CEO Insights

The biggest cost of doing business is usually labour. In the June 2021 quarter, the Australian Bureau of Statistics reported Australian organisations spent $295,373 million on labour costs. Yet the conversations regarding labour costs and the bottom line are usually led by the CFO and finance department or other functions...

A few weeks ago, in helping some C-suite executives rethink their corporate strategy, I asked, “What are your gross margins?” Crickets. I then asked, “What makes your company unique?” Crickets again. They aren’t alone. Through my work as an author, consultant and member of the teaching team for several leadership...

I often hear clients ask ‘how do we motivate our employees’.  I think we are looking at employee motivation from the wrong end of the telescope. Why are we looking for the magic bean of motivation instead of wondering why our employees lost motivation in the first place? Surely that’s...

As a CEO, the term “XLAs” – short for eXperience level agreements – might look like a consultant-created buzzword that’s been designed to suck even more money, in the form of advisory fees, from your company. However, the use of XLAs – through improving the employee experience and productivity in...

Setting the Framework for Success with Five Levels of Mentoring … “The best executive is the one who has sense enough to pick good men (women) to do what he (she) wants done, and the self-restraint to keep from meddling with them while they do it.”  - Theodore Roosevelt. The...

As senior executives and business leaders, commitment is about remaining steadfast and unwavering in your goals and objectives. Whether this is galvanizing a team to achieve a vision or staying focused on hitting a sales target, commitment is about never giving up on a desired outcome. The greatest leaders understand...

I love mornings. What a great feeling, waking up fresh, well-rested, and full of energy. My mind is clear. I’m optimistic and powerful. For those first few minutes, the 24 hours that lie ahead seem full of possibility, and I just know it’s going to be a good day. Of...

Government spending on defense contracts topped $445 billion in 2020. These contractors inhabit a realm where classified and top-secret information is their focus. It stands to reason, then, that security should be at the highest level. Although budgets are often allocated to defend the perimeter, there’s another potential exposure point that’s...

Thirty-six years ago, a young Afghan girl peered through haunting green eyes from the cover of National Geographic’s June issue. She was Sharbat Gula, orphaned during the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, and in 1984 she, her siblings, grandmother, and scores of other refugees had fled on foot toward Pakistan. The...

In the words of Laozi, 'When the best leaders finished their work, their people would say we did it ourselves.’ Are you dealing with a high-stakes decision that needs your attention and decisiveness? Perhaps it’s your subsequent funding round, budget cuts, or layoffs. Whatever the scenario, the ability to lead...