Ideas, tools and methods to improve leadership :: ODI

Is your workforce diverse? Are you able to find skilled workers to ensure the sustainability of your organisation’s workforce?

Posted 15 May 2025 by Shireen Chua Diversity and Inclusion;

Every organisation today is facing a workforce that is increasing in diversity. Diversity goes beyond ethnicity. It includes the visible characteristics and deep-level diversity characteristics. Beneath the surface, characteristics are hidden cultural values and worldviews that shape how each individual thinks, behaves, and relates to others. This points to the inevitable … that our workforce is diverse, if not “hyperdiverse”.

AI won’t replace you ... but someone who knows how to use it might

Posted 10 April 2025 by Greg Delaney Performance and Results;

There’s a lot of noise around AI; plenty of breathless predictions, hype, and existential debates. AI is big, fast-moving, and frankly, overwhelming, but here’s the thing: AI is already useful ... right now, today. You don’t need to be a tech expert to use AI well, you don’t need to share sensitive data to get great results, and you don’t need to learn alone, by trial and error.

Emotional Culture and its Connection to Wellbeing

Posted 24 March 2025 by Marjorie Blake Wellbeing and Resilience;

Have you recently answered the question, “How was your day?” from someone at work with – “Fine, good, bad, okay, busy”? How would you answer a question about how you are feeling when discussing an uncomfortable topic in a team meeting, or being asked to do yet another project that you don’t understand, or having to have that difficult conversation with a team member?

Fit for Purpose: Reimagining Workplace Influence for the 21st Century

Posted 11 February 2025 by Nicola Woodward Culture and Engagement;

Introducing the RISE Model of Influence - a new and innovative framework for developing positive workplace influence across all organisational levels. Rise builds a mindset and culture that is proactive, adaptive, collaborative, inclusive and mutually accountable; perfect for embracing Gen Z and for building employee engagement.

Implementing Sticky Change

Posted 05 December 2024 by Paul Dolan Mindset;

Implementing successful personal or organisational change is challenging. The number of New Year’s resolutions that don’t make it to February, is an example of personal change that, despite the very best intentions, is notoriously difficult to implement.

Leading Culturally Diverse Teams

Posted 19 November 2024 by Trish Lui Culture and Engagement;

Effectively leading culturally diverse teams in the workplace is an essential 21st Century skill. It is no longer a nice-to-have, but a must-have. Organisations have an increasingly diverse pool from which to recruit.

From Project Manager to Project Sponsor: Navigating the Transition

Posted 23 October 2024 by Carol Speirs Performance and Results;

It’s not just turning up to the monthly status meeting and reading a report. A Project Sponsor plays a crucial role in ensuring the success of a project. We know from experience that a Project Sponsor can significantly contribute to the successful completion and delivery of a project.

Three Behaviours of a Highly Effective Leadership Team

Posted 03 October 2024 by Marshall Cowley Leadership;

High performing leadership teams adhere to a number of key behavioural expectations; ways of working together that differentiate organisational from functional leadership. In essence, there are three behaviours that put the collective goals of the team ahead of individual functional goals.

Beyond the Sale: Building Lasting Customer Relationships

Posted 25 September 2024 by Rae MacDonald Sales and Marketing;

Ever feel like you're herding cats when it comes to your customers? Imagine if you could truly understand their entire journey, from the moment they desperately search for a solution, to bragging about you to their friends like you're the answer to their prayers.

Development of Purpose and Values

Posted 05 September 2024 by Nicky Trainor Purpose, Vision and Values;

Every organisation is different; people, size, culture, industry, context all have an impact on the way Purpose and Values are developed, so proposing a standard development process that is going to work for all organisations is not possible, or desirable.

De-spaghetti-ise your Thinking: Dr Edward de Bono’s Six Thinking Hats®

Posted 16 August 2024 by Greg Kirk Teamwork;

The way we often think is, interestingly, quite mixed up! If you imagine a bowl of spaghetti with different strands of that spaghetti representing different modes of thinking, we generally have a lot going on when we express our views.

How to Implement a Leadership Competency Framework

Posted 05 July 2024 by Selena Bernath Leadership;

Implementing a competency framework empowers organisations to measure the impact of their talent strategy, and build the kind of dynamic workforce that holds its value even when deluged by new challenges.

Engagement in a Time of Quiet Quitting

Posted 17 June 2024 by Dr Michelle Shields Culture and Engagement;

Engagement may represent job satisfaction, belief in the organisation’s purpose, willingness to use discretionary effort, likelihood of recommending the organisation to others, or one’s tendency to think about quitting.

Why is your Strategy Sitting in your Desk Drawer?

Posted 07 June 2024 by Marshall Cowley Strategy;

We’ve all been there - a freshly minted strategy document, impressively bound, endorsed by the Board, sits there on your desktop, ready to drive your organisation toward the future to which it aspires. Fast forward and it now sits behind you on a shelf or buried in a desk drawer.

Transformational Leadership - The Leadership Circle

Posted 14 May 2024 by Craig McDowell Leadership;

The Leadership Circle assessment has been completed by more than 460,000 leaders globally. It has the potential for a leader to not only develop exemplary leadership skills, but also to embody leadership that can create an envisioned cultural change for which organisations often strive.

Vision, Vitality and Values for Time and Self-Management

Posted 06 March 2024 by Robin Rawson Culture and Engagement;

Do you struggle to keep up with your workload? Do you continually feel stressed? Do procrastination and lack of focus hound you? We all encounter overwhelming days in today's busy workplaces, filled with numerous tasks and commitments.

Why it's Still Important to Write Well

Posted 25 August 2023 by Desirée Williamson Writing and Presentation Skills;

Despite all the recent brouhaha about the wonders of ChatGPT and the imminent AI-takeover of organisational communications, the art of writing with clarity remains a key competency if you value excellent communication with all your stakeholders - internal and external.

Setting Up Teams for Success: Development of a Value Proposition

Posted 01 August 2023 by Selena Bernath Teamwork;

Some of your team members might appreciate refreshed clarity about their team purpose, service offerings and how to more effectively work alongside each other, their customers and stakeholders, thus creating a new or refreshed team culture.

People Capability - Five Key Questions

Posted 26 June 2023 Performance and Results;

This article on people capability comes at a key time when businesses are struggling to recruit skilled staff. This isn't a new problem but has worsened in the last 2-3 years. Find out what you can do to manage this issue.

The True Role of an Executive Team

Posted 28 April 2023 by Marshall Cowley Teamwork;

One of the most critical distinctions that differentiates effective teams at an executive level is how they address the crucial Executive Team question: "What is it that requires us to come together interdependently and for which we are collectively responsible?"

Development of a Competency Framework

Posted 17 April 2023 by Nicky Trainor Performance and Results;

Research has shown that the returns for competency frameworks are significant; within one year, 50% of organisations see an improvement in organisational performance, and in 10 years, more than 80% see performance increases.

How the 5 Dysfunctions of a Team can Help with Culture and Wellbeing

Posted 30 March 2023 by Julia Stockman Teamwork;

Focusing on culture right now is one of the most powerful things an organisation can do. As you start the year off, the last thing you need is a ‘broken’ team culture – it’s hard enough to find and keep good people without having dysfunctional ‘noise’ impacting decisions for those good people to move on.

The Power of Storytelling in Business

Posted 12 October 2022 by Greg Delaney Culture and Engagement;

Being able to share a good business story is an essential skill required by all leaders; just as important, if not more so, than more traditional leadership skills, particularly in times of change or when needing to inspire action.

360 Degree Reviews - How to Get it Right

Posted 06 October 2022 by Nicky Trainor Performance and Results;

360 reviews are in wide use as a tool to identify the strengths and development opportunities for an individual against a set of competencies and behaviours that are important in their role at work. The decision to use a 360 review process should be taken carefully.

What can we Learn from Leading with Optimism?

Posted 02 September 2022 by Sean Bailey Leadership;

What is optimism? According to Seth Godin, author, entrepreneur and teacher, it is both an attitude and a choice that involves context and focus. Simon Sinek speaks about the importance of leading with optimism, especially during uncertain times.

How Do Your People Feel at Work?

Posted 01 May 2022 by Denise Hartley-Wilkins Wellbeing and Resilience;

For many people, going to work can feel like entering a war zone. New Zealand has one of the highest rates of workplace bullying in the world. Many employers and people leaders struggle with first identifying that there is a workplace bullying or harassment problem, and secondly what to do about it.

Crafting an Effective Sales and Marketing Strategy

Posted 27 August 2021 by Colin Hogg Sales and Marketing;

It seems completely logical to talk about ensuring that your sales and marketing strategy are aligned with organisation purpose. However, this is not always the case or easy to achieve. It can take time for an organisation to fully define its purpose.

How is your Learning Culture?

Posted 19 November 2020 by Kyran Newell Learning;

The learning culture in your organisation is a central player in enabling training and development to be successful, but before we explore learning culture, we need to understand what training success really means.

Pulse Surveys

Posted 30 April 2020 by Nicky Trainor Culture and Engagement;

In these dynamic times, what you know about your organisation culture, climate and employee experience may be completely out of date. If you want to find out what has changed for your people, an online pulse survey is the way to do that.

Self-Awareness Diagnostics

Posted 30 April 2020 by Nicky Trainor Leadership;

Leadership development journeys generally begin with learners developing some self-awareness which helps them to focus on development opportunities that are going to make a real difference to their leadership practice.

How to Improve your Self-Management

Posted 03 February 2020 by Kyran Newell Leadership;

Leadership starts with yourself – making sure that you’re personally well-equipped for the job and in tune with the demands, needs and issues of those you are leading and of the work that is expected of them.

Designing and Embedding Wellbeing and Resilience Programmes

Posted 25 July 2019 by Kathryn Jackson Wellbeing and Resilience;

Are you responsible for growing wellbeing and resilience in your organisation? This guide provides some information for Human Resources teams or anybody who is responsible for developing programmes in wellbeing and resilience (W&R) at work.

How to Improve Leadership in Organisations

Posted 28 May 2019 by Kyran Newell Leadership;

Nowadays, leading people well trumps expertly managing tasks. A new leadership style is needed for business success – distributed, inclusive and collaborative leadership that invites and supports the team to participate in decisions, planning and actions.

Grow your Emotional Intelligence

Posted 28 August 2018 by Alison Hood Leadership;

Science shows that feelings precede thoughts and behaviours, so the more adept we are at managing our feelings, the more effective we'll be in work and all facets of our lives. Essentially, EI is how someone manages their personality to be both personally and interpersonally effective.

Success Drivers for Leadership Development Programmes

Posted 02 July 2018 by Kyran Newell Leadership;

The results are finally in, and, YES, leadership development programmes really do work... Not only that, but the drivers that make for successful leadership development programmes have now been identified.

How to Get the Best from Your Teams

Posted 18 June 2018 by Desirée Williamson Teamwork;

If your teams are not zones of trust, collaboration and harmony, then you won’t be getting the effectiveness and results that you could. Perhaps it’s time for a change for the better? We have some tips to improve your teamwork and results.

Ways to Boost Employee Engagement

Posted 28 May 2018 by Teresa Callow Leadership;

The success of an organisation depends on the people who work for it. Motivated, engaged employees are the foundation for success, with highly engaged employees producing better business outputs, more loyal customers, fewer ‘problems’ and superior financial performance.

Maximise your Leadership Development Results

Posted 15 October 2017 by Nicky Trainor Leadership;

If you're investing in leadership development, you’ll want to know you’re going to see some real benefits at work. We’ve put together eight tips that will help to ensure your programme is robust and will produce results for your business.

Kirkpatrick Evaluation Proves Training Value

Posted 10 August 2017 by Nicky Trainor Learning;

Since 2012, ODI has deployed Kirkpatrick Four Levels (R) in the design and evaluation of each programme it has delivered. Information about each of the four levels – L1 Reaction, L2 Learning, L3 Behaviour and L4 Results - has been collected in a consistent way across each programme.

How to Get Value from Coaching

Posted 30 March 2017 by Nicky Trainor Coaching;

One of the bigger 21st Century trends in learning and development is the increased use of coaching as a core component of development programmes. The weight of evidence is that coaching really does work.

Changing your Leadership Practices at Work

Posted 08 December 2016 by Kyran Newell Leadership;

Changing your own leadership practices at work is central to increasing your impact on the practices of your team. And it is how you make an impact on the wider organisational culture; leading your organisation towards a universal leadership culture.

The Power of Authentic Purpose

Posted 19 October 2016 Purpose, Vision and Values;

Only when purpose is really clarified, can attention can be truly focused. Purpose is not a by-line or a marketing motto. It is the fundamental capture and sincere articulation of the soul of the business, but when it is found, it transforms everything.

Leadership and Organisational Development

Posted 11 July 2016 by Kyran Newell Leadership;

Organisations exists to achieve pre-determined business outcomes; leadership exists to ensure the organisation can achieve those outcomes. Today, leadership can be characterised as having four hierarchical facets.

Impactful Crucial Conversations

Posted 18 May 2016 by Linzi Ebbage-Thomas Teamwork;

Tough conversations can be one of the hardest yet inevitable parts of a leader’s job. Impactful crucial conversations can resolve conflict, deepen relationships, build strong and diverse teams, and keep ideas and creativity flowing.

How Organisational Culture and Climate Impact Training Success

Posted 07 November 2015 by Kyran Newell Culture and Engagement;

Organisational Culture is ‘the way we do things round here’; it emanates from senior leaders and trickles down and through the organisation. It gets its character from the interests and actions of senior leadership; not what they say they will do, but what they are actually observed as doing.

Can you be an Effective Leader without a Growth Mindset?

Posted 03 July 2015 by Kyran Newell Mindset;

Good training programmes for leadership provide a toolkit and support improvement in the skillset. However, they generally can’t change you from a fixed mindset to a growth mindset – you have to do that for yourself.

Leaders and their Followers

Posted 15 May 2015 by Kyran Newell Leadership;

As a leader, you are out of a job if there are no followers prepared and willing to follow you. That is self-evident at the extreme end of the spectrum - when your team resolutely turn its back on you and follows another leader - but it is at least…

The Importance of Coaching

Posted 24 February 2015 by Nicky Trainor Coaching;

A large part of being an effective leader at work is the ability to coach the people in your team. Most people, when asked, would say that they do coach their team members, but when they really understand what true coaching means, they realise that they actually don't coach. They…

Leadership Training that Really Works

Posted 08 December 2014 by Kyran Newell Leadership;

Leadership training programmes will fail if they do not incorporate clarity about the leadership behaviours needed to improve organisation results, support for application at work, and measurement.

The PEAR Approach to Training

Posted 22 July 2014 by Nicky Trainor Learning;

We've known for a long time that simply attending a training course is not enough to make a difference at work. Participants need to start the learning cycle before attending a workshop, and they also need to be supported after a workshop to apply what they've learned.

Achieving Desired Business Outcomes

Posted 22 January 2014 by Nicky Trainor Learning;

How do you achieve desired business outcomes from training? This is a central question for any organisation and the answer lies in analysis, planning and design of learning solutions in conjunction with an experienced learning and development specialist.

How our Kirkpatrick Certification can Help You

Posted 24 September 2013 by Nicky Trainor Learning;

The Kirkpatrick Four Levels® tools and methods make the connections between training and learning to changed practices at work and to improved organisation results.