Conspiracy theories have been around since the beginning of time. We may, or may not, believe in superstitions and many stories that were designed to explain phenomenon that are not easily understood. Our governments don't always play these things straight either. If a narrative matches their agenda then they may be happy to let these ideas run their course.  More recently there has been an attack on science, "facts" and media sources, with claims that they are not truthful. Maybe some of these attacks are fair as we gradually lose faith in what we believe to be true, or not. We know that social media spreads these ideas rapidly because of the algorithms that are designed to satisfy our particular needs. By default, if we want more information on a particular topic it will be fed to us. And 45% of people who believe Covid-19 deaths are being exaggerated by the authorities get a lot of their news on the virus from Facebook, more than twice the 19% of non-believers who say the same. 56% of people who believe that there's no hard evidence coronavirus exists get a lot of their information from Facebook, compared with 20% of those who reject the conspiracy theory. Sixty percent of those who believe there is a link between 5G and Covid-19 get a fair amount or great deal of their information on the virus from YouTube. There is a profile of conspiracy theorists or followers that shares these ideas prolifically. We need to understand this mindset and why some are more attracted to  conspiracy than others.

Co-Founder and Senior Managing Partner of GSE, Shanna Parry has gone from American school teacher to international education expert, widely regarded for her skills abilities to lead education in culturally diverse locations. Twice named as one of the Top 30 Global Gurus in Education she is a highly sought after guest speaker as well as being an outstanding project leader of new schools. In this podcast she speaks about her professional and personal transition from growing up in the US to now working, living and traveling in locations such as the Middle East and China. Culture shock, adaptation and how to develop highly effective interpersonal relations with people of other cultures are just some of her key strengths. Family, friends and work colleagues understand her passion for travelling in ways that demonstrate an ability to fully engage with cultures. There is a greater depth than just food, fashion and flags in both her business and personal life. A truly insightful discussion about her life and future within an international context. (All of my podcasts are one take - no edits - no script - keeping it real - natural dialogue from the head and heart)

We need to dream! Sadly as we get older our dreams become conditional. We learn so much about “reality” and create so many rules or obstacles in our own minds that our dreams become stifled. Dreaming creates appetite. It creates a compelling vision that we want to reach for. It motivates us because of the appetite it creates. The next step is to backward map that dream and turn it into a plan but it must first begin with a compelling vision for the future. We also need to share these dreams and vision in stories. Stories reach people at a much deeper level that standards, KPIs and traditional work expectations. Our own dreams need to become shared dreams by all team members. The energy and motivation will become infectious and people will work harder to achieve them. Lets be “kids again.” Lets be open minded and passionate. Lets unleash true potential so that we break rules and truly make a difference beyond standard conventions. Lets reinvent, by embracing a paradigm and way of thinking that ignores excuses and in powerful and compelling ways makes dreams possible. (All of my podcasts are one take - no edits - no script - keeping it real - natural dialogue from the head and heart)

I have never been a big fan of traditional voting on complex and important decisions. The outcomes of a yes/no vote rarely represent true consensus. When we are serious about leading a healthy and principled organisation and we genuinely want to move things forward it is important to understand the power of genuine consensus. When we reach genuine consensus the team moves forward. Committed, engaged and resolute. How many times have we made a decision based on a simple vote but in practice what we thought represents\ed agreement on a visionary idea was in reality a vote on “Hey, who wants to end this meeting quickly.” 🤷‍♂️😄 How to Vote ? Participants raise their hand a little differently! 5 fingers  4 fingers  3 fingers  2 fingers  1 finger  A fist which obviously means, “I Vote NO!”  Remember, strong leadership delivers results. It might sometimes be more pertinent to invest more time to get effective commitment so that you know you can truly achieve your goals. In this podcast we explore this alternative model so that you can use strategies that maximise your performance and get improved results!

This week I had the pleasure of interviewing International Entrepreneur and Digital Media Expert Tamar Hela! Tamar is an entrepreneur who works with Fortune500 companies on lead generation through LinkedIn. She is the COO of Genius Encel. She’s also the Founder of Shanghai’s official LinkedInLocal community.  Before coming to China, she worked with various celebrities and professional athletes in the United States as their trusted editor. We spoke about cultural differences, human behaviours and leadership. She shares her experiences living and working in China as well as her advice for those wanting to make a difference. ......and a 14hr train ride, squatty potties, food, the covid19 pandemic, mental health, education ..... and more. Learn about building communities and adapting to cultural differences from an expert in digital marketing based in Shanghai, China. (All of my podcasts are one take - no edits - no script - keeping it real - natural dialogue from the head and heart)

While vision and values, charisma and motivation might be important for leadership you also have to get the job done. The skills of persuasion and influence are essential if you want to turn ideas into reality. We need to have tools that help move people forward and we need to remove objections. It requires excellent interpersonal skills and emotional intelligence. This podcast aims to help leaders practice and develop interpersonal skills by providing a set of strategies and skills that you can employ when things are not moving as fast as you would like them to be. We explore several strategies leaders can implement that help diffuse conflict, bring people on board and achieve genuine and authentic consensus.  (All of my podcasts are one take - no edits - no script - keeping it real - natural dialogue from the head and heart)

In this podcast we explore how systems work and an approach to understanding how to get the greatest leverage for change. We too often focus only on small parts and not the whole. In order to make significant and sustainable change we need to understand the interactions that occur between parts. As human beings we are wired to enjoy and value human interaction. Working in teams makes sense. When we value the interactions and improvements that people can discover and implement themselves we will see greater improvements. As leaders we are most often not the best people to make changes. We should set the standards but not always outline the pathway to achieve it. There may be a better way. Edward Deming is most famous for helping to transform the Japanese car manufacturing industry from something not credible to one of the finest quality and efficient production systems in the world. Peter Senge believes very strongly that we should be looking at the whole picture rather than the individual problem and he has helped organisations and schools embrace these ideas. Both of these thought leaders have significantly shaped a way of thinking and organisational change that is far more effective than traditional methods.  We will explore these ideas and how they can apply to international contexts. (All of my podcasts are one take - no edits - no script - keeping it real - natural dialogue from the head and heart)

Decision making can be difficult in any context but it can be even more challenging in culturally diverse environments. In this podcast we explore the decision making tools called "Ladder of Inference" and "Perceptual Positions" as ways we can become more effective. Decision making tools help us become more effective by challenging us to look at things from a different perspective. Ladder of Inference  (Chris Argyris and Peter Senge) Using The Ladder of Inference helps us look at facts in an unbiased way and not to judge too soon. It is a way of making us become aware of reasoning processes and how to use own convictions and experiences in a positive manner. Perceptual Positions Perceptual positions is a form of modelling that allows us to step into somebody else’s shoes, and see what they see,  hear what they hear, and feel what they feel. Perceptual positions help us get a much better impression of another persons ‘reality’ and it helps us move from being reactive to being much more strategic. Leadership is more effective when we are reflective. These models are an effective "play book" that helps us know how to proceed when things are challenging, cloudy or less obvious than you may think. By using these frames of reference we can walk confidently forward while being more clearly aware of the why and the how. (All of my podcasts are one take - no edits - no script - keeping it real - natural dialogue from the head and heart)

This podcast aims to explain what International Schools are, their history and role in developing the next generation of global leaders. My passion for global leadership includes a belief that we don't learn leadership skills by accident. They need to be developed and applied in order for us to truly develop our leadership potential. International Schools have been very successful in achieving this based not on their "non-local" curriculum but on their philosophy of being international-minded. They play an important role as models of what can be achieved when we embrace and see the benefits of cultural diversity. At a time when this Pandemic Crisis has challenged us globally we know that the people who can adapt best are those who can think critically, adjust and solve problems in a dynamic way. Those who are multi-skilled and have a broad background and skillset will be the most successful. This also includes the values of being generous and serving others. It is a time when we need to come together as a global world, embracing the connections that are helpful between nations. (All of my podcasts are one take - no edits - no script - keeping it real - natural dialogue from the head and heart)

Most people have a desire to be more interesting. We all know that being more interesting is attractive but it also helps us have better relationships with others and to be more effective.  This 5min version on this very popular topic was created for another podcast series where I was an invited as a guest presenter.  (Feel free to share with others) To "be interesting" makes us more engaging and successful with others both personally and professionally.  In this podcast I talk about this concept of being more interesting and some strategies we can use to achieve it.