Leadership Interviews & Insights
for great leaders, teams and workplaces
Ricky’s Insights
Blogs, webinars and podcasts
Courage compassion and care in uncertain times
The rules game have changed (again). We know that Covid-19 has flipped the world order on its head and our 2020 roadmaps were torn apart. We also know that people are feeling less connected to their friends, family, teams and clients and there is an urgent call for leaders to do all they can to keep their people and their livelihoods as safe as realistically possible. The immediacy of their action today will demonstrate they are truly serving their people in the here and now. This means bringing more heart and empathy into their leadership and give people the opportunity [...]
How to commercialise conversations to win more work
The rules of the game have changed (again). Covid-19 has flipped the world order on its head. 2020 roadmaps were torn apart and people generally feel less connected to peers, teams and clients. So – what now? How will law firms stay afloat and how do lawyers emerge stronger? As we now look forward into the second half of the year, building and converting contacts into client contracts will require a whole set of new skills – which has far more to do with sales than with law. We know that selling skills are not high priority on the law [...]
Midweek madness proves profitable!
Most business people today testify they don’t have ‘enough hours in the day’ to get work out the door and the mere thought of cutting back 8 hours would be akin to business suicide. But Melbourne based marketing agency Versa flipped their thinking about how they can help their staff meet their deadlines, improve their wellbeing and create great work that clients love. So while counterintuitive (or mad) to some, they gave their staff a midweek ‘day off’ – a day for them to refresh, review and revive. Their belief being that when people are energised their mental attitude and results improve. [...]
The new laws of communication
One of the most under-rated and under-trained skills in legal education and the workplace is everyday garden variety communication – nothing scholarly, nothing sophisticated, just the sort of communication that connects people to people without pretence and makes it easy to do business. Yet it’s no secret many lawyers would much prefer to use complex language in the context of their work to illustrate their smarts. After all, they are highly educated, intelligent and articulate so why shouldn’t they show it off a little? This premise may have been ok in the past but in today’s world, it’s far from [...]
Handling distractions and disruptions at work
Distractions or disruptions often happen when we least expect or want them. They also arise because other than thinking a raised eyebrow or a loud sigh will give people a clear message that it’s frustrating, most people don’t address the habits, behaviours or consequences. Sometimes it’s due to fear, sometime due to lack of authority, and sometimes we just don’t know how. In any case, when it is not addressed, we endorse it happening again… and again… and again. So, it doesn’t matter how many times we grumble under our breath, or think people will understand our pressures, unless we [...]
Audacious Leadership – what’s holding your firm back?
Australian leaders spend many millions of dollars and hours every year developing their own leadership capability and that of their teams, yet as a nation we are undecided about what leadership style really works. Why do we struggle with audacious leadership? Part of the reason is that more traditional businesses resist standing up and standing out than those willing to lead with the positive audacity of learning new ways and be willing to get it wrong. Yes, making mistakes is hard when we are scrutinised for it. Yes, being a student and not being a master is even harder – [...]