Psychological Safety 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 […]

840,000 deaths each year from work-related stress

840,000 deaths each year from work-related stress – and the majority are preventable. Not heart attacks in the abstract. Not “burnout” as a buzzword. Deaths because of cardiac disease and suicide caused by work. It links directly to how work is designed, managed, and led. The ILO (a UN agency) just released the data. Job […]

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 […]

You’re saving everyone else. Who’s saving you?

“Look for the obvious answer” was a fortune cookie I got from my local Chinese restaurant. It’s something we often miss when we’re under the gun. We think black and white. When we’re in a positive mood we can think creatively. But sometimes that’s hard, isn’t it? Let me guess your Monday morning. 87 unread […]