I recently attended a conference on leadership and heard Rob Murray, CEO of Lion, speak about their cultural journey.  What I found inspiring about Rob’s presentation was both what he talked about and who he was being - authentic, committed, inspired by creating a high performing culture and clear about the difference it makes to business outcomes.

As Rob shared about the work they have done, and continue to do, with the development of leadership in their business it was very clear…

I know this will sound a little self promotional posting this here, but I had a lot of fun speaking with a national abc radio audience last week explaining how employers can create stronger bonds with their employers in the first 120 days of their employment. I received a few interesting talk back questions as well!

If you are interested in finding out more about how this concept has evolved, the impact of managers and how organisations can create stronger bonds with their…

A common problem I see in many organisations is that somewhere in their senior management team they have a person with strong technical competence, but who lacks the essential people skills and leadership expertise. The story goes that they are leading the way with their knowledge and experience, meeting…

Feedback is one area some people struggle with when managing staff.  Remembering some other f-words could make it easier!

Here are some quick tips to giving feedback that will be well received and acted upon:

1. Always give feedback face-to-face.

2. Giving feedback on a…

Apple CEO, Steve Jobs, left a legacy of society-changing products.  Do other "star" employees do

the same -- or, does the "price" for their brilliance sometimes exceed the benefit to the company?

The passing of…

As I was helping a manager write a job description recently, he leaned over and said, “Wait.  There’s one more ‘requirement’ we need to add.”  Waiting a beat, he smiled:  “Ability to make boss look good.”  We both laughed  – but we both recognized the truth in what he had said, too.

While the…

Congratulations go to Nicole Underwood this week for her post, Who will carry your vision? Tips to develop your successor, which has won her a complimentary pass to our upcoming event: "How to manage - and lift - workforce performance" (read more about the event…

The most contentious point of any negotiation/discussion about wages and conditions linked to productivity is how you measure the productivity changes. It is important for negotiators to be aware that the productivity gains do not necessarily equate to job losses, or loss of current conditions.

With the recent media exposure in regards to agreement outcomes for some major australian industries, it begs the question, is the art of effectively negotiating…

Businesses across Australia are facing many different challenges.



Some companies are struggling with the decline of the manufacturing sector and related job losses.



Organisations in the resources-rich states are facing rising labour costs and skills shortage issues.



Businesses in the retail sector are trying to protect tight profit margins and decreasing sales…

KPMG reported that the labour shortage worsened by 10% over the past year. We know the labour market is set to tighten even more in the future.  What strategies have you implemented to ensure your organisation has sufficient, productive staff for the future?

 …

60% of companies don’t have succession plans in place and yet this article suggests “…

As a team leader, HR manager, senior executive or CEO, part of your job requirement is keeping your team motivated and engaged. Sometimes this may not be easy; for example through periods of change and uncertainty.

Some of the top IEC tips for motivating teams include:

Clearly define the desired outcome

Employees want to know what they are working towards so they can have a sense of accomplishment once it is completed. It needs to be a concrete…

Considering the amount of time and effort that goes into performing reference checks, Employment Office posed the question: Are Reference Checks really worth it?

EO’s Shortlisting Specialist team believes that reference checks remain a critical aspect of the recruitment process in the modern job…

A conversation about questionable psych tests with the delightful Nicole Underwood, Adelaide recruiter extraordinaire, and HR Daily Community Blogger yesterday, inspired me to re-visit this post, which I thought I'd share here:

The recruitment industry is notorious for high staff turnover. Statistics range from 43% (Staff Turnover: A Recruitment Industry Crisis) to the average length of service of a new Recruitment Consultant being 8 months! Ironic for an industry that specialises in recruiting the right staff for their clients to make a buck!

So interesting as I reflect on my recruitment career, that I too left my…