High performance teams speaker; Archives

Going for Green Zone: Why every crew needs a moodometer

Why do most leaders know their revenue targets to the dollar but have no idea how their crew is feeling this week? Because performance has a dashboard. Wellbeing doesn’t, not yet. That gap is where burnout, disengagement and quiet quitting all start. What is the crew moodometer The crew moodometer is a simple idea with […]

Why Green Zone leadership is the ultimate AI advantage

When Bob Chapman became CEO of Barry-Wehmiller in 1975, he did what any accountant and MBA would do. He looked at the numbers. This article first appeared in CFO Magazine on 28 April 2026. The company was a $20 million supplier to the brewing industry and in financial distress. People were inputs. Efficiency was the […]

The Care Mindset That Separates Great Leaders From Burnt-Out Ones

The highest-performing teams aren’t built on pressure—they’re built on care, trust, and the psychological safety that unlocks real results. This article first appeared in CSQ on 27 April 2026 In my work with leadership teams and corporate clients, I’ve asked thousands of managers and team members (via an anonymous live survey) to think of a […]

Why caring leadership isn’t soft, it’s a competitive edge

The organisation Todd spent years building was at genuine risk of sliding backwards. What he did next is one of the most informative leadership stories of the pandemic era. This article first appeared in HR Leader on 2 April, 2026 In March 2020, Todd Harper AM, CEO of Cancer Council Victoria (CCV), was facing every […]

Your engagement scores look great. Your leaders are drowning

Dave Banks looked at his engagement survey results: 84 per cent—well above the 78 per cent industry benchmark. His internal consulting team at NAB had slashed the business bank cost-to-income ratio significantly over six years. By every traditional metric, they were winning. Yet Dave couldn’t shake what he was observing in meetings. The energy had […]

Australia’s workplace paradox: thriving in life, disengaged at work

What the latest Gallup data reveals — and what leaders can do about it. Imagine leading a team where most people are doing well in life — but quietly checking out at work. That’s the reality emerging from the Gallup State of the Global Workplace 2026 report. And for Australian leaders, it’s a finding worth […]

3 questions every team member is secretly asking

Think about the best team you’ve ever been part of. Not the one who had a compelling strategy. Or the one that had massages and fruit bowls. The best. Picture their faces. What do you feel? I’ve asked this question to thousands of people in live presentations, and 95% give me the same three answers: […]

Half your managers are burning out – and it’s not an HR problem

Your managers are running on empty Your managers are exhausted. Nearly half of them—47%—are experiencing severe burnout right now. Another 36% of employees are struggling alongside them (Wiley, 2025). Even more alarming, 55% of managers are actively searching for new roles, up from 44% (Gallup) just six years ago. Read those numbers again. One in […]

Want to build team trust and safety in 15 minutes?

Richmond Football Club followed this process to go from 13th place in 2016 to Premiers in 2017 – regarded as one of the most impressive turnarounds in AFL history. They did it by building huge trust. Try this with your team Rotating interviews in your weekly meetings. Not conversations. Interviews. One person asks. One answers. […]

FIVE YEARS LATER: 7 worrying post-covid trends

Spooked by uncertainty? Extraordinary change? You are not alone. Both managers and employees are struggling in the new world of work. The volatile and challenging workplace and economy is a struggle for most of us. After surveying over 400,000 employees over the last 5 years, Gallup have identified these 7 trends: The shift to remote […]