Too many of us regularly disregard Dr Stephen Covey’s 7th habit: the need to ‘sharpen the saw’. We all know about preserving and enhancing your greatest asset – you – but do you REALLY do so? How many of us actually ‘blunt the saw’ by our regular weekend activities? At one stage in my career […]
The ‘art of conversation’ – a lost skill to be regained?
The art of conversation helps us develop positive, trusting relationships. The conversations we have day-to-day with our peers, managers and team members creates the climate for relationships to grow. This can be the foundation of a rewarding and successful career. How often have you listened to someone and did so while looking for the chance […]
Can we make data humane? Can we give it personality?
Data can overwhelm us and we easily become lost in the detail. The classic Lyn Sharratt book ‘Putting Faces on Data’ is about personalising data. Giogia Lupi leads a data design company and she speaks similarly to Lyn. In Giogia’s 11 minute TEDTalk she promotes the concept of ‘data humanism’ and the need to bring […]
Referee choice – will they help or hurt your chances?
My colleagues Lauren and Penny both had very difficult conversations recently with people over their referee choice. They both had candidates who were either unable or unwilling to provide ‘suitable’ referees. We were concerned that poor referee selection would hurt the chances of both people. We all understand the dilemma: Applicant Fred does not want […]
Leadership Insight Series: a Conversation with Catherine O’Kane, Principal, All Hallows’ School
The following captures the thoughts of Catherine O’Kane, Principal of All Hallows’ School, Brisbane. She covers a range of career and professional development topics, as recorded during a question and answer session with Trak Search. This conversation is part of a series targeted for leaders and aspiring leaders with the information best used in conjunction with discussions […]
Benefits and perks for ‘best places to work’ – LinkedIn winners for 2017
LinkedIn has just announced their 2017 list of Australia’s best places to work, as voted by LinkedIn users. The list is dominated by the professional and financial services sectors with PwC, KPMG and Westpac taking out the top three awards. The explanation put forward for this dominance is that these sectors have the greatest “war […]
Stay or go? How to grow your career by staying put
When I joined Woolworths straight from University in the late 70’s, they were like most large organisations – you were basically employed for life. They had wonderful development opportunities and invariably promoted from within; and so you were provided with a well-defined career path, particularly if you kept performing. Those days have long since disappeared, […]
How a Leader can manage their Board
Many Education and Community sector leaders are responsible to a Board. But how many can manage their board? I’ve been told by numerous CEO’s, Principals and Directors that this ‘managing of a Board’ can be as difficult as it is important. With such frequent turnover of Board members in n-f-p (compared to commerce), it is […]
Questions to help find your ‘authentic career’ – and none is about finding your passion!
This 10 minute TEDTalk from Ashley Stahl provides three basic questions designed to help people unlock their “authentic career”. She speaks of the need we have find work that we’ll love and work that aligns with who we are. She maintains that too much advice is telling people to find “your passion” which is almost […]
Missing out on jobs – what other people won’t tell you
A person famous within Catholic education once explained to me that people didn’t fully comprehend the extent to which an employer looked at the ‘full package’ when making an appointment. She was referring to matters such as dress, presentation, verbal communication skills, body language; and how the person connects with people. These aspects are integral […]
