Shaun Coffey

June 4, 2020June 4, 2020

Thoughts on Thursday…take a knee

Last night I watch scenes of people across the world taking a knee. This morning I wake thinking about Darwin’s Golden Rule.

I don’t know where this connection of quite disparate ideas came from, beyond knowing that it is the way the unconscious mind works. In reality, we don’t know where our ideas come from. So, why on this Thursday did my mind connect taking a knee with Darwin?

June 3, 2020June 3, 2020

Going above and beyond shows leadership.

We can all lead. We don’t need a leadership “position”.

In my work with early career professionals I am often challenged by people who can see a need and opportunity to improve their work and their organisation, but are hampered by a perceptual barrier – a belief that they can’t do anything about it. For a long while now I have used some ideas from the Bell Labs in the USA to help people see that they can lead from any position. A start can be to make your own job more impactful: lead by example. Take the initiative!

These ideas are a great way to reflect on what you do and how to do it better.

June 2, 2020June 21, 2020

Rebel Leaders

Rebel Leaders love different.

They are entrepreneurs at heart, finding different ways to navigate the world and reality that surrounds them. Rebels are willing to find a path around social norms, tired products and apparent rules of the universe.

Rebel leaders are always pushing boundaries and creating discomfort. Standing out from the crowd. Challenging convention. Creating something new. Different.

The Rebel leader will disrupt and innovate and feel good about it.

Rebel leaders succeed when they are ethical and driven by the common good.

Create the right climate at work and results will follow

Climate is the key determinant of performance. Every action and decision you take will have a direct impact on the climate in the organisation.

I am sure many readers will have shared the experience of attending a culture change workshop where a “desired culture” is identified and a list of “behaviours” is identified. Then we all go back to work where we continue to do the same things we always do in the hope that the culture will change. Unless new and different activities are introduced the change efforts will be suboptimal.