No one can hide from the internet. It contains countless examples of folks presenting altruistic conduct, but more than a fair share others revealing less than desirable … etiquette.

For example, several workers at a Burger King in Ohio were fired after they took photos of themselves shredding lettuce with their feet and posted them on the Web. It didn’t seem to enter their minds that their bosses might eventually see these photos. Why would staff shred lettuce with their feet anyway?

These workers pale in comparison to those whose actions explode beyond the internet, and the world couldn’t miss, who put their own interests above those of the staff and customers, basic ethics and good behaviour - the likes of Enron, Lehman Bros, etc.

What do these two have in common? They were presenting to the world poor business culture. If staff feel valued would they act like the Burger King...

“Victory comes to companies, not through the employment of brilliant men, but through knowing how to get the best out of ordinary folk.” Anonymous.

We can all trace our success to two basic inputs: firstly, a series of developmental events that gave us experience, judgment, and insights; and secondly, we had a coach (possibly a manager) who took a special interest in our work, our career and personal development.


In the above figure, James Clear illustrates just how effective small choices over the long term are. They either cause decline or create exponential growth in your business.

Josh Bersin notes that the greatest impact on business is, “… executive and management coaching. This scored higher than setting goals, aligning goals, building core competencies, and recruiting high performers.”

In the past an executive coach was used to lift the outcomes of under-performers...

If we wish to have long lasting successful businesses, teams and great customers then feedback is essential. Feedback helps to identify and grow businesses opportunities, our peoples potential and better service our costumer wants.

Resisting feedback distances us from opportunities, our people and customers and creates a fertile bed for arrogance to grow.

C. J. Mahaney describes arrogance as one who is, “ motivated by self-interest, self-indulgence, and a false sense of self-sufficiency” (2). Arrogance breeds behaviours that are “not inclusive, diverse of thought, creative, or enlightening” (5). A business that becomes exclusive, self-suffecient, bereft of creativity and concern for others, and self-indulgent no longer sees input from customers as essential for continued growth.



The question we need to ask of ourselves is, if our customers become “bothersome” are we becoming...

“Failure isn’t a necessary evil. In fact, it isn’t evil at all. It is a necessary consequence of doing something new.” Ed Catmull (co-Founder and President of Pixar and Disney Animation Studios) ^

Failure is one thing all share in common as humans, and is essential for our growth and learnings. We can best call these lessons through failure, “Enlightenment at Gunpoint”*. If we are to become an empowered leader we need to gain some of the strengths learnt through experiencing failure.

These learned experiences from failing train us to succeed, to fail upwards.

Unfortunately, there is no coaching or training in failing, particularly in our success driven culture. Most will either deny failing or make a failure look like a success.

Some of the positive lessons derived from failure can give us as leaders greater strategic insight, operational clarity, and a revitalised confidence in...

What a week! Started with a great new project - I had two weeks to do a pilot feasibility project including projections, developing policies, procedures and job descriptions, whilst hiring staff and setting up the facility! I ended this great week with a personal life crisis - just to cause some grief.

Your week may have ended better, however, I have no doubt that you would have, at some stage, suffered the grief of dealing with difficult clients, employees who refuse to engage, obstructive and/or uncooperative work colleagues. Regardless of the source, any distraction that may impact you or your team’s performance causes potential grief.

If we can learn to unlock the potential of forgiveness hidden away in grief, the sky is the limit.

Grief can create an emotional roadblock as you struggle with the failure to meet the targets, timelines or expectations of self and others. If...