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Insights

Insights are where we explore the latest learnings from the fields of organisational, leadership, and neuroscience studies and what they mean for leaders today. Get curious and come explore “next practice” with us.

Are You Coping or Recharging in Troubled Times? The Answer Might Surprise You

As the end of the year approaches, for many of us the workplace is getting more intense. This, coupled with a precarious market environment, means one thing: stress. In trying to manage the competing demands placed on you, we think…

Marcus de Courtenay
Insights, Leadership

Emotional Intelligence in New Contexts

Leadership Primer: EI in New Contexts “There is no separation of mind and emotions; emotions, thinking, and learning are all linked.” Eric Jensen Developing our Emotional Intelligence can change both our own life and all those who come into contact…

Dr. Marianne de Pierres
Insights, Leadership, Leadership skills, Primers

The Accountability Agreement

A question we often hear from our clients is: how do I keep my team accountable? At first glance, it seems simple – their role involves a task or a goal, and they should take responsibility for completing it. But…

Dr. Chris Rowell & Marcus de Courtenay
Insights, Leadership

Why Reflection, Recognition, and Celebration Energise a Workplace

It’s estimated that the average person spends a third of their lives (90,000 hrs) at work. If you subtract the time spent sleeping, this amounts to a significant portion of our ‘awake’ time. For most people, work is their dominant…

Dr. Marianne de Pierres
Culture, Insights, Leadership

Levers of Influence

“Leadership is influence.” – John C. Maxwell What Influences You? As Dan Pink reminds us, 40% of a leader’s job today is influencing. Given that in contemporary complex, interconnected organisations, we can’t get anything done by ourselves, one could argue…

Marcus de Courtenay & Dr. Chris Rowell
Insights, Leadership

Responsibility, Accountability and Leadership

“The price of greatness is responsibility.” – Winston Churchill  There’s no doubt that greatness and responsibility are inextricably interlinked. But responsibility is often connected with another concept. Business thinkers can use the words ‘responsibility’ and ‘accountability’ almost interchangeably. Either that…

Marcus de Courtenay
Culture, Insights, Leadership

Leaning In: The Difference between Being Accountable and Taking Accountability

Organisations run on accountability. As a consequence, few things preoccupy leaders more than ensuring that their teams take responsibility for their actions, decisions, and performance for the benefit of the whole. However, what it means to “be accountable” and “take…

Dr. Chris Rowell & Marcus de Courtenay
Insights, Leadership, Teams

Learning and Development in Industry 5.0

Do you feel like the world of work is changing? Well, it may help to know you’re not the only one!  Sociologists and economists try to group periods of human history according to the way in which economic activity (or…

Marcus de Courtenay
Insights, Leadership, Learning and Development

Tension at the Top: Status and Leadership 

If there’s one thing that often derails a successful leadership career, it’s the siren call of status. At a certain level of career advancement, people stop being motivated as much by money. Regardless of the salary they reach though, they…

Marcus de Courtenay
Insights, Leadership, Learning and Development

Co-Leadership: The Power of Plurality 

For a long time, leadership has been dominated by the myth of the lone leader. You know the type – that lofty figure standing at the top of the corporate hierarchy. Gazing wisely down on the organisation, power amassed in…

Marcus de Courtenay
Insights, Leadership

Inclusion, Expression, and the Workplace 

Conflict in the workplace is a growing concern for many organisations, particularly in the year of what is looking to be a very tumultuous US election. However, this problem is not confined to the US. Both within our workplace and with…

Nikki Brown & Marcus de Courtenay
Culture, Insights, Leadership, Partnering

Conscious Organisations – Eyes Wide Open

Being Conscious For an individual, unconsciously following scripts and rituals in organisations can be a good short-term strategy. For the organisation over time, this can have dire consequences.We believe that it takes three things to create a more conscious organisation:…

Dr. Chris Rowell & Marcus de Courtenay
Culture, Insights, Leadership