When my children were young I used to read them a story written in verse about a bright yellow rope. It describes a young boy, Sylvester, who finds a yellow rope on the road and immediately comes across someone who's wagon has fallen in a ditch. The boy then...

I was roused by a couple of articles that came across my desk this week to think again about the prevailing myth of heroic corporate leadership - particularly heroic CEOs. First was the following headline in the Australian Financial Review on Wednesday: Dragon fires...

It's Easter. In Melbourne Easter traditionally marks the final end of summer regardless of what the weather is like. Sometimes we will get a warm Easter and sometimes it will be quite wintery. This Easter has been more wintery than warm. I started out with a long...

In this Human Relations piece [subscription required] ISPSO associate James Krantz argues that "betrayal is an essential element of leadership and organizational change." He suggests that during significant change "decisions that breach existing social, psychological...

Although I haven't followed his career closely Don Argus has always struck me as a deep and broad minded thinker. There are other powerful CEOs and chairmen that don't evoke the same confidence in their ability to think beyond profit and power. A certain...

I am sad to say that I have just caught up on the news that Harold Bridger died in May 2005. I knew Bridger as the developer of what I came to know as the "Consultant Enquirer Model" which is the basis of the workshop I call Consultant Coaching Workshop. I now know...

This BOSS article has turned my attention once again to Martin Seligman, author of Authentic Happiness and Learned Optimism. We all seek to be happy, but how happy can we be and what can make us happy? Seligman suggests there are three components to happiness. He...

One of my daughters bought me The Latham Diaries for Christmas. I read a chunk of the book each night over my holiday. I am struck by the leadership lessons in this book, but first some background. Mark Latham was elected leader of the Australian Labor Party and hence...

Presence by Peter Senge, C. Otto Scharmer, Joseph Jaworski and Betty Sue Flowers, has just been posted to the Bookshelf.

It's been a hot day in Melbourne. And, as often happens here in summer, the day ended with a thunderstorm. This is a picture I took about an hour ago from the beach at Mordialloc There are major bushfires around the state and the firefighters are sweating on a wind...