President Harry S. Truman had a famous sign on his desk that read: “The Buck Stops Here.” A clear indicator that he accepted accountability for all the decisions of his administration. There are leaders like Truman in politics and organisations today, though not many. Accountability starts with honesty. Being able to set aside personal pride […]

Encourage Imagine that someone created a red pill that adds years to your life; it reduces the risk of having a heart attack or stroke; cuts your risk of Alzheimer’s disease by more than fifty percent; helps you relax during the day and sleep better at night; it doubles your chances of staying drug and […]

There’s a lot of excitement about artificial intelligence (AI) and the potential for robots to autonomously make decisions about what gets done, how it gets done, and who does it. As the technology fast approaches the dreams of science fiction, many professionals, blue and white colour workers are beginning to fear a future where their […]

“Where do you see yourself in five years time?” This insidious little question invites the interviewee to begin a little game that finishes as a belief built on sand. You guess what your prospective employer wants to hear, and then you give it to them. It’s almost as bad as your Aunt’s favourite: “What do […]

We all want an inspirational leader. Someone to look up to, to give us hope and direction. A leader who engages us as individuals and treats us well, but most of all makes us want to be better. But what if that leader is you? And today you’re feeling a bit blah. Everything’s sort of […]

Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the mouth. Mike Tyson’s excellent response to a reporters question before his fight with Evander Holyfield. And isn’t that just true about all of the best laid plans we make? No plan survives contact with the enemy Attributed to Helmuth von Moltke in the 19th century. […]

How do we find our purpose to listen to wisdom to rightly choose when to be agile and change and when we should keep on the same track? Wisdom Tenacity and Agility I was at my wits end. Burned out and utterly lost in a quagmire of my own making. I’m uncertain as to what […]

Part 5 of our series on Being an Exceptional presenter takes us into the OW of KNOWing your Audience. Blame the ‘O’ for millions of people being fearful of presenting at all. And blame the ‘W’ for most presenters failing. It’s also why most telemarketing sucks. Both to receive and to do. To give your case the […]

If there’s one complaint I hear about a presenter’s skills from their boss or a their HR, it’s that they don’t adjust their presentation for their audience. And yet those presenters genuinely believe that they do adjust for their audience. So who is right? Well, they’re both correct of course. The presenter thinks they are […]

n this AdvantEdge Guide I am sharing how you can make your presentations engaging, memorable and interesting by utilising the New Golden Circle of Visual Storytelling. There are three parts to this guide. I shall start with the problem, that is that most presentations (and presenters) are boring. That Smartphones are a presenters enemy and […]