Dr. Fons Trompenaars in my hero. Over the past 18 years he has taught me about how culture enhances or destroys trust, communication and collaboration through his research on the Seven Dimensions of Culture. Trust is a critical component in your ability to foster effective leadership, teamwork and inclusivity in the culture of your organization. The national culture you live in affects your organizational culture and therefore your company’s competitiveness.

Over the past three months, I have been training and coaching about 18 recovering drug addicts in a rehab centre in Malaysia. This very meaningful experience taught me a lot about coaching people who have failed. Their failure has impacted their physical, emotional and mental health, their family and friend relationships, with a lack of clarity on how to re-enter society.

In pursuing happiness, many people focus on external factors, believing that material possessions or the right circumstances will bring them joy. However, true happiness often comes from within, and one powerful way to cultivate lasting happiness is by becoming antifragile. Inspired by Nassim Taleb’s concept, antifragility refers to thriving in the face of adversity, uncertainty, and change rather than merely surviving. Adopting an antifragile mindset can make you more adaptable, resilient, and ultimately, happier. This blog post will explore the different aspects of becoming antifragile and how they contribute to happiness.

I have watched John Maxwell speak, teach and train for over 20 years. His ability to communicate to audiences or ‘one on one’ with individuals is based on the laws of communication he has developed below. His newest book "16 Invaluable Laws of Communication" outlines the key principles of effective communication. The principles are based on how John walks the talk with integrity, graciousness, a servant-leader mindset, and of course, his world-class cross-cultural speaking skills.

Everyone today talks about becoming a leader but what happened to the manager? Reading the Daily Drucker, I have noticed that many times, Dr. Drucker the author of modern management, mentions “manager” but we can also insert the word “leader” into many of his writings without distorting his intent. Is being a leader a higher level skill than what seems to be the lower level skill of an manager? There are several key differences between a manager and a leader and my research highlights the similarities and differences

During Covid and post-Covid I traveled to holiday in Bali – what a difference in serenity and harmony between the two trips. By the way…my first trip to Bali was way back in 1978 when things were a lot quieter! Returning to Bali in post-Covid January, I experienced the return of the disruptive tourist in Bali and can empathize with the local Balinese anger and the many press reports calling out very visible tourists who consciously ignore local values and customs in the normally harmonious island of Bali.

We are into the third month of 2023 and I figured we can do a quick personal check-up on your self-leadership and care. So, I checked with ChatGPT to see how it would respond. Here is what it produced with a few edits by myself. Effective self-leadership involves taking responsibility for one's own development and growth, and taking proactive steps to achieve personal and professional goals.

It’s been said that public speaking is the number one fear of most people, with death being second. “This means,” said comedian Jerry Seinfeld, “if you have to be at a funeral, you would rather be in the casket than doing the eulogy.”

My observation in Asia have seen that corporate leaders get promoted faster than their skill development in public speaking and presentations.

Times of turbulence are great opportunities for those who can understand, accept, and exploit the new realities that create value. Think about how Zoom exploited Covid and morphed working from home with virtual teamwork to be a new normal. One constant theme is the need for you, your team, and your company to face up to reality and resist the temptations of the certainties of yesterday, which are about to become the deleterious failures of tomorrow. Being born in Detroit, I saw this happen in the 1970’s with the “Big Three” automakers being overwhelmed by higher-quality Japanese cars.

We all have been stressed at one time or another. It can be triggered by work, health, finance, relationships, self-doubt or challenging circumstances in your life. I have experienced stress for all these causes and have found some “remedies” that can help you prevent or reduce your stress to live a more enjoyable, meaningful life. A few insightful caveats about stress before we look at stress reducers I have discovered.

For many in Asia, this long weekend heralds the Chinese New Year of the Rabbit. For many, it is a time to come home and honour parents (and in-laws!), reconnect to siblings and enjoy fellowship and good food. It can be a time of rest and recharging. To motivate you to reflect and recharge, I have assembled brief quotes (with some adaptation) from authors Walt Hendrichsen, and Robb Thompson to give you “food for thought” over the weekend – read reflect, digest, and make necessary changes.

The year 2022 was impactful for the learner/mentees in the Harvard Manage Mentor Spark community. Michelle Bonterre of Harvard Publishing lists out the 10 most popular skills the Harvard Manage Mentees desired to learn in 2022 below and I have given you action steps to take to grow you in these skills in 2023. Read on!

Wow! It’s December already and time to reflect on 2022 and plan for 2023. Emerging from Covid we have all learned life lessons that have led to success and possible setbacks. The coming year 2023 may not be any calmer, but a year of change, possible chaos and hopefully personal growth. Take this upcoming holiday period to reflect on your life in 2022 and to prepare for 2023. Begin by reviewing your 2022 by answering and reflecting on these six questions:

Organizations must train and grow their people to remain relevant and competitive in this rapidly changing world. How then do we avoid the pitfalls of training disillusionment and achieve success in the development of our people? This visual I have adapted from Dartner says it all.

Year-end performance appraisals are a year-end SOP for many organizations. With a dramatic increase of quiet quitting, job hopping and fierce talent attraction competition, it would be wise to conduct appraisals on your organization’s culture, leadership competence and employee engagement. Culture Amp has recently conducted research on why people leave organizations.

All of us are emerging from Covid for better or for worse. On the horizon, we see inflation, chaos, and the continual noise of negative and amplified social media. As you and I finish off 2022, I want you to reflect on how you have grown or possibly regressed through Covid and experiences of 2021 - 2022. If you decide to do this, have a pen and paper ready to record what you have learned, how you have grown, and what you might do differently in the future.

Over the past 30 years, I have interviewed thousands of candidates for positions in leadership, sales and service. From this long experience of “success and failure,” I have gleaned four actions you should always employ during any interview. The four actions support the solid interviewing skills of preparation, conducting, and evaluating the interview.

Wow! It is already the fourth quarter of 2022. Many of us are already into reviewing results for 2022 and planning our 2023 goals. These 4th Q activities usually involve the review of sales, revenue, KPI’s and of course the dreaded year-end performance appraisal.

During my home leave over the past month, I have experienced the deaths two people and have reflected on the legacy they left behind: an ex-boss who became a personal friend, and a queen of 70 years. After examining their lives, I will leave you with insight and questions you may ask yourself about the legacy you are establishing as you journey through your life of relationships

In times growth, the success of an organization is often regarded as a by product of the market place and the organizations strategic position. However, when things aren’t going so well, attention goes to the company’s leadership.