“Managing up is making it easier for your manager to support you in doing great work.“ - Kellan Elliot-McCrea

As I collaborate with @seokhian on a cross-border project (excited!), I had the privilege to be coached by her on managing up. After our session, I realized that many of my past difficulties with former bosses were more about my approach than theirs. While relationships often started well, they eventually deteriorated, and I saw I was part of the problem.

Are you laying the groundwork now to hit the new year running?

A mentor once told me that the secret to a breakthrough year is to lay the foundation early. Now is the time to set yourself up for a remarkable 2025 by creating momentum before the new year even arrives

In today’s fast-paced and unpredictable VUCA world, problem-solving is a vital leadership skill. Many leaders fail to realize they don't need all the answers.

In today’s uncertain world, a values-driven leader is like a lighthouse in a storm.

Values provide clarity and direction amidst turbulence, preventing leaders from reacting impulsively or slipping into autopilot mode. This is the essence of value-based leadership, and it's more important now than ever in our VUCA environment.

In my previous post, I introduced The Four Quadrants of Emotional Intelligence (EQ). EQ can be developed just like any other skill. Here’s how to enhance your EQ as a leader.

We all know someone who seems to lack emotional intelligence (EQ), but what exactly are the signs?

As leaders, understanding and managing our mental state is crucial for effective decision-making and guiding our teams to success.

Leaders are humans too, and need immediate acknowledgement to know that we’re on the right path.

The problem is that it’s not as simple to measure success in leadership. Unlike games with clear rules and defined endpoints, the pursuit of impactful leadership is an infinite game.

Overthinking is part of the human experience, but when left unchecked, it can take a toll on our mental well-being. As a person recovering from it, here's the one thing I’ve learned that has centred me.

Getting 80% done is better than 100%? This idea might seem counterintuitive to progress but there is some wisdom behind this mantra.🦉

You see, the pursuit for 100% often leads to delays, burnout, and even missed opportunities. In contrast, focusing on reaching the 80% mark acknowledges the diminishing returns associated with achieving absolute perfection.

When it comes to building strong relationships, rapport matters. Here’s a simple framework to build instant rapport.

What is rapport? Rapport is simply defined as having a good understanding of someone and the ability to communicate well with them. It usually involves mutual respect, trust, and empathy.

Here’s how a simple idea has improved my self-confidence overtime: Keeping promises made to ourselves. 💪

How it looks like on a day-to-day:
In my case, if I tell myself that I’ll go for a jog today, even if it’s only for 10 minutes I’ll do it no matter what. If I promise to wake up an hour earlier, I’ll do my best not to hit the snooze button (OK, maybe I’ll hit it once).

Stage plays vs films: What’s the difference?

🎭 Given their limited proximity, stage plays often emphasise heightened expressions to ensure visibility and impact for the audience. Plots in stage plays are generally simpler as immediate and continuous engagement is required. Also, it needs to regard practical considerations such as limited sets and swift scene changes.

🛠️ When developing aspiring leaders in your organisation, consider the 4Es of leadership development (Environment, Equipping, Exposure, and Execution); a framework that offers a holistic approach to nurturing leadership skills.

Shu-Ha-Ri is a Japanese martial art concept, describing the stages of learning to mastery. The word “shuhari” roughly translates to "first learn, then detach, and finally transcend."

💪 “Don’t give up because we’re outnumbered!”

In a world often obsessed with sheer numbers and size, there's another perspective that emphasises the importance of quality over quantity. This quote, “What we lack in numbers, we will make up with quality”, suggests that success can be achieved through a focus on excellence rather than sheer volume.

⚽️ “Life is not a game, but a SERIES of games.”

If this is true, then we had better be purposeful in how we play these “games”. I did some research and analysed some existing frameworks to develop this modest framework with the hope of helping us leaders assess our team members better based on how they are playing.

Facilitation is collaboration, and the success in collaborative efforts is a multi-dimensional affair not solely defined by results. When a leader puts on their facilitation hat, they should do so with the mindset of balancing these three dimensions (see image):

🎙️In a recent podcast, Adam Grant asked Brene Brown if the word ‘leadership’ didn’t exist, what would she replace it with?
She replied: “Facilitation”