Blurring the boundaries between work and play is what we all need.
Coronavirus has altered the way we work. The invisible line that once existed between an employee’s personal and professional work-life-balance (WLB) is more blurred than ever. Many professionals take important meetings between childcare duties for example. Indeed, many calls are interrupted by family or pets. By life?! But is this a bad thing? Our observations […]
Daring Idea: Free Gym Memberships For Veterans
People who know me have heard me bang on about educating our defence personnel while they are still serving. This is not a new idea. Currently, serving defence members are restricted to engaging in study that directly benefits their service. My point of difference is that they should be allowed to study whatever they want, […]
A Dangerous Idea: Going home to work and going to work to play.
One of the things I miss most since leaving the mission critical teams’ environment is the sense of play at work. Going to work to workout and eat together, and to muck about around the team rooms. There was always a sense of play … until we needed to get serious of course. I have observed it in the firehouses, […]
Not enjoying teaching your kids from home? You’re not alone!
In a past life, I was a secondary school teacher, and standing and teaching in front of 32 adolescents was something that came very naturally to me… While I understand it’s not for everyone, I enjoyed listening to their banter, watching their world views evolve, and being part of their lives. My ‘firm but fair’ […]
What is your Third Thing?
A Third Thing is a biopsychosocial construct in our lives that defines us outside of our family (“first thing”) and work (“second thing”). A Third Thing can be a hobby (surfing), a place (club), or an activity (gardening) and is commonly associated with habitat and or communitas. It is something that contributes to one’s identity […]
A sense of community is essential now more than ever
“The best thing that comes out of the Stotan program is a sense of camaraderie and communication. Not only is it a good business outcome, it is a nice place to come to work” Adrian Redlich, CEO Building a sense of community is one of Stotan Group’s core values. At Stotan we believe focusing on […]
A Daring Idea: Leadership Isn’t. Leadership Arrives
A leader holds the light so that others may see and follow the path. In doing so, one is exposed, isolated, lonely, easily targeted. It takes courage to hold the light, especially in difficult times. And when, inevitably, the leader falls you must be prepared to move forward, seize the light and continue to illuminate […]
Jungle Tips For Virtual Teams
These are the times that try teams’ souls At this time where teams are being dispersed, dislocated and virtualised, even downsized, morale is more important than ever. Times like these bring the importance of leadership, communication and teamwork into sharp relief. Most of us have never had to plan for working from home further ahead […]
Does your business need a CSM?
Roland Griffiths-Marsh set my mind on fire in his autobiographical account of WW2, I Was Only Sixteen. He depicts the 2/8th Battalion lying prostrate in the icy north African desert dawn, awaiting the end of the pre-attack bombardment of Bardia. He describes the terrifying noise of the artillery shells and the fear of the young Australians […]
Transition from Spec Ops: Things I would tell my younger self.
Over a beer at a New York firehouse recently an ex-US Navy SEAL mate summed it up perfectly; “5 years later and I am only just starting to feel as if I have transitioned”. This powerful moment re-framed the whole transition thing for me, instantly releasing a huge psychological weight. Somehow it gave me permission to […]