Planning for the critical first 90 days

September 22, 2016 Richard Spilg

The investment in securing the “right” person for a senior role is significant and in everyone’s interests to ensure that person is set up to succeed. While it may be counter-intuitive for an employer to fund a coaching programme 2-3 months prior to the executive’s start date, the benefit from a properly planned transition will far outweigh any cost. To paraphrase Watkins, the object for new leaders is to arrive at a “break-even point” as soon as possible – typically within 6 months, where the value consumed by those individuals in the first 3 months is equalled by the value they create in the second 3 months. Richard Spilg shares his view on how to maximise a leader impact during the first 3 month’s of a new role.

Leadership Development: Reflections on the Last 5 Decades – Has it Changed?

September 22, 2016 Robert Keating

Leadership has been widely discussed, studied, commented on and written about from time immemorial. However over the last fifty years the intensity of focus and scrutiny on every individual who has a leadership role from the smallest social group to the largest global organisation has increased exponentially. This has been driven by unprecedented access to information as a result of the technological revolution. Robert Keating shares his reflections on Leadership Development over the decades.

"The Very Thing": Your Choice

July 4, 2016 Jenny McKay

Your thinking habits accompany you everywhere. If they go unchecked, they can cause untold damage to the quality of your days and your connections, even your relationships. Imagine if, instead of seeing only the downside associated with an occurrence, you viewed everything you were confronted with as the very thing you were looking for.

Taking Control in an Out-of-Control World

March 20, 2016 Jenny McKay

• Does the way you are responding to life work for you?
• Do you know why you are feeling as you do?
• What is the cost if you don’t know?
• Does it matter?

Mindfulness – a cornerstone of Resilience?

March 20, 2016 Bridget Blackford

Mindfulness’ has well and truly entered the collective consciousness in recent years. There’s a proliferation of resources from books and courses to podcasts and apps, as well as increasing evidence that adopting ‘present-moment awareness’ can have real benefits both personally and professionally. But how does it relate to that newer concept that’s becoming widely embraced in the working environment - ‘Resilience’?

End of Year Reflections

December 14, 2015 Joy Pitts

Now is a great time for us to think about how best to support leaders in addressing year-end challenges so they go into the new year ready to inspire their teams and show strength in the face of volatility and uncertainty. In previous newsletters, we’ve talked about the importance of self-awareness. The first step is to help leaders take time for reflection, i.e. to check in with themselves.

POLLUTED CULTURE: LEARNING FROM TESLA

December 14, 2015 Revel Gordon

As the German carmaker VW struggles to recover from a series of scandals that have tarnished its once-proud brand, cost the CEO his job, and driven its share price off a cliff, considering the case of the electric car maker Tesla might offer some useful insights.

The Influencing Factor

August 29, 2015 Jenny McKay

In an interview with Executive coach Jenny McKay, Peoplemax explores the consequences of employees’ thoughts about themselves on their work colleagues and their power to influence, and how this can lead to their success or failure.

Snakes and Ladders: Later-stage Careers

August 29, 2015 Humphrey Armstrong

There’s good news … and some not so good news for “mid-lifer” and later stage careers. The upside is that new and innovative mid-career and later-life pathways are emerging as organisations grow horizontally through alliances and partnerships. On the other hand, the effective integration of these partnerships is a critical need that managers more accustomed to vertical career progression are sometimes not so comfortable meeting. More experienced “mid-lifers” have or can quickly develop the necessary horizontal leadership skill sets. The question is: what does it take to navigate the snakes and ladders of later-stage careers?

Self-doubt: Keeping it in its Place

July 1, 2015 Jenny McKay

What is self-doubt? Let me explain with an illustration. It’s one of those days when self-doubt feeders are having a field day. You’ve just walked out of your morning management meeting and you’re no longer feeling 10 feet tall. That encounter you had over the week’s figures with Julie has left you feeling severely diminished and not because the figures were bad.

You went into the meeting on a high but the exchange has left you wondering whether you’re really up to the job. And that’s not something you’ve felt since you started in the role. You’re enjoying your day less. You’ve lost your flow. Your enthusiasm for getting the report done ahead of deadline is no longer there. Even though you were confident this goal was achievable, you’re just not sure any more.

The Rise of Resilience in Today’s Workplace

July 1, 2015 Leigh Wallace

We first noticed an increased interest in the topic of resilience among Peoplemax clients about three years ago. Since then, it’s continued to grow, to the point where about 18 months ago we rolled out a tailored resilience workshop offering.
But, why have we seen this rapid increased interest in the topic of resilience? And what does it mean?