News & Articles
Lessons from the Mona Lisa for Strategic Foresight
The Mona Lisa, beyond its artistic mastery, offers several profound lessons for practicing strategic foresight in organisations and leadership. Embracing Ambiguity and Uncertainty Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa is celebrated for its enigmatic smile and the ambiguity it...
My Journey (So Far) to Becoming an Elephant Rider
Learning and Leading with Riders and Elephants Halfway through my Elephant Rider journey with Riders & Elephants, I’m struck by how much this experience is reshaping not just my approach to leadership, but my entire perspective on what makes organisations thrive....
Becoming an Elephant Rider
From a very young age I rode horses, I loved and still do the power freedom and beauty of horses. Although I have an equine passion, connecting with their needs didn’t come naturally. My mom said “don't ride in a saddle, you need to feel the horse and they need to...
Beautiful and Wicked Questions
How One Xec Ignite Change and Deepen Team Insight In the world of organisational transformation, the questions we ask are just as important as the answers we seek. At One Xec, the art of asking the right kind of questions - specifically, beautiful and wicked questions...
The power of aligning organisational culture with strategy
A vital aspect of leadership and organisational success is the alignment of company culture with your strategic goals. This alignment can have a profound impact on the overall health and performance of your organisation. What we mean when we say 'organisational...
Building a Strong Startup Culture: Navigating the Challenges
Airbnb's culture emphasises belonging and inclusivity, which aligns with their mission of creating a world where anyone can belong anywhere. They focus on employee well-being and encourage open communication and collaboration. Slack is known for its transparent and...
Words are like currency
Words are like currency in leadership. They hold immense value and have the power to shape perceptions, build trust, and influence behaviour. For senior leaders, how they use words can either elevate their teams or undermine their efforts. Every word spoken or written...
How to Create a Positive Start-up Culture that Attracts Talent
In today’s competitive market, building a start-up culture that attracts top talent is more than just a nice-to-have—it’s a necessity. Culture is not just the words printed on your company’s walls or the perks you offer. It’s the lived experience of your employees,...
How to help your organisation be more brilliant
I recently wrote an article for HR Magazine about the importance of cultural alignment. In essence, cultural alignment is making sure you have the right people, doing the right thing, at the right time. Sounds great as a theory, right? Well, I truly believe it is. But...
This is not the time
Prior to March 2020, the most sought-after skills people engaged in learning were unsurprisingly Data Science and Business (Coursera: April 2020). Since March both these subjects dropped in popularity, with Data Science halving its appeal, a back runner came galloping...
What have I been missing
This morning I found myself reading the box containing my tea bags (many questions here)… the colours and design caught my eye, I started thinking about the thought process the designer went through to get to this end result, their life and what they were doing right...
Put on your own oxygen mask
This was a message that I would give in my early career and still do. What does that mean? When life and/or work as you know it suddenly turns upside down the changes keep coming, it will come at no surprise when I say those individuals who are not enjoying the...