Leading From the Middle
February 7, 2010 by Di
Filed under change leadership, leadership, opportunity, resilience, responsibility, sustainable leadership
In these uncertain times, credibility and trust in senior leaders and their capacity to move organisations has taken a nosedive. Now is a golden opportunity for leaders in the middle to step up and launch a rescue operation to fill the gap and advance their career.
Leaders are almost by definition people who change minds. —Howard E. Gardner, Leading Minds
Think or Sink: The one choice that changes everything
January 19, 2010 by Di
Filed under change, change leadership, coaching, leadership, opportunity, resilience, success
What if you could get anything that you wanted without having to change your circumstances? What if you could master your mind so that it would actually alter your experience? What if you could be happy and stress-free regardless of what was going on around you? What if 2010 could be your greatest year ever because you discovered the ONE choice that changes everything?
Wouldn’t you be even the teeniest bit interested? 
Relax, Don’t Worry: The Brain Science of Productivity
December 17, 2009 by Di
Filed under goals, leadership, performance, productivity, success
Everyone you meet these days is overworked and out of time. In our tech-enhanced world, we have more timesaving helpers and systems than ever before.
Business Breakthrough for 2010 Coaching Update
November 9, 2009 by Di
Filed under change, coaching, goal setting, goals, leadership
Have you ever thought about securing the services of a good coach, but hesitated because you weren’t really sure what coaching could do for you or whether it was worth it?
I asked Paula Jandey of Renaissance Tiles, one of my current small business clients to describe her experience:
Leadership and Women – Babes In Business Suits the Book Arrives in Australia
August 30, 2009 by Di
Filed under change, goals, leadership, women
Babes In Business Suits
Babes in Business Suits is the first in a remarkable series by Canadian author and publisher Felicia Pizzonia, celebrating the entrepreneurial success stories of women around the world.
Leadership and Change – Are CEOs a roadblock to organisational change?
August 30, 2009 by Di
Filed under Teams, coaching, leadership, organisational restructuring, power
The esteemed position of corporate Chief Executive. With the right occupant, the traditional position of Chief Executive is generally regarded as essential to the continued prosperity and evolution of an organisation. Or is it?
Our leaders and educators, and those that came before them instructed us in how organisations work. The models and systems we put in place were largely designed for an age in which the orderly production of goods and services was the dominant economic model for an ever-growing consumer market. Centralised control and authority inside a hierarchy was the primary enabling structure, and the office of the Chief Executive naturally emerged at its apex.
Beware the pitfalls of downsizing, restructuring and employee redundancy
January 31, 2009 by Di
Filed under Downsizing, Redundancies, change, change leadership, change management, leadership, organisational restructuring, recession-proof
The last economic downturn to affect Australia saw a widespread cut back in apprentice training. While the effects weren’t experienced immediately, the absence of new talent entering the workforce on such a large scale meant that it was nearly 10 years before Australia returned to the same level of technical skill it enjoyed prior to the downturn. Arguably, the detrimental impact of the “solution” turned out to be far more serious to the country than the initial problem. This is just one example of the potentially harmful downstream consequences of downsizing and cutbacks that business is pursuing in the current economic climate.
Being mindful of the pitfalls of large scale downsizing and employee redundancy was the clear message that Heather Ridout, Chairman of the Australian Industry Group gave to business in a recent 7.30 Report Interview. Heather is not a lone voice in the wilderness on this topic. In the wake of weekly announcements that big business is shedding staff in mammoth proportions, other business and political leaders are joining a growing voice around the world warning of the consequences of these knee-jerk reactions to sustain short-term business viability.
Goal-setting: Love thy neighbour in 2009
January 2, 2009 by Di
Filed under goal setting, goals, leadership, opportunity, personal responsibility, responsibility
One of the things about Christmas and New Year I always enjoy is the sense of friendliness, generosity and respect for one another that seems to permeate the air. Neighbours who rarely speak wish good things for one another, we dig deep into our pockets so the less fortunate can have a more pleasant Christmas season, and kiss perfect strangers as midnight falls on new years eve. In 2008, several significant events also brought out our more loving side – Barack Obama’s election win and the influx of young people onto the shores of Sydney, Australia for World Youth Day. It seemed that the heaviest of days was made a little lighter by the mood in Sydney carried by 1000s of relaxed, carefree, happy young people from around the world.
There are exceptions of course to the mood – Christmas car parking rage and the recent spate of thefts of money from banks and automatic tellers, of presents from under Christmas trees, and of Christmas lighting from our homes.
Integrity: Managing our inner Diva – Kylie in Dubai
November 25, 2008 by Di
Filed under integrity, leadership, personal responsibility, responsibility, weaknesses strengths
What a gig! Australia’s own Kylie Minogue was the feature artist for a new 7-star Dubai Atlantis hotel opening last weekend. All for a cool $4.4m. Now that’s how you earn a bit of extra Christmas cash.
While the gig made the headlines here in Australia, what was even more interesting was what happened to Kylie after the event. After an exhausting show, she changed from her uncomfortable performance outfits into a tracksuit and headed back into the same hotel for the after party bash.
Leadership and Integrity – Unravelling the red carpet
November 19, 2008 by Di
Filed under integrity, leadership, personal responsibility
I had occasion to drive past the aftermath of the red carpet premier of the movie Australia in George Street Sydney last night and I couldn’t believe my eyes at the size of the red carpet. It was at least as wide as 3 lanes and who knows how far its length extended into the distance. Just goes to show how many big budget movie premiers I’ve been to, but I always thought they were about the size of a hall runner in a very long house. I guess the bigger the carpet, the more important the event, the leader, the dignitary or the celebrity walking on it. The red carpet phenomenon also applies to what you look like when you walk on the carpet. Look at the pictures of our celebrities who go to great lengths to be exquisitely coiffed and outfitted in a manner befitting royalty when the carpet calls.
Some quick research into the red carpet phenomenon takes us beyond movie premiers and back to 485BC and Aeschylus, a Greek playright. Aeschylus created a character called Agenemon whose wife deceives him into walking onto red carpet which was intended for the gods. Fast forward to the 1820s and we see the red carpet rolled out for a US President and in 1902 red carpet is used in ceremonial fashion to welcome guests to a classy train journey.
My name is Di Worrall, and I'm an author, corporate change specialist and executive coach. I wrote the new release book - A Climate for Change - How to ride the wave of change into the 21st Century and create a more sustainable and prosperous future for you and your business. You might be a business leader or you might be in the business of coaching, consulting or training business leaders. I created this blog as a companion to the book and to help you and your clients navigate the current climate of change and uncertainty, and lay the foundations for a more sustainable future.
