want them to Have become a bit more impulsive Hear yourself saying “my memory is not as good as it used to be” Are irritated by things that never used to irritate you Get a cold and find it just a tad more difficult to shake it then your body is telling you that you need more sleep[1]. In this 24/7, always connected business environment which we work in today, these are some not often menti ..read more

  I will leave it to you as to the interpretation you assign to the letter “F”. I was preparing to write about something completely different this week but as history is in the process of repeating itself, yet again, I am compelled to say something about the abject failure of those who are supposedly accountable for leading one of the greatest countries in the world. I apologise in advance for my cynicism.  It is born out of frustration and surely I’m not the only one of Australia’s two million small and family enterprises who feel this way.  Since John Howard lost the 2007 Fede ..read more

  http://vivente.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/Gossip.mp4   As I do most nights if I am driving home I switch on to ABC radio which most evenings is both thought-provoking and entertaining.  Last night it was particularly so. One topic related to new employment laws being introduced which can see a person lose their job as a result of gossiping at work.  I thought “how odd” and I was intrigued. The on-air discussion developed but it took quite some time before it became apparent that it’s malicious gossip that could see people lose their job, not gossip per se.  Th ..read more

  http://vivente.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/Overwhelm.mp4   Looking back on the last three months I realise that I over-committed myself and at different times was feeling quite overwhelmed.  I will also admit that becoming overwhelmed was self-induced as I wrestle with being able to say ‘no’ and tend to take more on ignoring the signs I am being stretched. I am also fortunate that I handle pressure well and tend to be pressure prompted, and like many, I am happiest when I am busy so even though overstretched I am able to eventually work my way out of the situation.   ..read more

http://vivente.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/soft-skills.mp4   “Soft skills are, in fact, the hard skills to master.”  There are few managers who haven’t heard or used this quote at least once. Over recent months I have noticed increased discussion among managers of the need to have and be able to use these so-called soft skills.  Recently one group of managers I work with held a highly animated discussion on exactly what core soft skills are needed by today’s managers. Observing this made me curious on a number of fronts as it seems to me many managers are confusing skills ..read more

http://vivente.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/2018.07.19-appraisal-myths.mp4   This morning the summer edition of the MIT Sloan Management Review crossed my desk. It is one of my favourite and valued publications. I was immediately attracted to an article which starts with, “The field of performance management has been in turmoil lately.  Employees are getting confused.  Leaders are getting frustrated.  Consultants are getting rich.”[1] The last sentence is questionable, however I agree with the overall sentiments expressed as we see this playing out on a regular basis w ..read more

http://vivente.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/pizza-meetings.mp4     Some time ago I wrote about just how much time managers spend in meetings. An article published by Harvard Business Review in mid-2017 confirms we have regressed in the amount of time managers spend in meetings. According to HBR “meetings have increased in length and frequency over the past 50 years, to the point where managers spend an average of nearly 23 hours a week in them, up from less than 10 hours in the 1960s”. In other words that’s three full days each week in meetings. Of the 182 senior managers survey ..read more