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Complex projects can be paradoxical. To get project funding you need a clear plan to achieve specific outcomes because funders want certainty. However, when you finally get funding the reality sets in because it’s rare to find a complex project without uncertainty. You can try and avoid all the risks, or you can embrace the...
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I’m not going to lie to you because if you ask anyone who has worked with me in pressured, ambiguous situations, they’ll tell you I can have controlling and perfectionist tendencies. However, like many experienced executives, I’m comfortable with the unfamiliar. The unfamiliar would often arise because I was working in health and human services,...
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Organising to meet friends for a night out when at university in the late eighties was a different experience from the constant stream of texts that my children and their friends send each other today. Back in the eighties, my friend and I had arranged to catch a train into Fortitude Valley, but when the...
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There’s nothing quite like working on a massive project for over a year, assuming you’re going live on 1 July and discovering immediately before the go button is about to be pushed, that it’s all up in the air. Knowing that once the window closes, there won’t be a go-live until the following 1 July....
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Like many people, I love Ted Lasso. And the best part is if you’re absorbing “The Lasso Way” while you’re chuckling along, you’re on the right track to begin thriving in complexity.
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My son recently helped me remember that when you’re overwhelmed by complexity, seeking support from others is a strength rather than a weakness. The state of his room has long been a bone of contention. He’s a young adult, so we expect him to tidy and clean it himself. We’ve had many conversations over the...
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Does your team have conversations that are repetitive, don’t result in an outcome and you suspect important perspectives are missing in action? I’ve worked with clients who feel the same way. They have team meetings about critical issues where a few dominant voices take centre stage, while others remain silent. We’ve found that implementing a...
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Recently, I tried to check in to conference-organised accommodation and discovered the hotel had no idea who I was, and the hotel was full. Luckily, I had the Conference Organiser’s mobile number, but that’s when the real frustration began. I did get an apology that they’d missed my booking and failed to respond to the...
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As someone with controlling tendencies, John C. Maxwell’s quote, “Leadership is not about being in charge. It’s about taking care of those in your charge” is a flashing amber sign. It’s challenging to loosen the reigns, especially as your scope of responsibility expands and the pressure to perform mounts. I once made the mistake of...
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As leaders, we are often faced with complex challenges that require significant change to achieve success. It’s tempting to want to change everything at once but it’s often more effective to try to influence or nudge the system in the direction you want to go. Nudges are subtle interventions that alter the decision environment, aimed...
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The fable “The North Wind and the Sun” highlights the importance of recognising not every situation can be approached in the same way. In the story, the North Wind and the Sun compete to see who can get a traveller to remove his coat. The North Wind tries to force the traveller to remove his...
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COVID-19 finally caught up with me after three years of managing to avoid the dreaded virus. I wasn’t a close contact and I have no idea where I contracted the virus or why it took so long when we’ve had it in our house before. It made me think about how in the late 1800s,...
Read itIf the complexity in your organisation isn't going anywhere, and you have less certainty than you'd like, that's ground Susanne has worked for thirty years.
Start with a conversation to find your team's way through.
