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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

Over the past 12 months, I've noticed a leadership style emerging across many of the organisations I work with. It doesn't fit the traditional image of the highly visible leader who dominates conversations, has all the answers, or feels the need to direct every decision. Instead, it's a leadership model built on humility, clarity, trust, and consistency. I call it the “Humble and Clear Leader.” These leaders are creating high-performing teams without becoming the centre o

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

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

Many executive teams invest significant time creating strategic clarity. They align on priorities, define success, and make important decisions about the future. They also invest in building stronger connections through leadership offsites and leadership development. Yet many leaders quietly acknowledge the same reality. The strategy is aligned, but the leadership team still doesn't fully trust one another. Trust is often assumed rather than intentionally developed. In tod

One of the trends I'm observing this year is a growing number of redundancies across organisations. At the same time, executives are being asked to make increasingly difficult decisions about where resources should be deployed and which initiatives deserve investment. I spend a lot of time working with CIOs and Chief Technology Officers, but the principle I'm about to share can be applied across almost any function within an organisation. It's what I call the "Rule of Thirds

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

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

The difference between a technology manager and a technology leader is subtle, but profound. One seeks to control conversations. The other coordinates them. One imposes opinion early. The other creates space before forming a judgement. In an era where CIO influence is directly tied to enterprise impact, this distinction matters more than ever. How do you evolve from technology manager to true leader? Diversity Of Thought Creates Stronger Outcomes Technology managers often att

Every executive faces the same constraint - just 24 hours in a day. How that time is spent determines not only your personal impact but also the outcomes of your team, your peers, and your organisation. The most effective leaders make deliberate choices about where to invest their attention, turning time from a passive resource into a strategic advantage. Your Most Valuable Executive Asset is Time. Introducing the Executive Time Assessment To help leaders take stock, I’ve cre

Global research consistently shows that the technology talent gap is widening. Deloitte’s 2025 Global Tech Leadership Survey reports that 61% of organisations face shortages in deep technical expertise, with cloud, cybersecurity, AI, and data engineering among the hardest roles to fill. McKinsey’s digital talent studies reinforce this, noting that organisations with ambitious transformation agendas “struggle most to secure senior engineering depth,” slowing large programmes a

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

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

Have you ever wondered why your organisation’s initiatives or performance feel inconsistent - sometimes energised, other times sluggish? Unblocking organisational performance is key for many executives. Often, the issue isn’t at the executive or general manager level, but rather within the management layer. These individuals are usually committed and capable, yet lack the broader context, experience, or tools to lead through today’s complex change programmes. The challenge is

Have you ever wondered why people respond so differently to change in your workplace? Some stay calm and engaged, others become anxious or distant. Two well-researched ideas - Attachment Theory and The Biology of Stress - help us better understand these human responses and how leaders can work with them rather than against them. This requires leading through instinct and is based on research. The Roots of Attachment Attachment Theory, developed by psychologist John Bowlby,

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