Category: Manage and lead the business

Political tension. Technology disruption. Regulatory change. Economic tremors. The list goes on. Every aspect of modern life seems clouded by uncertainty right now. For managers and leaders, it can feel like the only certainty is that more change is coming. That presents an enormous challenge for those institutions charged with educating the managers and leaders […]

Our world is rapidly changing. A growing and increasingly diverse population, climate change, technological advancement and cyber risks – these are just some of the factors leaders must face now and increasingly in the future. Leaders’ success will rest in the plans they have put in place to respond to factors, both known and unknown. […]

By Elizabeth Ticehurst   It is hard to reconcile slavery – mostly thought of as a barbaric ancient practice – with the modern Australian workplace. Our employment laws and regulations are amongst the strictest in the world and our minimum wage is easily one of the highest. However, the reality is that practices such as […]

When working life gets particularly stressful, many managers and leaders utter the old adage, ‘We’re not saving lives’. And, for most CEOs, that’s absolutely true. But what if the organisation you lead actually does – literally – save lives? And then, what if your organisation also happens to be one of the most quintessential Australian […]

By Anthony O’Brien   ‘Working nine to five’ for many of us old enough to remember is more closely aligned with the offices, factories, and workshops of the 20th Century. A phrase also popularised by singer Dolly Parton, working nine to five is giving way to the flexible working arrangements demanded and legislated for, in […]

By Nicola Field   In today’s fast-paced world, the term ‘agile’ has become ubiquitous. Ask any manager or leader if they’re agile, and the response is bound to be a resounding “Yes!” But an innovative project methodology is redefining what agility is all about – and it has applications across a wide range of industries […]

By Ken McDonald FIML   About the time that I was learning about business analysis, the managing director of our company, Weipa, assigned me a task that would occupy 100% of my time for about 12 months. In brief, we had to move quickly to be able to supply a more cost-efficient blend of trihydrate […]

There’s a myth that experienced business leaders are dinosaurs from a bygone era – typically old white males who only knew one way to lead, and that way doesn’t work anymore. So “of course” it’s inevitable they will get disrupted by younger, more diverse, more tech-savvy, “new” thinkers. But it’s not true. There are many […]

When you run your own business – and you’re not a large operation – the basics of success might seem simple. Business booms when more people want to buy from you, existing customers want to stick with you, and your staff are happy to work for you. But anyone who’s run a family-owned or small […]