From Doing to Leading: The real shift when you step into SES
We often find ourselves chatting with people in our network about their career journeys – the highs, the lows, and everything in between. As former EL2s, we know firsthand that being a great EL1 doesn’t automatically make you a great…
The Prebunking Playbook for Communicators
Every communications professional knows the sinking feeling. You’ve spent weeks crafting clear, evidence-based messaging about a new policy or initiative, only to watch it get twisted into something unrecognisable on social media. By the time you’ve prepared a response, the…
Writing should be a team sport
Everyone in a decision-making role knows the feeling. You open your inbox to find dozens of briefs, emails, and reports competing for your attention. Some are crystal clear, while others are impenetrable walls of text that make you wonder what…
From a spark to a fire: igniting an innovative culture in government
Every year, the APS census results come out, and every year, the same questions arise: Why are innovation metrics low? What can we do about it? Why is it so hard? As someone who has run countless workshops on this…
The collaboration conundrum. Why does it have to be so hard?
We facilitate workshops and planning days for large and small groups from the public and private sectors. We’ve done many of them over the last few years, and it’s one of my favourite parts of this job because I get…
Motivated reasoning and elections – how clever communications can help
Heads up: Political nerd post coming in hot! Years ago when I was thinking about what to focus my psych honours thesis on, I was reading a book called The Political Brain, by Drew Westen. (Strong recommend btw if you…
Personality tests: More than just a bunch of letters.
I am an ENFJ I am a Gryffindor I am a Parrot I am an Aquarius I am a 6-enneagram type We love labels. From our Hogwarts house to our zodiac sign, we crave a way to categorize ourselves and…
Great team culture doesn’t require an office
NSW Government’s new directive that public servants should work ‘principally’ from the office is a short sighted and disappointing move, not backed by research. Furthermore, the Premier’s quotes betray his assumptions (biases!) that people who work from home are sitting…
The unspoken language: How internal communication shapes your culture
Whether it’s intentional or not, every organisation has a culture – a unique set of beliefs, values, and behaviours that shape how things get done. It is a critical contributor to capability and performance, and it’s the thing that will…
Sparking Innovation: How Collective Effervescence Can Power Your Workshops
Have you ever been to a concert, sports event or other live shows and found yourself singing along, waving your hands and potentially getting quite emotional at being part of a big group of likeminded people who are all there…
