Blog

Many of us work in flexible, hybrid environments. This is just a quick sense check of your personal digital body language. The goal of this blog? For us to intentionally reflect on what might be autopilot. “What is implicit in body language now has to be explicit in our digital  body language.” (Erica Dhawan, Digital Body Language p.10) Let's use Erica Dhawan's 4 Laws for great Digital Body Language to check our own trust-building signals. Value Visibly: Show your attentiven

No one loves modern technology and flexible working more than we do. It helps us limit our environmental impact by saving on travel. It allows us to reach larger audiences in our mahi. It allows me to easily connect with friends and whānau who live in other hemispheres.   And, the reality is that remote and hybrid work means far more multitasking .   And, multitasking is a problem .   We are asked to multitask all the time. Our modern lives are built around the reality that

We always keep a keen eye on the Resilience Institute's global reports. And they published the 2025 edition in November. Here's what it says about resilience and wellbeing risks. 1. Multitasking Doing this, fragments our attention and energy. Our brains then need to reset continually. And that leads to stress and overload. So what to do: focus on one thing at a time and drop the myth that multitasking is a virtue. Set aside between 60 - 90 minutes for a specific task. Then ha

2026 is nearly here, and workplace wellbeing is shifting in the best way. Gone are the days where wellbeing meant a fruit bowl in the kitchen and an anemic question about your feelings on the yearly engagement survey.  In 2026, we see wellbeing becoming a core part of how we work, plan, lead and sustain kaimahi for the long haul . Employers are recognising that wellbeing is deeply tied to productivity, retention, and workplace culture . You can read more about it in this Forb

TL;DR: Daryl Davis is a black man who has helped over 200+ white supremacists leave behind their ideologies. How? He approached with genuine curiosity, found things in common and looked to plant the first seed. Lately I've been running a lot of De-escalation skills and Hard conversations workshops. It's something many of us struggle with and the result? We dodge, dip, duck, dive and dodge these conversations (love a good Dodgeball quote). Or we have them in a place of anger

Courage is a big idea, and it's daunting. And challenging conversations take courage. I was mindful to go back quite a few years - 2013 to be exact - and find the best thing I've read about courage.  And it's relevant to finding the courage to say what you need to say to someone and hold that all-important conversation. Kouzes and Posner, Finding the courage to lead, 2013,   is the go-to I'm talking about. Why? They researched courage and asked people when they were courageou

Since we're talking about conversations, it was great to see that David Robson created an entire chapter called The Art of Conversation in his book The Laws of Connection: 13 Social Strategies That Will Transform Your Life .  Robson's book is useful and fascinating full stop. And, he adds two very quick, helpful sections to the end of each chapter, summing up: What you need to know, and Action points. But he also discusses a large amount of scientific studies and research th

When we think about what “normal” looks like in work styles, communication, and productivity, one concept you might not be familiar with...

One of my favourite stories about innovation, and thinking differently to create the outcome needed, is from WW2. In 1941 the German...

Often, huge amounts of courage. Especially when we're setting boundaries at work. Try picking up  Defy: The Power of No in a World That...

This is a tough one. When we set boundaries, we're defining what we want and need. And if that's not part of our make up, it can be...

We're five years into this Covid-accelerated workplace transformation: flexible - hybrid - remote working. But five years isn't really ...

A lot of us assume that if we can't get more done, we're the problem . We aren't optimising or prioritising , or focusing on...

I love a list - well actually several lists  - all in one place where I can easily access them. Paper, electronic - anything that works...

In his book, Our Brains at Work , Dr. David Rock has a great metaphor about our brains being like a stage. Here's the visual: The Stage =...