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Over the last eight years, I’ve worked with a range of organisations and leaders, some for a considerable period of time. I’ve seen their employee engagement scores improve. I’ve also seen them deliver greater value to the business. So what have these leaders done? There are five things that consistently stand out. 1. Communicate Regularly Great leaders communicate consistently. They establish a rhythm, often on a particular day and time each week. It might be a video, an

Over the last two years, I’ve had the opportunity to work closely with some long-term clients and their executive teams. So what makes a great executive? They Work On The Business Mature executives understand the difference between working in the business and working on the business. They don’t disappear when there's a significant issue or crisis. They step in, support their team and help resolve what matters. But they also know when to step back. They build a team that ca

Most people know me as a former CIO and digital leader. Today, I'm more of a business leader. I increasingly find myself advising senior executives and leaders of large organisations. Looking back, I’ve been thinking about what changed. It wasn’t one big moment, I moved slowly from tech expert to business leader. It was a series of small shifts in how I looked at business, leadership, and the conversations I was having. Change Where You Have Your Coffee The first shift was

The role of leadership is changing. I've seen this more and more in recent months, and it has reinforced something I've been saying for some time... the value is no longer simply in having access to more leadership information. It's in knowing what to do with it. AI has changed some of my services, and I am now seeing four areas where executives and leadership teams are seeking more support. Organisations have access to an enormous amount of AI-generated output. Research,

There's always something new competing for attention in technology. A shiny new platform. A new AI capability. A new tool promising to transform the organisation. Those working in IT know the wrestle well. The opportunity may be exciting, but the resources required to deliver it are real. Sometimes, the most important work isn't the work that attracts the most attention. It's the work beneath the surface ... make sure you consider doing the difficult things! 1. Educate Beyond

Many talented people are navigating unexpected career transitions right now. Whether it's through organisational restructuring, redundancy, or a personal decision to move on, these moments can feel uncertain. They can also become the catalyst for creating a more meaningful career and life. Over recent months, I've spoken with many people who have found themselves at this crossroads. Some have chosen to leave long careers and embrace early retirement. Others have been impact

For many executives, the annual performance review becomes a conversation about the past. A discussion focused on what was delivered, what wasn't, and how performance is rated. But the best performance reviews aren't just about looking backwards. They're an opportunity to demonstrate reflection, strategic thinking and leadership maturity. Too often I see executives arrive underprepared, relying on memory rather than evidence, or waiting for their manager to lead the discuss

Workshops are designed to bring executive teams together around a shared understanding of what matters most. The focus is on identifying strategic priorities, clarifying accountability, and creating agreement on what success looks like. These conversations often uncover differing perspectives, competing priorities, and assumptions that have never been openly discussed. When executives gain clarity on what is strategically important, they can better align their teams, resour

Value and effort sits at the centre of better decision making across organisations. When working with clients, I see teams overwhelmed by choice when building services, products and programs for market. The issue is rarely a lack of ideas… It's the inability to prioritise where effort should be applied for the greatest value return, business impact. A simple lens like this cuts through noise and forces clearer commercial conversations. Mapping value and effort When organisa

It's becoming a familiar pattern… A leadership offsite is booked, expectations are high, and yet the outcome falls short. People leave unclear, disengaged, or questioning the value of stepping away from the business. The issue is not the concept of an offsite. It's how they are structured and led. Clarity Before Conversation Every offsite needs a clear starting point. A “view from the bridge” anchors the room. It aligns leaders on context, performance, and the challenges ah

There's a quiet tension I'm seeing across organisations right now. On the surface, leadership teams are aligned. Strategies are in place. Communication plans exist. But underneath, there is a different story playing out - one where employees are questioning direction, consistency, and ultimately, integrity. Not necessarily at the executive level, but across the broader organisation. So the question becomes a simple one, and a confronting one. How are you operating with inte

In conversations with CIOs across industries, a familiar pattern often appears. When technology organisations are struggling, the symptoms are obvious - too many priorities, fragmented teams, and constant tension between delivery and expectation. Yet when a technology function is truly humming, the signals look very different. Over time, I've noticed six clear indicators that a CIO’s organisation is operating at a high level. Here is what indicates CIO leadership is working.

How are you thinking about the problems in front of you? I want to introduce a simple but powerful concept - downstream and upstream thinking. It’s an idea that helps leaders distinguish between solving symptoms and shaping outcomes. Many executives spend most of their time responding to issues as they arise. That can feel productive, but it often locks organisations into a cycle of reaction instead of meaningful progress. Everyone can benefit from understanding the differen

One of the patterns I consistently see with senior executives - those just below the C-suite but carrying significant responsibility - is this - they struggle to clearly articulate what they are delivering against the enterprise strategy. They are busy. They are accountable. They are delivering work. But when asked, “How does your function enable the strategy?” the answer becomes operational rather than strategic. The issue isn't effort. It is clarity. And the solution is no

As 2025 comes to an end, I wanted to share a brief reflection on the year - the work I’ve been involved in, what I’ve learned, and what I’m grateful for - here is 2025 in review. As in previous years, instead of sending gifts to clients, I made a donation to One Girl . Their work supports some of the most disadvantaged young women around the world to access education and create more choices for their future. It’s a cause I’m proud to support. This year included a mix of clien

What if there was one action that could improve your executive leadership and team performance as you enter 2026? Would you like a 25% performance uplift? Research from Harvard Business Review shows that teams conducting structured retrospectives are 25% more likely to achieve their outcomes in the following year. A quality retrospective allows leaders to reflect, learn, and make deliberate choices about how the next year will unfold. 1. Examining Achievements Start by review

How to avoid being fired Most CIOs don’t lose their job because of one big mistake - it’s usually a collection of small but important things that get overlooked. Here are the five core factors I see most often, and what leaders can learn from them. 1. Missing Clarity Clarity is almost always the first problem. Some CIOs deliver major projects without a clear strategy that explains the value technology brings to the organisation. Others create strategy documents that sound imp

Quantum computing is increasingly viewed as a genuine cyber-risk, not just a distant technical concept. Intelligence and industry reports warn that state-sponsored actors are preparing for a future where quantum machines could undermine today’s encryption systems - a threat the Australian Signals Directorate (ASD) also recognises. ASD guidance states that organisations should stop using traditional encryption (such as RSA and ECC) by 2030 as part of Australia’s post-quantum c

It’s Melbourne Cup week - that time when many organisations in Australia lose a bit of rhythm. Although the public holiday is only observed in Melbourne, it often feels like the whole country slows down. I’ve seen it firsthand. When I was leading technology teams, progress would pause around Tuesday, and it could take the rest of the week to get back on track. That said, I’ve always enjoyed this time of year. When I lived in London from 2001 to 2010, I’d often return to Melbo

There’s so much happening across the technology sector right now, influencing business in ways that are both exciting and, at times,...