The wars of talent and control

It will become more and more visible ... organisations and leaders who talk flexibility and agility but the reality is still command and control. 

As employees return to the office - or not - the power dynamic is shifting on topics like flexibility and engagement. 

Questions come to mind like: 

➡️ If a company needs particular skills, does it matter where those skills live? 

➡️ Can people work remotely? All the time? 

➡️ Why should people come into the office? What will the true benefit be to them if they do? 

➡️ If people don’t get the flexibility they’re seeking, who else is offering it?

There is an equaling of the balance or see-saw occurring. 

From times when the organisation and its leaders had the power and control, now, towards times when people who have a greater freedom of choice in front of them are exercising that choice. 

Why should people work with your organisation? Or with you as a leader? 

This article from Newsweek by Yuri Kruman, explores the topic more.

Warmer and more human please

Along with everything else they’re juggling, leaders are on notice to up their humanity and reality. 

With remote work and online meetings creating a wierd kind of ‘digital disconnect’ between many leaders and their teams, it’s a good time for some newer ways of connecting. 

Some recent data reported 32% of people said communications from their leadership team during these difficult times felt ‘cold and impersonal’. Ooooh the chill!

And 31% felt leadership showed a lack of empathy for people’s personal lives. Oh the burn! 

Some businesses are trying new ways of connecting. Rather than expecting everyone online at once for a synchronous ‘town hall’ or ‘all hands’ presentation, internal podcasts are being added to the comms list. 

And 39% of those researched said they want their leaders to ‘explore more personal means of communication, like video’. 

Explore. 

That’s a nice way of saying ‘have a go’, ‘try it out’, ‘see what might work for us here.’ 

The fear of failing, looking foolish or crashing and burning can be a big turnoff for leaders who have kept their game face on, stilted, straight and ... are they frozen? Is their camera frozen? 

No. They’re just cold, still, impersonal. 

Ouch! 

Warm up. Open up. More humanity please. 

Better engagement from the leader first... before expecting engagement from the team. 

Read more in this article by Jessica Davies at Digiday.

Why every leader should take an improv class

Have you? If that’s a no, put it on your development list, right near the top. 

And if you have, you know what I’m talking about. 

In this crazy world of change, no one teaches better, trains better or helps us deal like an improv class. 

The performers who make stuff up on TV and theatres the world over, moved things online during the pandemic, and they adapted nicely! 

Here are five reasons why taking improv has got to be on your list for either an in-person class or an online one. Or a bit of both! 

1. You’re constantly thinking on your feet 
2. Communication is essential 
3. Your nerves get tested
4. You fail a lot (I think this one, this one is what makes us more willing to experiment, try and have a go)
5. Growth becomes a mindset. 

Read more in this article in Inc. Magazine by Jason Hennessey 

And then sign up at your local improv troupe, group or club. 

In Melbourne, that’s the wonderful Impro Melbourne and a big shout out to the wonderful people, teachers, performers and players like
Jason Geary
Patti Stiles 
Lliam Amor
Rik Brown 
Katherine Weaver 
Jenny Lovell 

In Perth, check out Glenn Hall !

Improv is where the great lessons, techniques and mantras like ‘yes and’ come from! 

There’s plenty more to be had. As soon as you can, do it. Ready?

The foolish economy of not taking a break

“We don’t need a morning tea break, let’s keep working.”
“We will have a working lunch.“ 
“This is really important, so let’s keep going.”

There they are. The statements of overload and worry that ‘we won’t get through this’ so ‘we have to push on’. 

As a participant and team member I’ve experienced leaders who won’t take a break. 

And as a speaker and facilitator, I’ve had clients not want their team to take a break. I often have to fight for, advocate for or at worst, implore leaders to give people a break. 

The science is well documented: We need breaks. 

Not just to recover physically, but mentally ... to synthesise information, consolidate information and even ... go to the bathroom! 

A lot of good stuff happens in the break from the talking, thinking, listening and pushing of information. 

Connections, reflections and important thought processes are being executed. Brain actions that may not be possible during the intensity of the never-ending workshop or meeting need to happen, and a break is when it occurs. 

To think we ‘can’t afford’ to take a break is foolish. 

What are you worried will happen? 
Disengagement? Loss of momentum? Slower progress? It’s already happened because there wasn’t a break. 

At the least, break so people can empty their ‘cognitive load’ - the information they’re holding in their brain, and just like a truck we can’t carry more when it’s full. We must empty and ‘unload’ before we expect people to ‘reload’. 

Breaks are mandated in fields like aviation, healthcare, transportation, building and construction ... even retail. 

The consequences are disastrous when breaks are ignored or deemed less important than pushing on through. 

🌕 Break during a meeting or workshop 
🌕 Break between meetings and workshops
🌕 Break during intense and heavy work
🌕 And break for longer than you think. 

You don’t need a complicated well-being program. Just take more breaks.

Dr Amy Silver said...

“You will want to keep this one close to hand; it could become your guide to getting more of what you want out of your life.”

Thank you Dr Amy Silver MAPS ClinPsyD MA MPhil BSc(Hons) for reading and reviewing ‘Argh! Too much information, not enough brain; A practical guide to outsmarting overwhelm’. 

She said, “In a world where overwhelm is a state that many of us suffer from, this book is the manual on how to manage it. 

“As with all Lynne Cazaly books, this is an immensely practical book, that reminds us of the power we can have over our complicated lives even though it seems, well, overwhelming. 

“With clear strategies and immediately usable tools to neutralize the sensation of being out of control, this book is for anyone struggling to keep on top of their to do list!”


To outsmart overwhelm, overwork and information overload ... have a read of ‘Argh!’