Times were pretty tough at home and we were struggling to make ends meet.  We cut back as much as we could and ultimately the only thing that was draining the family resources were the children…they were an expense and we had to continue to make sacrifices if ever we were going to make it.  Besides, they weren’t doing all that well at school and would only continue to be a drain on us as a family so we told ourselves it was for the best.  Could you imagine the heart-ache and pain associated with giving up your own children? (more…)

Attending networking events is something that most of us dread doing and, if you’ve never been to one before, your first one can be quite intimidating.  Here are some simple tips to help you be more comfortable the next time you find yourself at a networking event or even amongst a group of people you don’t know. (more…)

Imagine this scenario…you and I are out on a boat fishing in the harbour.  Not too far out, maybe 250 metres or so.  We’re not wearing life jackets but we’re having a great time laughing and joking when out of nowhere a freak wave appears and topples the boat.  We both go flying into the water and, almost at the same time, we reach the surface.  Now you’re a confident swimmer and you come up laughing and joking, “Where did that come from?” (more…)

Have you ever noticed, either with yourself or with others, that managing up only ever becomes an issue when things aren’t going so well with the boss.  It’s only then that the hue and cry goes up and people scramble for what they should do.  In reality though, managing up should be something that you do all the time.  It’s your responsibility to understand your boss’s strengths and weaknesses, their priorities and their Working Style and to take the time to build a productive working relationship.  Here are a few tips to help you along the way… (more…)

I brought my seven year old daughter to the movies at the weekend and afterwards we were looking around the shops.  I told her she could have $10 to spend on anything she liked.  So after returning to the first of the four shops we visited and ninety minutes later my patience was wearing a little thin…there are only so many barbies and trinkity toys I can express an interest in in an afternoon!  At that point I told her that she had 10 minutes to make her decision or we would be leaving whether she bought something or not. (more…)

I remember getting my very first leadership opportunity.  I was thrilled because this is what I’d been working towards for many years and boy oh boy did I suck!  I thought I understood all I needed to know because, after all, I’d read all the books and gave an awesome interview so why was I floundering so badly?  I couldn’t understand why my team wasn’t jumping on board and hanging onto my every word.  It was at this point that I was firmly pressed up against reality and I quickly realised that I didn’t have the skills that I thought I had. (more…)

Conflict management is something that most of us aren’t very good at, largely because we generally shy away from confrontation and it’s not really in our nature to rock the boat.  It’s also one of those leadership skills that we don’t get to put into practice all that often and, like any skill, to become good at it, we must practice, practice, practice.  If conflict management is something you’d like to become more comfortable with, read on.  I’ve provided a simple framework that will assist you in dealing with (more…)

It must have been the winter of 2008.  It was a cold one and my wife and I decided to break up the winter and head to Fiji for a week.  So we packed up our 7 month old daughter and off we went.  My outstanding memories from Fiji were a cockerel who crowed every morning at 5am (grrrr!!!), the amazing friendliness of the people, the beautiful island itself and a tiny book stall in the lobby of a hotel…the name of which I have altogether forgotten. (more…)

How can you attract more luck into your life and are some people just born lucky? This was the subject of research by Dr. Richard Wiseman and his colleagues over a couple of decades. Dr Wiseman concluded that the only sure way to become more lucky in life is to kiss a leprechaun. And considering St Patrick’s Day is just around the corner you might be in luck!  I’m kidding of course.

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If I were to ask you to define ‘credibility’ you might say something along the lines of “I know it when I see it”, just like you know you ‘like’ someone.  It’s a hard one because it’s such a subjective term but don’t dismiss the importance of ‘having credibility’ in your chosen area of expertise because credibility is positively correlated to success in every area of life. (more…)