Personal Development | The Leadership Coach™

Front Foot Favouritism

Posted on19. Oct, 2009 by Paul Andrew.

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I’m not a gifted sportsman, in fact even ‘competent’ is a stretch most of the time. But one sport I picked up quickly was snowboarding. There’s something exhilarating about hurtling down the side of a mountain strapped to a snowboard with trees and rocks all around you that heightens the senses and reminds you that [...]

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You Lost Me At Hello

Posted on23. Aug, 2009 by Paul Andrew.

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I flew into New York City for the first time last week and was stunned by the impact that city can make on you, even from the sky. I was in awe, taking photo after photo. Our week there only confirmed that first impression. But I thought about articles I’ve read lately on ‘making a [...]

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Culture Eats Strategy For Breakfast

Posted on02. Jun, 2009 by Paul Andrew.

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I was talking with one of the senior team at Gloria Jeans Coffees last week and she made a memorable statement as we discussed the different ways leaders can view the challenges facing their teams. Sadly it’s something many organisations don’t seem to understand- “Culture eats strategy for breakfast”. I couldn’t agree more. Now, I’m [...]

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Braking or Breakthrough

Posted on18. May, 2009 by Paul Andrew.

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I learned to drive in an automatic V8 Holden in the early 90’s, it was a powerful and thirsty beast with a novice at the helm. One day as I was driving with my Dad I approached an intersection and at the last moment the light turned orange. I should have kept going, but instead [...]

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Do You Lead Through Hindsight, Insight or Foresight?

Posted on03. May, 2009 by Paul Andrew.

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My friend Mark is an Optical Engineer in the Australian Army and amongst other things he calibrates scopes for snipers. You know you’re passionate about leadership when even talking about weapon calibration gets you thinking about leadership principles! One statement he made really stuck with me “Just a 1mm adjustment of a screw slightly bigger [...]

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Innovation Inhibitors

Posted on23. Mar, 2009 by Paul Andrew.

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Leaders often get it backwards. “We need to be more creative”, someone says so we brainstorm ways we can “get people to come up with ideas” to make things better. Let’s have a suggestions box. Conduct an anonymous survey. Make our meetings more fun. Of course in the right environment these can be useful strategies. [...]

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The Spare Time Test

Posted on11. Mar, 2009 by Paul Andrew.

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I write this edition from the Middle East where I’ve been training leaders in Qatar. Last week I was working with Catholic school principals to assist them in becoming coaches to their staff. Both of these diverse groups expressed the same challenge to acting on their priorities (one that I believe is common to leaders [...]