Graeme Cowan, Author at Graeme Cowan

What holocaust survivor Viktor Frankl can teach us about lockdown uncertainty

Uncertainty can cause more stress than actual pain. Science tells us that we humans are not hard wired to be very good at uncertainty. University College of London research tells us that we will be less anxious knowing that we will DEFINITELY be getting an electric shock, than if we COULD be. During the Nazi […]

5 evidence based ways that managers can prevent employee burnout

These are the top 5 things leaders should focus on to prevent employee burnout (Gallup 2018): 1. Listen to work related problems 2. Encourage teamwork 3. Make everyone’s opinion count 4. Make work purposeful 5. Focus on strengths-based feedback and development. Everyone deserves to work for a leader who cares about them and their growth. […]

How to do hybrid right – building team care and resilience

Do you think your team members would like to work in the office, work from home, or work hybrid? There are no easy solutions. Over 70 percent of workers want flexible remote work options to continue, while over 65 percent are craving more in-person time with their teams. Some workers are quitting rather than giving […]

Crimes of stupid Covid bosses

In 1976, Professor Carlo Cipolla, an economics professor at the University of California published an essay about what he perceived as humanity’s greatest threat: Stupidity. His 5 universal laws of stupidity are: Everyone underestimates the number of stupid people Stupid people can be found anywhere Stupid people cause losses to others with no gain to […]

Overcoming Toxic Cultures: Powerful lessons from caring CEOs

Our Federal Parliament has been inundated with graphic accounts of misogyny, sexual assault, rape allegations, and toxic departments. Our Prime Minister, Scott Morrison recently claimed it was a triumph for the protesters that they weren’t “met with bullets” during the March 4 Justice rallies. Morrison says ‘the house’ is just like any workplace. Politicians with broader career […]

Male mental ill-health – how to remove the workplace stigma

I recently visited beautiful Forster, on the NSW mid-north coast. Having grown up in Taree it is an area I am quite familiar with. I caught up with a friend who shared that he had lost 2 friends to suicide in the last month. This is a town of just 14,000. It is tragic that […]

10 Commandments for truly caring leaders

Do you consider yourself to be a caring leader? Self-care and caring for others in your team is the foundation of highly effective, sustainable and innovative teams. It comes down to what leaders do each day. Here are my top 10 “commandments” for truly caring leaders.

How to demonstrate empathy when you ask someone “R U OK?”

Asking R U OK? can be scary. What if the other person replies with a “No”. It’s really important to show empathy and not dismiss their feelings. This short video has my top tips for demonstrating empathy when having sensitive conversations.

How to increase your probability of high life satisfaction by 300%

How can we build our strengths, effectiveness, and sense of contribution at work? Developing our talents can lead to greater life satisfaction. We all know that having a good manager is crucial to being productive and engaged in the workplace. After all, as the saying goes “people don’t leave bad jobs, they leave bad […]

Introducing the WorkWell Toolkit for transport industry leaders

The transport sector has been the unsung heroes of the COVID-19 crisis. They have been an essential service that has ensured everyone is able to eat and buy supplies during this volatile period. I was very pleased to be approached by WorkSafe Victoria and to help raise awareness of their WorkWell Toolkit, specifically for leaders […]