COLIN ON CULTURE
Origin story
Where did you come from and where are you going? Sharing our origin stories is a great way to create cultural connection.
Change confusion
We’re in an era of change fatigue but what’s really behind the failure to engage?
Future you
January is a popular time of year for reflecting on where your career is going and making some big decisions. I spoke to the Today show on Channel 9 about strategies for ensuring what you do next is a success.
How politics affects working culture
Politics will always affect how we work, because we (the electorate) often demand that it does, however, the reaction to these changes and the choices that leaders make needn’t happen overnight. Culture (social and working) will always be driven by the humans who are living it day-to-day. This is why culture matters so much.
Strong foundations
When you build a house, there's no debate. No one says, "let's skip the foundation and figure it out later". That would be absurd. Yet in business, we do exactly that when we don’t purposefully create our culture.
Achieving peak performance
Most organisations wait until performance dips before making a change or just assume that the performance arc that they are on will naturally continue. Take a look at the Sigmoid Curve and see if you still feel that way…
Saying what needs to be said
The best organisations aren't just places where people say what needs to be said. They're places where people know how to say it in a way that makes everyone better.
Doing more with less
When we sprint from task to task, juggling our endless to-do lists, we're not actually moving forward. We're just moving.
Proper work
The real question isn't whether today's workers are doing proper work. The real question is whether today's leaders are creating proper working environments.
A Year of Culture Content
Looking back on a year of culture content designed to inspire action, spark ideas and ignite curiosity and critical thinking.
The Dark Side of Workplace Secrecy: Who Really Benefits?
Transparency isn't just a buzzword - it's a business imperative. Secretive cultures lead to reduced collaboration, decreased trust, lower team performance, and killed innovation. Are you protecting power structures at the expense of your employees?
Why Psychological Safety isn't a 'Nice to Have'
Psychological safety isn’t a ‘nice to have’, it’s a ‘must have’ if you want high performance. However, not enough people understand how to create it. Read on to learn what it actually means and how to ‘do’ it in practice.
The 5 Types of Employees (and the 2 you need to worry about)
Meet the five employee archetypes I have encountered in my work helping organisations to transform their cultures. Understand what drives and defines each of them, plus which two to look out for and why.
Flexible vs Hybrid Work: What they mean and why it matters
Where we work - or how we structure the working week - is back in the news. Four years after the pandemic, organisations are still feeling their way around flexible and hybrid work arrangements. What do these terms actually mean? And how do you implement them successfully?
4 Ways to Jazz Up Your Culture
A recent trip to a legendary London music venue was a demonstration of what it takes to be - and stay - at the stop of your game. Here's how you can tune up your culture with inspiration from Ronnie Scott's.
Culture Rots From The Top
Toxic culture is the biggest risk to every organisation, regardless of size, industry or country. It can destroy lives, results, reputations and the organisation itself. Ignoring it will only make things worse. Take a different approach and turn toxicity around.
Are Your Stories Killing Your Culture?
Stories are the primary means of passing down cultural knowledge, values and beliefs from one generation of employees to the next. Understanding this and reframing negative narratives, seeking out positive tales and not giving air time to gossip are simple ways to ensure your culture doesn’t become a story no one wants to hear.
One employee can make a world of difference
When we go to work we have a choice. Concede that we have to accept the status quo or we can make a contribution and drive change for the better. One lone nut isn’t alone for long!
Culture Renovation: A proven blueprint for change
I’m sharing my proven four-step blueprint for successful culture renovation that can start paying dividends in as little as three months.
The Promises and Perils of AI at Work
We stand on the precipice of an AI-powered future of work. Whether it liberates us or entraps us largely depends on our ability to be the human architects and governors of these mighty technologies.