Imagine if teams were cars racing around a racetrack, where lap times are a performance indicator. Each member of the team was a different part of the car - some were the wheels and tyres, others were the engine, some the chassis, and the team leader was the driver behind the wheel. There is a racing team manager and coach giving driving instructions, mechanics, technicians and other specialists (lawyers, accountants) in the pits providing support and information, but the driver has to listen. All of a sudden a warning light comes on in the dashboard. The driver sees it but ignores it. One of ..read more

How many times have you experienced that ‘Woohoo! Moment’ with one of your team? The ‘Woohoo! Moment’ is preceded by a period of frustration and sometimes temper tantrums by both the leader (in a coaching capacity) and team member. This is followed by a ‘hmmm, I think we are getting there moment’, with sometimes a ‘nope, we haven’t’ realisation. But then all of a sudden, your team member performs the skill you have been teaching them for weeks, perfectly, you then get them to do it again to make sure and then again for good luck – Woohoo! Something clicked, but what was it? Learning occurred ..read more

Following on from my first blog on Guidance Points for Leaders, I found another document in my Army files with another 27 guidance points for young leaders from the RSM. These Regimental Sargent Majors have usually been around for at least 20+ years, so the stories they have are endless and I am sure they gather at the bar on a Friday afternoon to compare notes about young Lieutenants and soldiers. I think that these points apply well to the so-called civilian world and young and old leaders could probably learn a thing or two from these RSM’s. So here goes with a few more pieces of gold for l ..read more

In the induction process for my first posting to an Army unit as a newly graduated Lieutenant, about to be put in front of a bunch of 30 soldiers that would be mine to lead, I was given a 3 page document that I still have with me today – 15+ years later. It was given to me by the Regimental Sergeant Major, the most senior soldier of the Regiment I was posted to. It is called the ‘Gospel According to Luke, A course of tabloid lectures on the art of supervision and management', by Brigadier Lucas, DSO, OBE, MC, VD. Written by a man with so many letters after his name and handed to me by a grumpy ..read more

That forceful style of negotiation you see in the movies should stay there. In the Army, they taught us that the best negotiators were creative problem-solvers and that’s exactly true for business. When I first entered the New Zealand Army at age 18 I didn’t have a clue what negotiation was and I certainly didn’t feel like a natural at it. Fast forward to now and my negotiating skills have seen me through countless military situations and led me to build a growing six-figure business, She Maps. The key thing I want you to take out of this is that I was taught. I was taught the art o ..read more

Business partnerships can be fraught with danger! I have had two business partnerships - both have ended (luckily I have been married for eight years, and my wife is still supportive of me!). While I have been lucky that they have been reasonably amicable towards the end (not too much spent on lawyers!), I now know what I would do in the future. Business partnerships fail for four reasons: 1. Money: The role of a business is to make money for the benefit of its owners or shareholders. When there is a disagreement about how much money each party wants to make, then there is conflict ..read more

Business leadership requires skills that are seriously varied. It makes sense. You’re leading people and you’re leading your business, which means you’re carving out clarity in really varied areas. You’ve got to be willing to try new things and develop habits that you repeat over time. Habits like positive visualization. The US Army looked into this back in the 1980s and they were viewed as a bunch of quacks for doing so. That’s the 1980s for you. The story behind how Australia won the America’s Cup back in 1983 after a 132 year drought involves positive visualization. (I’ve linked to the ..read more

When I was in the army, my network was my fellow soldiers and officers. It was an easy network because it was organised for me. That’s why army’s are successful. Everyone follows the hierarchy, it’s a transparent network that everyone can see and everyone knows their place in it. When I transitioned from the army into business - everything changed. Business networking wasn’t as transparent. Even when I absorbed all of the information I could on it, I found myself constantly questioning whether I was doing it right. Mainly because there were so many cliques and inner circles within the business ..read more

I made an excuse last week.  I was running 30 minutes late to meet a friend and I told him it was because I had to drop my son off at sport. It was true. So it felt like an excuse. Except when I really thought about it, it wasn't. The reason that sat behind my lateness was actually my time management. I could've dropped my son off earlier if I'd been better organised. It reminded me about this leadership graph and how important it is to look yourself squarely in the eye and ask if you've done things below the line. It's not a guilt tripping exercise, it's an AWARENESS exercise. And it's a bloo ..read more

If I asked you 'Why do your customers buy from you?' - what would your answer be? If you’re having difficulty capturing and converting quality leads, have you thought about how your customers emotionally respond to your business? The how and the why behind them buying from you (or not buying from you)? A transaction is a process. The more you repeat that to yourself, the easier you’ll find it to think about what we’re going to talk about. First up: What Are You Commanding? The two exchanges we make with prospective clients (before cash has even changed hands) are trust and attention. In ..read more