19 November 2023 Newsletter
“Mediocrity knows nothing higher than itself, but talent instantly recognizes genius.” Arthur Conan Doyle
Hope you’re Thriving!
It’s been a productive week – I hope yours was also.
What Got You Here Will Keep You Here
I’ve been reading a book called 10x is easier than 2x as mentioned in this newsletter a few weeks ago, and there’s one thing that’s stuck with me.
What got you here will keep you here.
It’s a statement used in the book Read More...
19 November 2023 Newsletter
“Mediocrity knows nothing higher than itself, but talent instantly recognizes genius.” Arthur Conan Doyle
Hope you’re Thriving!
It’s been a productive week – I hope yours was also.
What Got You Here Will Keep You Here
I’ve been reading a book called 10x is easier than 2x as mentioned in this newsletter a few weeks ago, and there’s one thing that’s stuck with me.
What got you here will keep you here.
It’s a statement used in the book Read More...
5 November 2023 Newsletter
“No, that is the great fallacy: the wisdom of old men. They do not grow wise. They grow careful.” — Ernest Hemingway
Hope you’re Thriving!
It’s been a full week with a pair of 2-day offsite meetings and a few other meetings. It’s now November, and around six weeks until the end of the work year here and the traditional break at Christmas.
I encourage you to make the most of the next six weeks!
The Case For A Slowing Economy
(and how to Read More...
5 November 2023 Newsletter
“No, that is the great fallacy: the wisdom of old men. They do not grow wise. They grow careful.” — Ernest Hemingway
Hope you’re Thriving!
It’s been a full week with a pair of 2-day offsite meetings and a few other meetings. It’s now November, and around six weeks until the end of the work year here and the traditional break at Christmas.
I encourage you to make the most of the next six weeks!
The Case For A Slowing Economy
(and how to Read More...
15 October 2023 Newsletter
“Urgency gets more people to buy. Scarcity gets people to pay more.”
Hope you’re Thriving!
It’s been a good week back with a workshop and several meetings.
Here’s a growth fact I wrote in this newsletter ten years ago:
A $10m company growing at 25% will be 3.8 times the size in 6 years and have revenues of $145m in 12 years or 14.5 times the size. The beauty of compound growth!
Let’s get into it.
How To Work With (Almost) Anyone
At a [ Read More...
15 October 2023 Newsletter
“Urgency gets more people to buy. Scarcity gets people to pay more.”
Hope you’re Thriving!
It’s been a good week back with a workshop and several meetings.
Here’s a growth fact I wrote in this newsletter ten years ago:
A $10m company growing at 25% will be 3.8 times the size in 6 years and have revenues of $145m in 12 years or 14.5 times the size. The beauty of compound growth!
Let’s get into it.
How To Work With (Almost) Anyone
At a [ Read More...
8 October 2023 Newsletter
“There will come a time when you believe everything is finished. That will be the beginning.” Louis L’Amour
Hope you’re Thriving!
I’ve enjoyed a second week in Europe, this time in Barcelona, perhaps one of my favourite cities. Beyond the fantastic culture, learning how fiercely independent locals have resisted global platforms like AirBNB and Uber has been interesting. In fact, the streets of Barcelona feel more like they did pre-Uber Read More...
8 October 2023 Newsletter
“There will come a time when you believe everything is finished. That will be the beginning.” Louis L’Amour
Hope you’re Thriving!
I’ve enjoyed a second week in Europe, this time in Barcelona, perhaps one of my favourite cities. Beyond the fantastic culture, learning how fiercely independent locals have resisted global platforms like AirBNB and Uber has been interesting. In fact, the streets of Barcelona feel more like they did pre-Uber Read More...
24 September 2023 Newsletter
“Intelligence without ambition is a bird without wings.” – Salvador Dali
Hope you’re Thriving!
It’s been a lively week with a trip to France for a 2-day annual strategy workshop with a client’s team.
One of the themes of our time together was to bond and get to know each other on a deeper level. It’s one thing to be running teamwork exercises in a private dining room, but it’s another level to be dining together and heading out for Read More...
24 September 2023 Newsletter
“Intelligence without ambition is a bird without wings.” – Salvador Dali
Hope you’re Thriving!
It’s been a lively week with a trip to France for a 2-day annual strategy workshop with a client’s team.
One of the themes of our time together was to bond and get to know each other on a deeper level. It’s one thing to be running teamwork exercises in a private dining room, but it’s another level to be dining together and heading out for Read More...
Creating a Habit of Accountability
In a previous article, we discussed the 3 levers to drive accountability, how to create momentum and have an action plan to coach our team to achieve high performance and demonstrate the right behaviours.
Once we’ve initiated the three levers of accountability, we want to maintain that momentum, so next, we address the question: How do we integrate those roles’ expectations into the day-to-day work?
Aligning Expectations With Your Team Members
As Read More...
Creating a Habit of Accountability
In a previous article, we discussed the 3 levers to drive accountability, how to create momentum and have an action plan to coach our team to achieve high performance and demonstrate the right behaviours.
Once we’ve initiated the three levers of accountability, we want to maintain that momentum, so next, we address the question: How do we integrate those roles’ expectations into the day-to-day work?
Aligning Expectations With Your Team Members
As Read More...
20 August 2023 Newsletter
“Winning has a Price. Leadership has a Price. Are you willing to pay that Price?” – Michael Jordan
Hope you’re Thriving!
I’ve enjoyed a great week as we’ve held our own team annual retreat.
Yes, we eat our own dog food!
Our team went a few hours from town and worked through strategy, priorities and different team exercises.
It’s exciting to see how far we’ve come since I started writing this newsletter eight years ago, and looking forward to Read More...
20 August 2023 Newsletter
“Winning has a Price. Leadership has a Price. Are you willing to pay that Price?” – Michael Jordan
Hope you’re Thriving!
I’ve enjoyed a great week as we’ve held our own team annual retreat.
Yes, we eat our own dog food!
Our team went a few hours from town and worked through strategy, priorities and different team exercises.
It’s exciting to see how far we’ve come since I started writing this newsletter eight years ago, and looking forward to Read More...
13 August 2023 Newsletter
“Knowledge is like knowing the names of all the streets in a city. Wisdom is knowing how to get from one place to another.” – John Holt
Hope you’re Thriving!
It’s been a productive week with meetings, quarterly planning workshops, and a speaking event.
Let’s do this.
The 7 Eternal Truths of Entrepreneurship
This week I read a great interview article with Simon Sinek, author of Start with Why, amongst many other great books. The article outlines Read More...
13 August 2023 Newsletter
“Knowledge is like knowing the names of all the streets in a city. Wisdom is knowing how to get from one place to another.” – John Holt
Hope you’re Thriving!
It’s been a productive week with meetings, quarterly planning workshops, and a speaking event.
Let’s do this.
The 7 Eternal Truths of Entrepreneurship
This week I read a great interview article with Simon Sinek, author of Start with Why, amongst many other great books. The article outlines Read More...
3 Levers To Drive Accountability
One of the main concerns and the source of frustration for CEOs and Leaders, when we start working with them, is Accountability.
“We need to keep people more accountable” is a sentence we hear repeatedly. If this is something you’re currently saying (or thinking), you’re not alone.
Whilst there are many views on how to address accountability, a simple and proven approach will give you momentum and a way to measure and evolve.
So Read More...
3 Levers To Drive Accountability
One of the main concerns and the source of frustration for CEOs and Leaders, when we start working with them, is Accountability.
“We need to keep people more accountable” is a sentence we hear repeatedly. If this is something you’re currently saying (or thinking), you’re not alone.
Whilst there are many views on how to address accountability, a simple and proven approach will give you momentum and a way to measure and evolve.
So Read More...
6 August 2023 Newsletter
“But what I’ve seen to set apart great teams from good is a brutal focus on prioritization. This means generating an absurd amount of ideas and throwing 99% of them out of the window, to focus on the 1% that have the highest impact.” — Erik Bernhardsson
Hope you’re Thriving!
It’s been a fantastic week with a lot of meetings and a 2-day strategic planning workshop in Adelaide. It’s funny how sometimes themes emerge through a week’s work. Read More...
6 August 2023 Newsletter
“But what I’ve seen to set apart great teams from good is a brutal focus on prioritization. This means generating an absurd amount of ideas and throwing 99% of them out of the window, to focus on the 1% that have the highest impact.” — Erik Bernhardsson
Hope you’re Thriving!
It’s been a fantastic week with a lot of meetings and a 2-day strategic planning workshop in Adelaide. It’s funny how sometimes themes emerge through a week’s work. Read More...
23 July 2023 Newsletter
“There is no substitute for discipline. No amount of intellectual prowess or personal charisma can make up for an inability to identify a few simple things and stick to them over time.”
Pat Lencioni
Hope you’re Thriving!
It’s been a productive week with planning, meetings and some learning. On the good news front, global inflation is trending downward faster than expected and Australia may avoid a recession.
Let’s talk turkey.
Why Your Strategy Depends On Read More...
23 July 2023 Newsletter
“There is no substitute for discipline. No amount of intellectual prowess or personal charisma can make up for an inability to identify a few simple things and stick to them over time.”
Pat Lencioni
Hope you’re Thriving!
It’s been a productive week with planning, meetings and some learning. On the good news front, global inflation is trending downward faster than expected and Australia may avoid a recession.
Let’s talk turkey.
Why Your Strategy Depends On Read More...
25 June 2023 Newsletter
“My drive in life comes from a fear of being mediocre…because even though I have become somebody, I still have to prove that I am somebody. My struggle has never ended and I guess it never will.” – Madonna
Hope you’re Thriving!
It’s been a productive week with some deep dives with teams on Profit per X, and how that changed the structure of an org chart for one team. We also delved into three different ways to connect strategy with execution Read More...
25 June 2023 Newsletter
“My drive in life comes from a fear of being mediocre…because even though I have become somebody, I still have to prove that I am somebody. My struggle has never ended and I guess it never will.” – Madonna
Hope you’re Thriving!
It’s been a productive week with some deep dives with teams on Profit per X, and how that changed the structure of an org chart for one team. We also delved into three different ways to connect strategy with execution Read More...
18 June 2023 Newsletter
The greatest danger in times of turbulence is not the turbulence; it is to act with yesterday’s logic. Peter F. Drucker
Hope you’re Thriving!
It’s been an interesting week, with 3 full day leadership workshops.
Here’s a quote from a friend I thought you’d enjoy.
Life takes discipline.
Diligence.
Determination.
Recognise that while sometimes you have to compromise, other times you don’t.
The temptation doesn’t come with a choice between right and Read More...
18 June 2023 Newsletter
The greatest danger in times of turbulence is not the turbulence; it is to act with yesterday’s logic. Peter F. Drucker
Hope you’re Thriving!
It’s been an interesting week, with 3 full day leadership workshops.
Here’s a quote from a friend I thought you’d enjoy.
Life takes discipline.
Diligence.
Determination.
Recognise that while sometimes you have to compromise, other times you don’t.
The temptation doesn’t come with a choice between right and Read More...
11 June 2023 Newsletter
Don’t aspire to build a $10m company. Aspire to create the systems that will build a $10m company.
Hope you’re Thriving!
It’s been a really good week. It started with a father & son long weekend, spending time with my 12-year-old – an occasion I would encourage everyone to try.
Also, our team held a fantastic private event learning about cash for all our clients.
Then finally, I had a great quarterly workshop with a team in Sydney.
Don’t Worry About Read More...
11 June 2023 Newsletter
Don’t aspire to build a $10m company. Aspire to create the systems that will build a $10m company.
Hope you’re Thriving!
It’s been a really good week. It started with a father & son long weekend, spending time with my 12-year-old – an occasion I would encourage everyone to try.
Also, our team held a fantastic private event learning about cash for all our clients.
Then finally, I had a great quarterly workshop with a team in Sydney.
Don’t Worry About Read More...
28 May 2023 Newsletter
“Every time a company doubles, it breaks half its systems and loses half its people.” Robert Glazer
Hope you’re Thriving!
It’s been a productive week with four workshop days and sending my next book, “Onboarded for Managers”, to the book designer. I’m currently aiming for an August release.
Executive Burnout
In the past three days, we’ve seen two shock AFL resignations attributed to burnout: Richmond coach Damian Hardwick and Hawthorn chief Read More...
28 May 2023 Newsletter
“Every time a company doubles, it breaks half its systems and loses half its people.” Robert Glazer
Hope you’re Thriving!
It’s been a productive week with four workshop days and sending my next book, “Onboarded for Managers”, to the book designer. I’m currently aiming for an August release.
Executive Burnout
In the past three days, we’ve seen two shock AFL resignations attributed to burnout: Richmond coach Damian Hardwick and Hawthorn chief Read More...
21 May 2023 Newsletter
“If you focus on solving problems you’ll probably save your business $1 of revenue. If you focus on creating customer moments, you’ll probably create $10” Chip Heath
Hope you’re Thriving!
It’s been a productive week with workshops, podcasts and a lot of discussions about AI and its impact.
AI Impact on the Labour Market
This week I came across this interesting infographic about the impact of AI.
What Great Listeners Actually Read More...
21 May 2023 Newsletter
“If you focus on solving problems you’ll probably save your business $1 of revenue. If you focus on creating customer moments, you’ll probably create $10” Chip Heath
Hope you’re Thriving!
It’s been a productive week with workshops, podcasts and a lot of discussions about AI and its impact.
AI Impact on the Labour Market
This week I came across this interesting infographic about the impact of AI.
What Great Listeners Actually Read More...
16 April 2023 Newsletter
“Leaders are made, they are not born. They are made by hard effort; ..which is the price all of us must pay to achieve any goal that is worthwhile.”
– Vince Lombardi
Hope you’re Thriving!
It’s been a good week, with a couple of days off and some interesting meetings.
What was I doing on my day off? Spending hours on the phone, on hold to my bank. So I found it interesting to see that the IRS (the US tax department) has cut telephone wait times to an Read More...
16 April 2023 Newsletter
“Leaders are made, they are not born. They are made by hard effort; ..which is the price all of us must pay to achieve any goal that is worthwhile.”
– Vince Lombardi
Hope you’re Thriving!
It’s been a good week, with a couple of days off and some interesting meetings.
What was I doing on my day off? Spending hours on the phone, on hold to my bank. So I found it interesting to see that the IRS (the US tax department) has cut telephone wait times to an Read More...
9 April 2023 Newsletter
“It’s not the journey, it’s not the destination, it’s the company you keep.”
– George Gan
Hope you’re Thriving!
It’s been a short week, with a few days off, a retreat overseas, and a few good meetings.
This weekend in Australia we have both a Friday and a Monday public holiday, and if you’re fortunate enough to have the same, I hope that they are both enjoyable and rewarding.
Let’s jump in.
How to Hire a CEO
This week I came across one of Read More...
9 April 2023 Newsletter
“It’s not the journey, it’s not the destination, it’s the company you keep.”
– George Gan
Hope you’re Thriving!
It’s been a short week, with a few days off, a retreat overseas, and a few good meetings.
This weekend in Australia we have both a Friday and a Monday public holiday, and if you’re fortunate enough to have the same, I hope that they are both enjoyable and rewarding.
Let’s jump in.
How to Hire a CEO
This week I came across one of Read More...
26 March 2023 Newsletter
“If you believe that talent is everything, then your hiring process should also be everything” Claire Hughes Johnson
Hope you’re Thriving!
Good afternoon to everyone except those who require wet signatures.
Ok, I’ve written the above statement because I’ve recently been frustrated by an organisation requiring wet signatures. But it’s more than that. Wet signatures could indicate that an organisation might not be customer focused OR isn’t using Read More...
26 March 2023 Newsletter
“If you believe that talent is everything, then your hiring process should also be everything” Claire Hughes Johnson
Hope you’re Thriving!
Good afternoon to everyone except those who require wet signatures.
Ok, I’ve written the above statement because I’ve recently been frustrated by an organisation requiring wet signatures. But it’s more than that. Wet signatures could indicate that an organisation might not be customer focused OR isn’t using Read More...
19 March 2023 Newsletter
If you want the most make it easy. If you want the best make it hard
– US Marine Slogan
Hope you’re Thriving!
Some weeks very little changes, and other weeks a lot changes.
This week a lot has changed. Before we get into it, I’d like to complain about the way we’ve come to rely on software for more and more necessary operations almost every day, and yet it’s hard to get through a day without software failing – or engineers making confusing structural Read More...
19 March 2023 Newsletter
If you want the most make it easy. If you want the best make it hard
– US Marine Slogan
Hope you’re Thriving!
Some weeks very little changes, and other weeks a lot changes.
This week a lot has changed. Before we get into it, I’d like to complain about the way we’ve come to rely on software for more and more necessary operations almost every day, and yet it’s hard to get through a day without software failing – or engineers making confusing structural Read More...
5 March 2023 Newsletter
“The distance between dreams and reality is called discipline.”
Hope you’re Thriving!
It’s been a fun and productive week, with lots of meetings, working on Healthy Wealthy and Wise with some leaders, and enjoying a few days on Rottnest – our favourite island.
Is lack of stress impacting your performance?
Perhaps you read that and thought, “I need less stress, not more!”.
Understandable, but this is a follow on from my ‘rant’ last week Read More...
5 March 2023 Newsletter
“The distance between dreams and reality is called discipline.”
Hope you’re Thriving!
It’s been a fun and productive week, with lots of meetings, working on Healthy Wealthy and Wise with some leaders, and enjoying a few days on Rottnest – our favourite island.
Is lack of stress impacting your performance?
Perhaps you read that and thought, “I need less stress, not more!”.
Understandable, but this is a follow on from my ‘rant’ last week Read More...
26 February 2023 Newsletter
“The only real test of intelligence is if you get what you want out of life.” Naval Ravikant
Hope you’re Thriving!
It’s been a productive week with a trip to Sydney, two online masterclasses, a training day and a handful of meetings.
On several occasions, I noticed that some companies are desperately trying to find staff, and recruiters are pumping up salaries because they have been given the mandate “just get someone!”.
In one case, a “B/C” Read More...
26 February 2023 Newsletter
“The only real test of intelligence is if you get what you want out of life.” Naval Ravikant
Hope you’re Thriving!
It’s been a productive week with a trip to Sydney, two online masterclasses, a training day and a handful of meetings.
On several occasions, I noticed that some companies are desperately trying to find staff, and recruiters are pumping up salaries because they have been given the mandate “just get someone!”.
In one case, a “B/C” Read More...
19 February 2023 Newsletter
“People are always excited about the games in sports, but it is all the discipline and habits built in practice that drives winning”
Hope you’re Thriving!
It’s been a great week with lot’s happening here. Over the past few weeks, it’s felt that we’ve been getting back into it after the new year break; it now feels like – to use a flying analogy – that we’re back to cruising altitude.
Let’s do it.
Salesforce productivity
There’s no Read More...
19 February 2023 Newsletter
“People are always excited about the games in sports, but it is all the discipline and habits built in practice that drives winning”
Hope you’re Thriving!
It’s been a great week with lot’s happening here. Over the past few weeks, it’s felt that we’ve been getting back into it after the new year break; it now feels like – to use a flying analogy – that we’re back to cruising altitude.
Let’s do it.
Salesforce productivity
There’s no Read More...
5 February 2023 Newsletter
“The best plan is only good intentions unless it degenerates into work” Peter Drucker
Hope you’re Thriving!
Aaaand we’re back!
It’s been a fantastic summer; for the past several weeks, we’ve been on a “non-ratings period”, as my friend Tristan puts it.
This means I’ve been taking a break over the past weeks while sending you weekly newsletters containing the best from the past year. But that’s over now. Back to our regularly Read More...
5 February 2023 Newsletter
“The best plan is only good intentions unless it degenerates into work” Peter Drucker
Hope you’re Thriving!
Aaaand we’re back!
It’s been a fantastic summer; for the past several weeks, we’ve been on a “non-ratings period”, as my friend Tristan puts it.
This means I’ve been taking a break over the past weeks while sending you weekly newsletters containing the best from the past year. But that’s over now. Back to our regularly Read More...
15 January 2023 Newsletter
“If you build your business on customer needs, not technology, you have good chance of success because customer needs do not change.” Hermann Simon
Hope you’re Thriving!
I hope your New Year is off to a good start.
Over the holiday season, I’ve collected some of my favourite articles and podcasts from the year to share with you. Kind of like a best-of from 2022.
Couple this with my recommended reading list and hopefully, there is something of Read More...
15 January 2023 Newsletter
“If you build your business on customer needs, not technology, you have good chance of success because customer needs do not change.” Hermann Simon
Hope you’re Thriving!
I hope your New Year is off to a good start.
Over the holiday season, I’ve collected some of my favourite articles and podcasts from the year to share with you. Kind of like a best-of from 2022.
Couple this with my recommended reading list and hopefully, there is something of Read More...
25 December 2022 Newsletter
“The costs of your good habits are in the present. The cost of your bad habits are in the future.” James Clear
Hope you’re Thriving!
Over the holiday season, I’ve collected some of my favourite articles from the year to share with you. Kind of like a best-of from 2022.
Couple this with my recommended reading list and hopefully, there is something of real interest and value for you each week.
I’m keeping them short and sharp.
Enjoy your Read More...
25 December 2022 Newsletter
“The costs of your good habits are in the present. The cost of your bad habits are in the future.” James Clear
Hope you’re Thriving!
Over the holiday season, I’ve collected some of my favourite articles from the year to share with you. Kind of like a best-of from 2022.
Couple this with my recommended reading list and hopefully, there is something of real interest and value for you each week.
I’m keeping them short and sharp.
Enjoy your Read More...
11 December 2022 Newsletter
In the short term, you are as good as your intensity. In the long term, you are only as good as your consistency.” Shane Parrish
Hope you’re Thriving!
Some weeks I sit down to write this newsletter, and there hasn’t been a lot happening. On other weeks I can’t squeeze it all in. This is one of those weeks.
So let’s do this.
Take The 10%
I saw someone talking this week about accepting the negative in people.
We can like perhaps 90% about a person, but Read More...
11 December 2022 Newsletter
In the short term, you are as good as your intensity. In the long term, you are only as good as your consistency.” Shane Parrish
Hope you’re Thriving!
Some weeks I sit down to write this newsletter, and there hasn’t been a lot happening. On other weeks I can’t squeeze it all in. This is one of those weeks.
So let’s do this.
Take The 10%
I saw someone talking this week about accepting the negative in people.
We can like perhaps 90% about a person, but Read More...
27 November 2022 Newsletter
“You’re either in the time and effort economy or you’re in the results economy” Dan Sullivan
Hope you’re Thriving!
I was talking on a podcast this week about the new book Onboarded, and the host asked me, “What is the one thing you wish you knew when you were 20 years old?”.
I thought for a few moments and replied, “The importance of consistency and how that leads to the power of compounding.”
That’s what is really at the heart of most Read More...
27 November 2022 Newsletter
“You’re either in the time and effort economy or you’re in the results economy” Dan Sullivan
Hope you’re Thriving!
I was talking on a podcast this week about the new book Onboarded, and the host asked me, “What is the one thing you wish you knew when you were 20 years old?”.
I thought for a few moments and replied, “The importance of consistency and how that leads to the power of compounding.”
That’s what is really at the heart of most Read More...
20 November 2022 Newsletter
“The job of the leader is to grow more leaders.” – Robin Sharma
Hope you’re Thriving!
It’s been a fun week, which concluded with a 2-day annual planning session with a group of companies.
I just love that quote above, which states, “The job of a leader is to grow more leaders”. It speaks to the leader as a coach concept, and why the genius with 1,000 helpers is failing as a leader. In ten words, it says to leaders, look at the Read More...
20 November 2022 Newsletter
“The job of the leader is to grow more leaders.” – Robin Sharma
Hope you’re Thriving!
It’s been a fun week, which concluded with a 2-day annual planning session with a group of companies.
I just love that quote above, which states, “The job of a leader is to grow more leaders”. It speaks to the leader as a coach concept, and why the genius with 1,000 helpers is failing as a leader. In ten words, it says to leaders, look at the Read More...
13 November 2022 Newsletter
“Life isn’t about finding yourself. Life is about creating yourself.” – George Bernard Shaw
Hope you’re Thriving!
It’s been a good week with the busyness of the Onboarded book launch fading into regular media interviews and everyday routine.
I’ve been loving getting photos of people with the book, and especially the pictures of books with lots of post-it notes all through.
If you’ve bought the book, it would mean a lot to me if you could post a Read More...
13 November 2022 Newsletter
“Life isn’t about finding yourself. Life is about creating yourself.” – George Bernard Shaw
Hope you’re Thriving!
It’s been a good week with the busyness of the Onboarded book launch fading into regular media interviews and everyday routine.
I’ve been loving getting photos of people with the book, and especially the pictures of books with lots of post-it notes all through.
If you’ve bought the book, it would mean a lot to me if you could post a Read More...
