Thinking on leadership, culture, and the conversations that matter.
Written by Jo Andrews. No frameworks for the sake of it. No theory without application. Just honest thinking about what it actually takes to lead well, and what gets in the way.
What’s that inner critic telling you these days? Have you stopped to think about it recently? Well, multiple cohorts have just finished Week 4 of the 8-week Leadership Programme and the inner critic was one of the hot topics of discussion. BIG TAKEAWAY: Everyone has that little voice that pipes up to tell us we’re ‘not good enough’. No matter how senior, experienced, or advanced you are in your leadership position… that inner voice can get LOUD. We have a lovely mix of seniority levels in these latest cohorts. From fresh-out-of-the-box leaders to those who’ve spent many years, if not decades, moving up the ranks. And what shocked less experienced leaders most was hearing how senior leaders also struggle with … Read more
Exactly one month ago today, I got on a plane to leave Zimbabwe. I got my last glimpse of the Harare sunset. (You haven’t seen a sunset until you’ve seen an African sunset, IMHO) For those of you who’ve seen me since my return – and experienced my LET ME TELL YOU EVERYTHING verbal diarrhoea – then, yes, I’m still talking about it! And likely will for a while. #SorryNotSorry For my regular readers who knew I was going, you might wonder why I haven’t been blah-ing on about it. What can I say… **Deep breathe** There’s been a lot of processing, percolating, and rather humongous internal shifts since my return. I knew it would be amazing and I was … Read more
So you’re in a position of leadership and *hopefully* you’re chuffed about it. **CHEERING FOR YOU** What you don’t anticipate are the sheer volume of (super common) difficult situations you’re presented with. The ones that truly make you wonder, “How the heck do I navigate this one?!” Would you believe me if I said that – in its most simplistic form – there is one 2-part approach to them all? If you’re curious to know what that is, I’ve made a snappy 3-minute video sharing a handful of the most common ‘HOW DO I TACKLE THIS?!’ situations and the solution that applies to all of them. You can watch it here. (Short on time? No worries, play the video … Read more
I’ve been asked over and over and over again… “Jo! I don’t know if/when my company will bring you in to develop our leaders. But I am ready to do your training now! How can I join as a solo leader?” That’s right! People are waking up. They don’t want to be part of the swarms of leaders who trudge through a treacle of friction for 10 whole years before they get shown how to get the most out of themselves, and their teams. (Yes, 10 YEARS! That’s how long *most* leaders are in their role before they get any gold-standard leadership training… SCANDALOUS) If this is you, I have an invitation to make. **TRUMPETS** We’re inviting individual leaders … Read more
Do you know what we make time for? Things we consider to be important. It’s a no-brainer, right? “If I see the value in doing this thing… I’ll do it” Or, more importantly… “If I understand what I’ll get out of doing it (and I want that outcome for myself)… I’ll do it” Sort of like when you ask your teenager to set a 7am alarm, ready for school. You’re often faced with all of the Kevin and Perry grunts. Yet… Tell them that if they want to [INSERT SOMETHING COOL HERE THAT THEY REALLY WANT TO DO] then they have to set a 7am alarm and get themselves ready to go at the crack of dawn… You know … Read more
Can I share with you what I wish all leaders understood? You have to invest time in developing your communication skills if you want to become better at having ‘difficult’ conversations. Hands down, this is the biggest struggle leaders tell me they face… “I don’t like conflict and I’d like to avoid it at all costs. Difficult conversations feel impossible even though I know I have to have them” At the same time, leaders new to The Training Rock wonder how they’re ever going to find 4 hours a week to attend the training. They question whether it’ll be worth it. I understand that. (If you haven’t experienced it for yourself, how would you know?) If time feels like your greatest … Read more
Have you heard the story of the glass jar guy? (I call him ‘glass jar guy’ because I have no idea what his actual name is). Glass jar guy was a Professor of Philosophy. One day he was giving a lecture to his students and in front of him he placed a big glass jar (yup, that’s where his nickname came from… so creative), a pile of 2-inch rocks, a bag of small pebbles, a tub of sand, and a bottle of beer. He begins to fill the jar with the 2-inch rocks. When they reach the rim of the jar, he asks his students, “Is it full?” *students nod* He asks, “Hmm… but is it really full?” Then … Read more
There’s something pretty important I’d like to share with you, I’ve been through my fair share of leadership training. Everything from online quizzes, hour-long workshops, half-day workshops, and week-long training. Yep, you don’t work in this business for over 20 years without poking your fingers in all of the pies. I’ve been on the receiving end and delivery side of things. And there’s something that doesn’t sit quite right with this training veteran… …the ‘love ya and leave ya’ disappearing act. No matter how in-depth your training might be, there will inevitably be a moment in those initial few weeks that follow when you’re finding your feet and need some support and reassurance. So it’s not helpful to have three … Read more
All of our behaviours are based in fear. How do you feel when I tell you that? (Doesn’t sound very fun, does it?) But it is the fear of each of our animal influencers that drives our behaviour. For me, my strongest fear is the fear of the Cheetah, which is a fear of underperforming. When you look back on my career and experiences that becomes pretty apparent… Ex-international gymnast and 4x World Record Holder in Indoor Rowing, over here. #ProofOfThePud I’m a performer, and I overdeliver in everything I do because I fear underachievement. But one thing I have heard before is this, “I don’t buy it. I don’t have any fears” A gentleman once said this to me after … Read more
Did I mention? I’ve been to *cough* MIAMI! That’s right, I was flown to The Magic City to bring leadership training to a fully remote team. Their team members aren’t just scattered across America, they have people in Australia, Delhi – in every corner of the globe. Now, the remoteness is amazing for them because it means they have the best possible people working in those roles. Location? Not an issue. In the same breath, they have the challenge of working in different timezones and it became clear that they were unintentionally working in silos. #TeamBuildingIsDifficult Yet last week, this company flew every single team member to Miami to meet in-person for the VERY FIRST TIME! (Did I mention that … Read more
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