Issue 98 The conversation you needed happened after you left. Everyone was silent in the meeting. That doesn’t mean they had nothing to say. Hey, How are you? This week I’ve seen Halloween decorations being put up and also advent calendars in Supermarkets, before you know it we will be eating Easter Eggs (from the fridge, as that is where chocolate should be stored isn’t it). Anyway, there’s a moment at the end of almost every meeting that I’ve become slightly obsessed with. It’s one that…

Icebreakers don’t break the ice. They break people. There’s a reason your stomach drops. Here’s what to do instead. Hey, How are you? Remember the moment someone said, “Let’s start with an icebreaker”? Your stomach dropped. Your mind went blank, then went into overdrive. What’s an interesting fact about me? What can I say that sounds impressive but not too impressive? What can I say that’s true enough? You stopped listening to the people around you because you were too busy inventing…

One team feels different before it looks different Same people, same capability. A different team. Here is what changes. Hey, how are you? Over the past few weeks there has been a theme to the newsletters, and this is the last one in these, so less story, more straight talk and next week perhaps a slightly different angle. Now then, a leadership team that has become one team feels different before it looks different. Less comfortable, more honest. Meetings where more gets said and less gets…

You can’t away-day your way to one team (that’s not too easy to say fast) The raft was nice. The spaghetti towers impressive. The silos were back by Tuesday. Hey, How are you? These weeks are flying, but I find myself consistently in similar conversations. Everyone says they are “busy” AND, spending lots of time in meetings, however when we speak about the meetings and I challenge the meeting vs actual conversation gap there is a realisation that they may be creating some of this busyness….

Nobody built the silos on purpose That is exactly why they are so hard to see, and so easy to keep. Hey, How are you? These weeks are just flying aren’t they. This week has been another exciting one, I got to deliver a key note in a clients delivery conference, thankfully they all laughed in the right places and had some amazing reflections about my joint favourite C word…. “Connection”! My other favourite is ‘Curiosity’, more about this in upcoming weeks but if you’ve been reading between…