Culture becomes visible when values are tested. Drawing on my conversation with former NASA leader Brady Pyle, here are the lessons organisations can learn about building culture through systems, stories and leadership choices.
Category: Organisational Culture
There is something deeply unsettling happening in artificial intelligence. It isn’t simply that some researchers believe advanced AI could eventually become dangerous. It is that people working close to the technology are publicly expressing serious concerns about where it may be heading – while the organisations and industry around them continue racing to make AI […]
Every organisation has a formal structure — and another system beneath it. The Hidden Ecology explains how unseen conditions such as climate, pressure, influence and capacity shape culture, performance and change.
“We’re not political here.” I’ve heard that sentence hundreds of times over the years. It usually comes from well-intentioned leaders who are proud of the culture they’ve built. To them, politics means gossip, backstabbing, empire building and people advancing themselves at the expense of others. If that’s organisational politics, then of course they don’t want […]
Conflict is often treated as a people problem. When tensions rise, relationships become strained, or teams struggle to work together, organisations frequently respond by investing in conflict resolution training. Leaders are taught how to have difficult conversations, provide feedback, and manage disagreements more effectively. While these skills are valuable, they often address only the symptoms […]
Most leaders have had the same experience. You ask a question in a leadership meeting. It’s a reasonable question. The issue matters. The people in the room are experienced, capable, and expected to have a view. And yet — nothing. No disagreement.No endorsement.No challenge.Just silence. Some leaders read this as disengagement. Others interpret it as […]
Leadership programs fail when culture is broken — and it happens far more often than leaders realise. Across Australia and New Zealand, organisations invest millions each year in leadership development, coaching, and capability building, only to watch the behaviours fade as soon as people return to the workplace. Not because the program was flawed, but […]
Introduction: The Ground Beneath Leadership is Shifting As a leadership consultant working with executives across industries, I see three seismic shifts in leadership development that most organisations are not prepared for. They aren’t small tweaks; they represent a wholesale reframing of what it means to be a leader. Leadership development has long been the cornerstone […]
Gen Z Leadership Values: Conscious Unbossing and the Future of Work Gen Z’s entry into the workforce is reshaping leadership in profound ways. Their priorities—authenticity, flexibility, and purpose—are setting a new standard for organisations everywhere. Understanding Gen Z leadership values is no longer optional for businesses that want to recruit and retain top talent. Gen […]
The Hidden Cost of Leadership Gone Wrong It usually starts with a knot in the stomach. A team member hesitates before entering a meeting. Productivity dips. Turnover creeps higher. Innovation disappears. At first, these signs are easy to dismiss. But beneath them lies something more insidious: toxic leadership. Toxic leaders aren’t always the stereotypical bullies […]