One of the crappy parts of being a leader is sometimes having to tell people stuff they don’t want to hear.  Like when there’s a big change afoot.  You want to do the best by your people (and stop the rumour mill working harder than it already is), so you gather everyone together to make…

Read More

It’s funny. I’m sitting down to write an article on Imposter Syndrome. And not just a minute ago, I was on a phone call feeling like a complete fraud myself. I’d had a conversation with a client earlier in the morning, and my colleague (who had coincidently just got off the phone to the MD…

Read More

So many leaders talk about how they could be so much more effective if only they had the right people in their team.  The search for the ‘A-team’ is real. But, newsflash, the ‘A-team’ doesn’t exist.  You’re never going to have the perfect team, because your team is made up of – gasp – human…

Read More

We see this all too often when we begin coaching an executive or senior manager – we have a few sessions, start building trust and making quick progress and then… the confessions start flying out. At last, they have someone independent, that they can trust and is in their corner. That’s when the floodgates open…

Read More

We all get that feeling of ugh when we need to have ‘that conversation’ with someone in the team. Instead of nipping it in the bud, we find excuses to put it off – which just lets the ugh feelings grow. Why does the long, drawn-out pain of anticipation seem better than the pain of…

Read More

We’ve slowly and reluctantly been getting ourselves back into the groove, perhaps with fresh goals and fresh enthusiasm.  However, let’s not forget about 2017, the year that many of you described as, “the most relentlessly intense, stressful, all-consuming year that stretched capacity and capability to the max.”  And nobody thinks 2018 is going to be…

Read More

We’re constantly amazed – and sometimes appalled – at the lack of candour around the executive table. We’ve discussed “eye-flicking”, a dead give-away that the leaders around the table aren’t having the real conversation.  Then there’s the “I agree with the boss” people – regardless of the absurdity of the boss’s opinion. The eyes are…

Read More

You’ve all heard that people should be having more crucial conversations, critical conversations, courageous conversations and so on. At My Personal Tactician, we absolutely agree, however… The realm of contemporary leaders is disappointingly full of abdicators and autocrats. The abdicators – or as I call them, Passivists – don’t have the confidence to confront issues…

Read More

The teams that enjoy high Professional Intimacy are those that have invested in building relationships and respect with each other. They can then challenge with candour and constructive opposition.  Meetings are faster and can be more challenging – but this means things get done and the team grows. 

Read More

Have you ever found your thoughts being consumed by one particular team member? They have a track record of delivering for the business, in fact, they’re loved and respected by customers and others outside your team.  But to the team, they’re toxic. People in your team have already left, and there are others on their…

Read More