Years of constant disruption has proved that traditional skills and planning cycles are no longer enough. Here’s how leaders can foster resilience to successfully navigate the challenging year ahead. Every generation of leaders faces a turning point and 2026 is...
Fix Uncritical Thinking to Save Time, Money and Your Career
Have you ever made a snap decision and later regretted it? Most of us have. Sometimes the cost is small, but for leaders, a rushed or poorly thought-out course of action can have serious consequences. Executives and boards today face relentless pressure: Cyber...
For Transformation, Managing Energy is Everything
I was thumbing through a Harvard Business Review article on business transformation and delighted to find the revival of Virgin Australia featuring in it. The article, by two Bain & Company leaders reiterated that very few transformations deliver lasting results -...
When Does Persuasion and Influence Become Manipulation?
At the start of a week-long mini-bus tour of the Mekong many years ago, the guide explained it would get quite hot and we might want to consider a bus with aircon, but it would cost a little extra. We all put in the required amount and were expecting to disembark and...
Embarking on change? Read this first!
Executives and leaders are under increasing pressure due to the number and nature of the disruptions to their business. Accenture research finds the rate of change is not only high, it’s accelerating. This frenetic pace of change is taking its toll. People are feeling...
Do you dare take the Path Less Travelled?
If you reflect on your journey, have you been taking the path less travelled? As a visitor to my website, chances are that you are, so let me explain what I'm talking about. A colleague recently told me that the university he guest lectures for has had the...
Leading Transformation: How Clarity of Purpose Drives Organisational Change
In today’s fast-paced and ever-evolving business landscape, executives and leaders are tasked with steering their organisations through significant and ongoing transformations. Whether sparked by external events, market shifts or technological advancements, the...
What if you sell products that are legal, but cause harm?
As a purpose-driven or purpose-curious leader, what would you do if your business sold a product line, such as tobacco, that is legal but proven to cause harm? Let's say you're a supermarket executive and your stores sell cigarettes. It's a small part of your overall...
Three Foundational Characteristics of Purpose-Driven Organisations
By Phil Preston & Carolyn Butler-Madden What is Success? In today's dynamic business landscape, the drive for business success goes beyond mere profitability. It encompasses a deeper ethos—a higher purpose that not only guides organisations but also galvanises...
Finding Your Purpose as a Leader
When change is omnipresent, your leadership effectiveness is amplified, which is why it helps to have an acute understanding of your purpose as a leader. How do we define this type of ‘purpose’ and why is it so important? How can you uncover it and create a plan of...
Revealing Purpose: Do You Have the Five Attributes of a Purpose-Driven Leader?
By Phil Preston & Carolyn Butler-Madden Are You Purpose-Driven? Do you regard yourself as a purpose-driven leader? If so, what qualities differentiate you from leaders without such purposeful drive? Being purpose-driven not only feels good, it's a powerful...
Sex, Lies and Purpose Statements
If you're like me you lie awake at night wondering: What is the purpose of a corporate purpose statement? It's a bit like asking: Why does a company need a 'why'? Or where do butterflies go when it rains? The question might be cynical if not for the fact that PwC’s...












