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Australia is forecasting 650,000 immigrants by the middle of 2024, lots of international talent! My wife is the daughter of Greek immigrants and in 2001 we migrated to the UK and became British citizens in 2006. Like many families now, we have dual nationality. Hundreds of thousands of skilled immigrants are forecast to be looking for work this year and next, which will present great opportunities to uplift your organisation’s capability. As someone who has been building teams for decades, I love the potential of an international team. Why? These teams have a diversity of thought, enabling an organisation to evolve and become more international and contemporary. There are five factors I consider when recruiting international talent: An undergraduate degree in any discipline, generally from their country of origin. It demonstrates the ability to complete something. Experience within a professional services-based business. This could be a consulting company (e.g., KPMG) or an outsourcing technology business (e.g., TCS). These people have experience in managing relationships and outcomes for clients. A role within a large-scale corporate organisation, i.e., a bank or engineering business (it could be in any industry). The experience of working in an organisation is different to advising/servicing a business and provides people with broader operational management skills. Post-graduate study, either completed or underway. The willingness of somebody to enhance their education generally makes them more effective. Often, this study takes people to a place that is different to their country of origin, making them international citizens. A growth mindset. Somebody with a sense of striving for a better tomorrow and not settling for mediocrity. Many people who immigrate, such as my wife's family, did this for themselves and the generations that followed. These people bring a great deal of drive to a business. If you are about to re-design your team, consider the internal talent that will soon be available. They will offer so much to your organisation.

It’s late afternoon turning into early evening and a hand goes up from a student in the group I have just finished addressing as part of my pro-bono work. “How do I structure my career to have options?” I believe there are three stages to a career. A mentor explained to me, my twenties are for education, my thirties are for experiences, and my forties are for harvesting those experiences. Harvesting occurs when you can move between industries or establish a small business based on your expertise. What enables this? When I consider my mentor's guidance alongside my observations of others, there are common threads. UNDER- AND POST- GRADUATE STUDY The latter helps get you on shortlists for roles. Some choose not to study, but if you want to increase your probability of being shortlisted for great positions, it needs to be considered. LARGE CORPORATE EXPERIENCES The development courses available at these organisations are first-rate, and you can work across various areas within them. These courses build your skills for particular roles, and you get to put theory into practice simultaneously. PROFESSIONAL SERVICES OR CONSULTING EXPERIENCE You are providing a service and managing clients. This builds your ability to manage a key deliverable, alongside growing your emotional intelligence and your understanding of others. TRAVERSE INDUSTRIES If you’ve had experience in both corporate and professional/consulting environments, aim to traverse industries. You will find the level where you are the most effective within an organisation. It could be in a key individual contributor role or leading teams. INTERNATIONAL EXPERIENCES These round off everything. Living and working in a foreign country accelerates your development and broadens your perspective of how you look at challenges and opportunities. I have found these people to be wise. As someone who has experience in appointing 100s of people to roles, you are unstoppable if you have the above experiences combined with the ability to speak and write. Finally, if you aspire to launch a small specialist business, share your experiences before you start so your broader network knows what you are specifically interested in beyond your job title. Feel free to share this with someone who might enjoy these thoughts. Career management is included within my book Making Life Happen.

The more senior and experienced people become, the greater the expectation of advice. Particularly in mentoring relationships. As I have said before I don't like giving advice. I prefer to ask questions based on my experience to help someone consider a course of thoughts or actions. If you feel compelled to provide advice, my suggestion is to check yourself first, which, ironically, is advice. Here are some ways to share advice if you feel you should: YOUR STORIES I do share stories in my mentoring conversations, generally in response to a question. However, if someone is looking for advice, rather than directly coming out with it, I will tend to share a story as context to the advice. I will also personalise the advice with a concluding statement, "due to this experience, I would..." STORIES OF OTHERS You may find yourself talking with people outside of your known discipline. Several years ago, a close professional friend became the CEO of a large business. We had regular conversations; however, I did not feel prepared to offer them advice, but I did share advice from others. Here is an example of something David Thodey shared at an intimate session with a group of CIOs over a decade ago: "My first year or two as the Telstra CEO was the loneliest in my life. I found that my relationships with others in similar positions were very important and useful" Stories of others can be very useful. STRATEGY My work in the last five years has involved strategy co-creation or reviews. Over the past 20 years, I have seen so many strategies, so rather than give strategy specifics, I share what I have learned from others. They have taught me that every strategy has a critical foundational element that if ignored results in failure. Good strategies will simplify business complexity and innovation and set teams up to explore ideas for the next horizon. SPECIFICS There are occasions in my work when somebody is new or slightly lost in their role. Sometimes there is a need to just get on with things to create some momentum. I will provide specific advice if I am working within a very familiar area and my experience links to what needs to be done. But I tend to limit this advice to two or three things, and certainly no more than five. SELF-CARE On occasions, you will experience people out of balance. In these situations, I share the research of Martin Seligman on Positive Psychology and the importance of "PERMA". - Positive emotions through an optimistic outlook. - Engagement in something we love. - Relationships where there are strong ties. - Having Meaning by being part of something bigger than ourselves. - Accomplishing something we set out to do. My memorable mentors have listened more than they spoke and offered sharp insights relevant to my context. I hope the above helps give structure to your context. One of the many insights in Making Life Happen

Over the past 18 months, I have observed professional coaching become more popular with various online coaching services. Those being coached have encountered a range of experiences - some great and others less than ideal. So, what should you consider when engaging a professional coach? CHEMISTRY AND TRUST You must feel that you can share what you need to with your coach and that they will be discreet. If a coach has been engaged by an organisation for a range of employees, it is worth checking how confidential your conversations will be. FOCUS AREAS Be mindful of what you want to achieve with your coach as wandering conversations may be interesting but tend to achieve little. I like to work with my coaching clients in the following areas: Strategy Stakeholders People in the team Process Technology What is critical, and what is aspirational? Set some clear boundaries to keep things focussed. ASSESS Consider where you are now, and where you’d like to be. Gaps are good, and a coach should be able to safely explore these through questioning to help you identify actions that will close the gaps. ACTIONS These should stretch you, but not be ridiculous. Over time you or your coach may become more ambitious, but I like to build up to that with my clients. Simple and sensible actions that build momentum are a good place to begin. If an action is not completed, it should be explored to avoid unhelpful or limiting patterns and behaviours. FEEDBACK A great coach should ask for feedback at the end of every session. What has gone well? What needs to be better? What’s not been said? This is critical to improving the quality of conversations and deepening the relationship. My third book, out later this year, will include coaching stories, alongside tips for people to excel in coaching relationships. Read more about Making Life Happen here.

My phone rings: it is an executive industry peer I haven’t heard from for a while (it happens every fortnight). I answer. Many times the conversation will begin like this… “I’ve seen what you’ve been doing over the last few years and am wondering what I do next, but I’m unsure what that could be…” Our chat moves through a structured series of explorative questions (aka building your brand) about what could be next. It proceeds something like this: ENJOYED What have you significantly enjoyed in your career? For me, within my paid employment, it was working at Microsoft and John Holland. Both had strong founders, and I was working with smart and humble people. WHAT AND WHY We dive deeper. Specifically, what did you enjoy about your time there, and why? In my example, it was the camaraderie and limited pointless politics. I remain connected with people in both organisations. We resolved some BIG challenges during my time at both companies. PROBLEMS What problems are you skilled at solving?What situations do you thrive in? What is unique about this? Everyone has something they do better than other people. What is it that others have recognised within you? I learned from both organisations that I could discover the critical actions (through my ability to ask questions, facilitate teams and challenge thinking) to achieve 80 per cent of the priorities. It built great teams and people’s careers. The initiatives led to collective outcomes that people were proud of. These experiences enhanced my leadership and developed my facilitation skills; I am now highly skilled at facilitating groups of strangers. VALIDATION How can you validate your unique capability? Who could benefit from this? How do you move from a position of intuitively knowing what you are capable of, to doing this at scale? People often look for a job, but the circumstances within the company often enable a greater sense of purpose within the job. Look to match your uniqueness with a company’s situation. You become a compelling option under challenging circumstances. I have always explored and qualified employment situations with respectful straight-talking conversations and independent data wherever possible. BRAND How do you share your brand? How do you make it easy for people to understand your gift? We live in a dynamic and no longer static world, with short attention spans. People must communicate their insights regularly without explicitly selling. There needs to be a place where people can learn more about what you do. My blog, my place on LinkedIn and my author’s website all endeavour to do this. So, when should you start? If you have read this far, probably now. Or if you know someone that could and should start, then share this with them. One of the many insights in Making Life Happen.

Many of us will take on leadership roles within organisations as we progress in our careers. Often, our previous role will have been technical within the area we are working in. There will be a temptation to continue to “work on the tools” and sometimes this will be required (in a crisis); however, it is often not necessary nor expected. As somebody who has mentored many technology leaders over the past six years, there are three key areas a leader's activities can be categorised into. Working IN This person continues to spend most of their time working within their department. They enjoy this work and can sometimes solve complex problems. However, this can also stifle those who work in the department. The person is considered a manager at best. Working ON This person leads their area. They understand what is critical to keep their team well-regarded and can plan future work to maintain this credibility. They orchestrate activities by setting direction and empowering others. In a crisis, they are the person who can ask the right questions, as they have a broader perspective. Working UP or ACROSS Great leaders can extend their influence to those they report to and their manager's peers or board. They have intimate knowledge of their business and can anticipate the future direction of the market. They can communicate this clearly and simply while making supporting data available for those wishing to see it. If you are a leader, assessing the effort and influence beyond your area or department is worthwhile. It is likely to be an indicator of your future potential. One of the insights within Making Life Happen.

What do I mean by Randomisation in the workplace? Randomisation is when an employee becomes involved in too many activities. Sometimes this happens to good employees as everyone wants them involved in "their initiative." Ultimately it can affect their performance, as they achieve little across many things. It erodes people's potential! When did I first learn of the term? During my time at Microsoft, a long-time leader advised many newbies they were at risk of being randomised as it is easy to be very willing to help and become involved in many great activities. Why am I writing about this now? Organisations have paused hiring or are considering how they can do more with the same number of people. This situation increases the probability of Randomisation occurring. What should leaders do? Be very conscious of what you are asking of people. Avoid just adding on a task before you consider a person's broader responsibilities. Have an open conversation with those employees at risk or who are randomised. It creeps up on people. Explain how you are going to recognise their efforts. What action is required? Prioritisation and Scale. Consider the most critical items to be worked upon first, and prioritise. How could you use this situation to give others a chance to build their capability? When others become more capable, greater scale is achieved. Don’t be tempted… As a leader, you need to work “on the business” and not “in it”. You may need to be “in the business” in a crisis. However, avoid the temptation of remaining there beyond the crisis. An initial observation of 2023… many have begun their year very busy. Pace yourself, and find the time to separate your work from life.

A couple of weeks ago I wrote a blog about my latest book (read about it here), which will explore mentoring, coaching, and makes references to counselling. Sometimes the three approaches can become blurred… but there are differences between each. Here are the nuances: Mentoring A mentoring relationship is when somebody shares their technical career and/or life experiences with somebody in a similar situation. There is the potential for the experiences to be applied; however, they may have a shelf-life. Mentors must remain contemporary in their adventures. If not, they risk losing their relevance. A mentor with emotional intelligence and advanced questioning skills can transition into coaching. Coaching A coach is engaged because of their skills and ability to connect with somebody. They will often set boundaries and expectations for the relationship. An excellent coach knows how to ask timely and insightful questions, is comfortable with silence, and can summarise well, anchoring conversations on key points. These points can become actionable tasks. A coach is only likely to become a mentor if they share a common experience with their coachee - e.g., performed a similar role. Counselling Counselling explores topics deeply within a person. Sometimes, this is trauma-related and is generally about understanding the past. There is a difference between mentoring (similar experiences), coaching (skills) and counselling (regulated qualifications). An experienced mentor or coach knows when to suggest that counselling might be a better fit for the situation. Not one of the above is better than another. Situations will determine what is most suitable. Those in coaching and mentoring relationships must remain diligent about when their conversations enter counselling territory. Please share this with those that could benefit.

Throughout my career, I have seen extraordinary achievements, “recovered initiatives,” and some things that didn’t realise their potential. Conversations are critical, and successful initiatives generally have some key ingredients. Last year I worked with a client to recover several failing initiatives. The reality of their situation was not what they chose to do, but how it was being done. Here are four key steps. CONTEXT Leaders must provide the rationale for what is required. This goes beyond a single conversation. Context and rationale need to be repeated often - in smaller groups and as part of individual conversations. PARAMETERS So many initiatives involve technology. Specialists must be involved early to help define the parameters of what technologies can achieve the desired objectives. RESPONSE Broader employee teams will be involved in the delivery of initiatives so the context and parameters must be shared with them. Sometimes there will be a temptation to hurry things along; avoid doing this if you don’t have people’s buy-in. Seek to front-foot conversations about items that may need to be dealt with. REFINEMENT Leaders set the context, but employee teams should ideally share how the objectives will be achieved. Closing the loop and having two-way feedback brings everything together. Without this conversation, things can remain ambiguous or loose and are likely to drift. See the simple visual in the vlog and on my socials this week; it is a simple framework that can help avoid waste. One of the many insights within Making Life Happen.

As well as time with my family, and plenty of yoga, what else did I do over the Australian summer holidays? In January, I wrote over twenty thousand words of my third book. The outline was drafted in the first half of 2022. However, it wasn't until I was on holiday that I could pour what was in my head into the computer. This book is again different to my earlier publications. "Digital Is Everyone's Business" (2019) shared my professional experiences, and "Finding A Better Way" (2021) is based on observations supported by a great deal of research offering insights into the world, communities, workplaces, and the changing family. The white paper "Digital Innovation Within The Construction and Engineering Industry" (2022) shares insights gained as a former CIO and Digital into how the industry can approach and realise the potential of digitisation. See them all here. "Extraordinary Stories By Ordinary People" (working title) reflects how different people have achieved success - deemed extraordinary by themselves. In a world obsessed with people consuming content of others' ‘perfect’ lives, the book offers insight into people's everyday challenges; how communities have helped them; and their proud achievements. Everyone has an extraordinary story within them, and the book aims to shine a light on the substance behind our lives in this world of social media imagery and video shorts. The book includes some experiences from my life and how people have mentored, coached and partnered with me to make my life better, and I am now looking for other people to include in the book. If you have a story or know somebody who should share theirs, please make contact (email me here). The book will be published early 2024.

Last year, I spent time talking with a close family member who was proceeding through their graduate interviews for a graduate position. Fast forward to now; they have asked me for some tips as their new role begins soon. Here is what came to mind: UNDERSTAND The organisation's vision, mission and values. Think about how you align with the values, and live these values in your behaviour. LEARN About the company's sources of revenue. What areas are more profitable than others, and how could the work you’re asked to do contribute to these areas? ROTATIONS Graduates often have an opportunity to work in different areas of an organisation. Embrace these rotations. You may feel a strong pull to a certain area or rotation so take a moment to step back and consider why. Is it the work? The client? The manager? The team? This could offer insight into what you might want to do next… VOLUNTEER There will be opportunities to become involved in some activities outside your job responsibilities. Volunteer for something that interests you, or that you have skills or expertise in, and approach it with some fun! ENGAGE Don't always be the first or the last to speak - be respectful - but don't fear talking about difficult topics. Always talk about a situation rather than about people. Explain situations in three steps: 1. This is occurring 2. This is what we are doing 3. Here is another idea. CONNECT There will be people you naturally connect with, and some of them will be more experienced. Cultivate these relationships, seek to bring value to them, and if you are fortunate, you may find a mentor. BE GRACIOUS – and this is for everyone... Manners and politeness are free. Treat everyone the same. The best people I have worked with were respectful and could connect with everyone, from board members to couriers. Be yourself and be courteous, these little things are noticed. Feel free to share this with anyone who is starting out, I would love to know if this resonated.

Welcome to 2023 😊 I have had a fabulous summer spending close to three weeks with my family and doing things I love … a vacation to Bali, weekends in Blairgowrie, yoga (almost daily) and I wrote 15,000 words for my third book due later this year. The rest of the world begins their year earlier than Australia. And begun they have! With big tech companies focusing on costs (and consequently reducing headcount), we can expect other organisations to follow. CIO’s budgets and teams will not be immune, but as always, they will be expected to continue with critical initiatives. Here are the four areas (CIO priorities) I would not be compromising on: Cyber – STAY in business Threats will continue to be diverse so astute risk assessment is required and mitigations should be implemented. The landscape is dynamic and evolving, and you will be hacked – it’s just a matter of when, and how well-prepared you are to restore services. Data / Intelligence – DIFFERENTIATE your business Analysis of data available within your organisation may enable you to make quicker decisions than your competitors. In an environment with margins potentially diminishing and business being more difficult to win, organisations that have invested in analytics, AI (helps with automating known tasks), or Machine Learning (the computer develops its intelligence) will likely have an advantage over others. Digital – your FUTURE business Digital transformation was hyped before 2020, and then when the pandemic arrived, we saw another major shift in how we worked (remotely) and how we serviced customers (digitally). Society has shifted but stubborn elements remain due to legacy practices. Now is the time to address this by seeking to eliminate or integrate traditional legacy operations with future digital ones. Capability – ENABLE your business There is a war for talent. I was speaking to someone recently who said, “I will pick up some of the people these tech companies are letting go”. Well good luck, because tech organisations are doubling down on great tech people so you are unlikely to inherit someone with excellent capabilities. Instead, consider growing your people from within; subscribe to an advisory service that can help you execute and build your capability. Finally, create a great workplace and ask your team to encourage their well-regarded industry peers to jump on board. You can expect these areas to be common themes across any industry. Wishing you all a wonderful 2023!