Fit For the Future

Your team members often know about problems, opportunities, and customer issues long before you do, and you won’t find out if you don’t make the effort to listen. But listening is only half the story – the way you do it sends a strong message about how much you value their opinions. https://swiy.co/go-whats-really-going-on As a leader, what are you doing to understand what’s truly going on in your...

With constant change and uncertainty, your people need to feel safe to speak up, challenge ideas, and take initiative. As a leader, you play a huge role in creating that safe environment. When your people feel safe, it’s easier for them to embrace change, contribute ideas, and come with you on the journey rather than just doing what they’re told. https://swiy.co/go-safety-in-uncertainty As a leade...

In a fast-changing world, you don’t know all the answers – and you’re not expected to know them. Instead of dragging people along or expecting them to simply follow you, meet them where they are, walk alongside them, and turn the journey into a shared experience. https://swiy.co/go-dont-lead-from-the-front As a leader, what are you doing to inspire the people in your team? Yesterday, I took our co...

You can’t empower your people just by telling them to take more ownership. You need to build their judgement step by step, so you feel confident letting go and they feel confident making decisions. Over time, you reduce how much they depend on you, avoid becoming the bottleneck, and build a team that can act more independently and handle change more effectively. https://swiy.co/go-build-judgement...

As a leader, you set the tone for how your team’s culture. The environment you create isn’t just about the physical workplace – it’s also about whether people feel comfortable sharing new ideas, trying different approaches, and adapting when things shift. And with so much change ahead, you want people on your team who don’t just accept change, but are ready to embrace it and even lead it. https://...

When your team brings you new ideas, do you embrace them or push back? If you push back, it’s probably for a good reason (time, money, resources, tried it before, etc.). But when your people hear “no” often enough, they learn there’s little point suggesting anything new – and will stop. https://swiy.co/go-when-leaders-say-no As a leader, are YOU the biggest barrier to change in your team? A few we...

As you plan for an uncertain future, it’s easy to get caught up in new technology (AI, I’m looking at you!). But don’t lose sight of what matters most: people. Use AI to help your people – customers, employees, and others – so you can work better, make better decisions and achieve better outcomes for everybody. It must always be people first, AI second. https://swiy.co/go-ai-for-the-people As a le...

Did you hear about the gym in Melbourne that was accidentally hacked by AI? As a leader, that should raise a warning about the training and guardrails you give people when they use AI at work. It’s your responsibility to make sure you’re protecting your data, your organisation, and your brand from AI that doesn’t follow the rules. https://swiy.co/go-when-ai-breaks-the-rules As a leader, do you kno...

The Australian Government has dropped the ball on AI regulation. So, as a leader, it’s your responsibility to create appropriate rules and guidelines for safe, ethical, and responsible AI use in your team and organisation. That includes privacy, confidentiality, bias, governance, and how people use AI in everyday work. https://swiy.co/go-the-ai-governance-gap As a leader, are you doing enough to l...

Most teams are already using AI to save time and boost productivity – and that’s a good place to start. The bigger opportunity now is to step back and ask whether to do the work itself differently. Don’t just use AI to improve an old way of working; use this opportunity to ask what you could eliminate, redesign, or replace altogether. https://swiy.co/go-reimagine-work-with-ai As a leader, are you...

Most organisations now allow people to use AI to boost productivity, and that’s a good first step. The bigger opportunity comes from using AI to rethink the way work gets done, not just making it more efficient. But are you recognising and encouraging that – or penalising it? https://swiy.co/go-the-ai-innovation-gap As a leader, are you and your team applying AI the right way in your workplace? Th...

You might want to try new AI tools, but the IT team keeps getting in the way – because they (rightly) don’t want unauthorised tech in your system. But there’s a simple way you can keep experimenting and evolving with AI, while still keeping your IT team happy. It’s a practical way to keep innovation moving while still staying on the right side of the IT team. https://swiy.co/go-ai-and-it As a lead...

When you're weighing up an investment, it's easy to focus only on the ROI - your return on investment. But that's only half the picture. You also need to consider COI - the cost of inaction (doing nothing). Calculate both ROI and COI to make more balanced decisions, spot hidden risks, and avoid the cost of standing still. https://swiy.co/go-more-than-roi Are you doing enough to calculate the value...

AI is about much more than ChatGPT or Copilot. As a leader, think about AI at three levels: professional, projects, and platforms. And all of this still needs human judgement, so building AI literacy across your team is just as important as the technology itself. https://swiy.co/go-ai-platforms-are-here Are you sick of hearing negative stories about AI? Some of them are negative for good reasons,...

If you’re using – or planning to use – AI agents, good! But also be careful - they give you great power, but also open up possible risks. So, before you let them loose on your precious digital assets, decide what you’ll let them do on their own, where they need your approval, and how you’ll review their work. https://swiy.co/go-ai-agents-at-work Are you using – or thinking of using – AI agents in...

If you’ve seen all the media stories about people losing their jobs to AI, guess what? Your people are seeing those stories as well! And they’re wondering if they are next. How can you tell them – in real, practical, and convincing ways – it’s not true? https://swiy.co/go-will-ai-take-my-job Have you seen the media stories about people who are losing their jobs to AI? Last year, the biggest in Aus...

Your people might not be openly resisting AI, but I bet many are wondering what it means for their future. You can help them by recognising their fears, understanding their concerns, and facilitating honest conversations about what AI means in your workplace. If you want them to embrace AI (and you do, don’t you?), bring them with you rather than assume they’re already on board. https://swiy.co/go...

If you’re waiting for the right time to start something important, you might be looking for a signal that never comes. Like learning to surf, progress doesn’t happen from standing on the beach and watching the waves. You only learn what works, what opportunities are available, and what direction to take when you’re out there paddling. https://swiy.co/go-catch-the-wave Are you thinking about someth...

How do you create a team culture where people take initiative and make good decisions without always coming back to you? Easy, but not simple: build their judgement. It’s like learning to drive: you know the rules and gain the basic skills, but what really matters is how you read situations and respond in the moment. The more you help your people develop good judgment, the more you can step back a...

You might want AI to help your team work smarter, but are you just giving them more work? Instead of freeing people to focus on meaningful, higher-value work, AI can end up creating a cycle where more efficiency just leads to more work. If you’re not careful, the work never really changes, it just keeps coming back faster – and that's bad for everybody. https://swiy.co/go-the-sisyphus-trap When yo...

If you have a culture you’re proud of, workfluencers are powerful brand voices for you – sharing their experiences, amplifying your culture, and helping attract the right sort of talent, long before an interview. It’s time to support, nurture, and trust the people already championing your workplace. https://swiy.co/go-meet-the-workfluencer Do you have a workfluencer in your team? If you don’t, may...

Adopting AI in your organisation can feel like a huge task, but it helps to keep your strategy simple. Start by understanding your assets so you know where you can apply AI. Then build and deploy AI tools to support your teams and improve how work gets done. Finally, connect those systems to the wider world, bringing in external data and insights to make smarter decisions. https://swiy.co/go-abc-o...

As a leader, would you like the people in your team to take more initiative? You might say, “Of course I want them to take more initiative! That’s a no-brainer.” If that’s what you think, good – because I’ll show you how to start encouraging people to take more initiative. But I should warn you this isn’t always what you want. It’s not always a “no-brainer” that you want people to take more initia...

When you’re operating in a world where more and more things feel unpredictable, that uncertainty puts pressure on how your team functions. You can’t shut the door on that chaos and uncertainty, but there’s one surprisingly simple thing your team can do to reduce stress and anxiety. https://swiy.co/go-the-dependability-gap A few weeks ago, a Tesla driver driving across Australia got stranded half-w...

Do you have people in your team pushing back on change? It might not be because they’re difficult, but they’re just exhausted by it. With constant, overlapping demands coming from every direction, it’s no surprise their motivation dips and their resistance grows. Instead of trying to force people to get on board, there’s a simple step you can take to get them started. It doesn’t instantly remove r...