What makes and counts as “impact”?
All of us aspire to make a difference in something, whether it is in our profession, with our family, with friends, or at a broader scale. But how do we know that we are actually getting there, and our work is having an impact and changing the way things are done or the way people […]
3 daily steps that will make you a more mindful leader
In the past few weeks the universe has bombarded me with different postings about leadership and mindfulness. This does not seem like such a trivial matter that it would warrant a separate blog posting. But it turns out being a mindful leader is not a common practice and it’s hard to maintain especially in a […]
Can we keep a score on climate?
Last week I attended Climate Update 2018 event in Brisbane where we heard from various eminent speakers on the state of climate and what different organisations, such as the Queensland government, are doing in this space. In his presentation at Climate Update 2018, Mark Howden from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change focused on the […]
Why finding a bouncing-ideas-buddy will pay off: the secrets of collaboration
In science and in many related fields, the lone genius assumption persists: that individuals act and think alone, pour themselves over data in solitude and emerge with a solution that is revolutionary and inspirational. Many do buy into this story. Yet, the stories we actually hear are often those of insights that have emerged through […]
The fine line between productive habits and stalling points
I came across recently Morten Hansen in Coaching for Leaders episode 337 where Morten discussed his recent book Great at work. Morten’s five year study shows that the most successful people who excel at their work do not work more but less. They are more focused when they work and they also are agile learners: […]
Cyclone Gita and the perils of organising conferences in a changing climate
This past week hundreds of people gathered to Wellington, New Zealand, to attend the second Pacific Climate Change Conference 2018. The conference, organised by the Secretariat of the Pacific Environment Regional Program (SPREP) and University of Victoria, focused on showcasing the latest research in the Pacific Islands and featured several international keynote speakers from Professor […]
Why “failure dodging” is hurting your career
Lately I have been thinking a lot about what it means to fail. Most of the advice out there in leadership and management is about success: how to have a successful career, how to build a successful company, and how to become a success full stop. Who would not want to know why Oprah has […]
6 essentials in developing an academic career
I’ve recently been approached by several early career researchers (ECRs) about how to network, how to focus their careers and how to start building their profile while they are still in an early phase in their career. In the university system, there is often not much advice on personal branding for academics or how to […]
What’s in a decision?
This week’s two key news items have stuck with me: Cape Town running out of water and UK Met Office announcing we might already see an annual global temperature increase of 1.5 in the next five years. Both are good reminders that even though we have models and science to project future changes, the global […]