This week Julia Gillard, Australia’s first female Prime Minister was ousted after the leadership sore that had been festering under the surface finally broke through. It was probably the most significant political event in Australia for almost 40 years. Leadership is a tough business, and for women it is even tougher. There is not aContinueContinue reading “Women & Leadership: It’s not a level playing field, but that doesn’t mean we don’t play at all”
Category Archives: Leadership
Leadership is hard… facing the facts & charting the course, it’s not all smooth sailing
…and if your are only looking for smooth sailing, you’re probably not leading. For our northern hemisphere colleagues about to take to the sun and enjoy some obviously well-deserved downtime, we in the southern hemisphere are in the ‘bleak midwinter’, well, as bleak as beautiful Sydney can get. It’s halfway through the year and thereContinueContinue reading “Leadership is hard… facing the facts & charting the course, it’s not all smooth sailing”
Leadership challenge: 4 ways to flip the ownership from the leader to the team
“One of the greatest compliments given to me during my rugby days was following a training session in England when a rather embarrassed Australian journalist approached me. He informed me that one of the Fringe Wallabies* had told him that it was in fact the players and the assistant coaches who did the most ofContinueContinue reading “Leadership challenge: 4 ways to flip the ownership from the leader to the team”
Overcrowded schools an opportunity to disrupt not maintain the status quo. The current model is broken.
Students in Sydney’s North Shore government schools are overcrowded. The solution seems to be a simple mathematical equation. If we need to accommodate 360 more students , we need to form 12 classes and then find 12 classrooms in which to house them: 360 ÷ 30 = 12. Simple. Presumably, it also means that every studentContinueContinue reading “Overcrowded schools an opportunity to disrupt not maintain the status quo. The current model is broken.”
Cross-generational learning: Babyboomers #ReverseMentoring to learn from Gen Y teachers
Reverse mentoring was an idea of Jack Welch, the legend CEO at GE, instigated 10 years ago. He established a program where the top-level executives were mentored by young people, initially to learn how to use the internet. Today, reversed mentoring helps baby boomers learn about social media, apps and workplace trends, but it hasContinueContinue reading “Cross-generational learning: Babyboomers #ReverseMentoring to learn from Gen Y teachers”
We can’t stay in conference-land forever, now it’s time to get on with it after #edutech and #cefpinz13
Over the last couple of weeks I have been at two conferences, well, kind of. Last week I was in Auckland for CEFPI Australasian Conference, and via the Twitter-feed at Edutech over the last couple of days. Lots of similar messages across both… recognition of the changing times calls to action challenging the status quoContinueContinue reading “We can’t stay in conference-land forever, now it’s time to get on with it after #edutech and #cefpinz13”
Tracking the tweets: Leadership lessons from the Christchurch Earthquake at #CEFPINZ13
‘All the kids are ok’. Humbled by narratives of Christchurch earthquake We’ve just wrapped up the CEPFI Conference for 2013 in Auckland, it was a challenging, inspiring and, at times, an emotional few days. So what is CEFPI? The acronym is for Council for Educational Facilities International, in short, t a dialogue between educators andContinueContinue reading “Tracking the tweets: Leadership lessons from the Christchurch Earthquake at #CEFPINZ13”
The feminine and feminist leadership challenge: Embracing the “both/and” rather than “either/or” #leaningin
A number of years ago I made a professional decision that I wouldn’t shy away from the “difficult conversation”. At the time I was working for a school system and I had witnessed too many serious problems that need not have escalated if, when the leader was faced the brutal facts, he/she was prepared toContinueContinue reading “The feminine and feminist leadership challenge: Embracing the “both/and” rather than “either/or” #leaningin”
Taking the pledge: My opinion doesn’t always need expression.
Social media has potentially given everyone a voice. Anyone with an opinion has an avenue to express it and an audience to receive it. But should we express an opinion just because we hold it? I’m taking the pledge: I will hold my opinion unless: I’m invited It will add value and can change thingsContinueContinue reading “Taking the pledge: My opinion doesn’t always need expression.”
Putting the legs on vision. Making it scalable, sustainable and enduring
There are some people who embrace change and others have change thrust upon them. There are a few who are visionary leaders, some who put legs on vision, others who are swept along and a handful who doggedly hang onto the status quo. Which are you? I’m one of the people ‘who put legs onContinueContinue reading “Putting the legs on vision. Making it scalable, sustainable and enduring”
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