I don’t think anyone walks into a 360 review comfortable with the process; the idea of a range of people anonymously commenting on you in a setting that affects you career is nerve racking! But the results are usually very useful for developing your leadership, even if they’re not a lot of fun to get. This article promotes the idea (which I wholeheartedly agree with) that the best leaders don’t get the lowest score on the 360, but they have stand out strengths. With that in mind, knowing you can’t be perfect, this article is a great resource for reading in preparation to receiving your feedback.  Read More

Over the past months I’ve read a number of engaging SheEO blogs on women in leadership roles and moving into the boardroom.  Those are aspirational goals and ones that every little girl should have in her toy garage or dollhouse at the ready.  But, what about those women who are more than competent, but for whom corporate Australia is largely out of reach?  What about those of us with mobility issues who are dealing with lockout and who can’t even get through the front door of the building? Read More

When I ask people what they do, most say, “I am electrician”, I am a cleaner” or “I am and accountant”.  Many people identify themselves with their profession or their job title. But there is a lot more to a job than that.  Research has shown that the way we feel about what we do, not surprisingly has a significant impact on our level of happiness.  If we can start thinking differently about what we do, perhaps we can come to appreciate and enjoy it more, contribute more, be more productive, or at the very least work out what else we should be doing instead. Read More

If you were planning to join us for the final Ascend development day for the year in Sydney, I'm sorry but you've left it too late - this quarter is fully booked now in Sydney.  The good news is we still have a few places left in our other three cities: Read More

A new Harvard blog this week really struck a chord with me in its career advice to forget mentors and employ a personal board of directors instead.  While acknowledging the exposure and connections that a corporate-sponsored mentoring program can bring, Priscilla Claman argues that ‘hitching your career to some rising manager’ is rapidly becoming outdated because in the world we now live and work in ‘changes in direction, restructuring, downsizing, acquisitions, mergers and, of course, recessions, mean your mentor is just as likely to move on or be laid off as you are’.  Claman argues that a board of directors for your career - a group of people you consult regularly to for advice and feedback - may deliver a greater return.   Read More

Recently I was chatting with Robyn Watts who many of you will recognise from our Take the Lead series: Robyn has held various CEO and executive roles in the media sector and is now building a second career with a portfolio of board positions.  The purpose of Robyn's call was to discuss her candidacy for a board position at Unifem - which sphinxx is a corporate member of.  As a member of Unifem, I was only to happy to nominate Robyn for a board position in the current elections as I know her experience and expertise will be a terrific value add to the organisation.  If  you happen to be a voting member of Unifem I would encourage you to read Robyn's profile when you receive your voting papers and to consider voting for her in the ballot. Read More

I have received a number of requests over the past couple of weeks for career coaches (as opposed to life coaches) and executive mentors from women in senior management and executive roles in corporates and professional services, in Queensland, Sydney and Melbourne.  If you have any recommendations to share in this regard can you please post your comments here or send me a private message.  Thanks! Read More

John Colvin, CEO of the Australian Institute of Company Directors is really leading the ranks of good guys and showing his commitment to gender diversity on boards with the announcement of a new Board Diversity Scholarship Program by the AICD.  Under the program, the AICD together with the Australian Government Office for Women will award 70 full fee scholarships (not including accommodation and travel costs) to board-ready women to undertake the Australian Institute of Company Directors' highly regarded Company Directors Course or Mastering the Boardroom Program.  Read More

I’ve spoken before about the importance of Good Guys in advancing women as leaders.  Daniel Barber certainly fits this bill - and comes with rave reviews from the employers he has recruited for as well as the talent he has sourced.  Whether you’re an employer looking to secure more female talent on your team, or you’re a woman looking for a new role in banking and finance, you’d be doing yourself a disservice if you don’t put Barber Consulting at the top of your list. Read More

From 1^st January 2011, Australia's first universal Paid Parental Leave scheme will be available to employees and the self employed alike – heralding in a new era for Australia’s working families. While many employees of large companies and government agencies have had access to varying forms of paid and unpaid parental leave programs, many small business owners and self employed will be getting their first taste of paid parental leave under the scheme.   Read More