Why women can’t lead like men
Controversial heading, right? Good. I wanted to get your attention on International Women’s Day. While I don’t like it and don’t want the world to be like this, this theme has kept recurring over the last few weeks. Women can’t…
Developing the next generation of communicators
One of the quieter questions behind the excitement about AI in communications is this: What happens to early-career professionals when many of the fundamentals they need to learn are now automated? For decades, communications followed an informal apprenticeship model. Early…
- Australian Government, Blog post, Communication, Communications professional, Leadership, Professional development
AI – Comms’ new and very enthusiastic intern
Spoiler alert: Artificial intelligence is here to stay. It is reshaping how every profession works, but for communications teams, the impact feels particularly personal. Not because AI can now do graphic design, rewrite content or develop a media release, but…
Changing the Language of Change
“Change is hard.”“People don’t like change.”“Our workforce is change fatigued.” These phrases are so familiar they often pass without question. They appear in leadership conversations, strategy papers and APS Census debriefs year after year. But what if the way we…
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…
- Australian Government, Blog post, Business information, Communications professional, Leadership, Professional development
Lessons from Japan: Patiently getting better outcomes
Last week, I travelled to Japan to meet with the Japanese government and stakeholders for a project I am working on. I haven’t worked in Japan before, but I know the business culture is very different from the laid-back and…
- Australian Government, Communication, Communications professional, Leadership, Professional development
Why do we say yes when we want to say no?
– “Can you just put together a factsheet quickly?” *Internal voice: No. Factsheets are a terrible idea. They’re hard to search, often inaccessible, and no one wants to download anything these days.* “Sure.” ————————————– “We just need a quick 5–10…
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…
- Australian Government, Blog post, Communication, Communications professional, Leadership, Professional development
The growing demand for communication services
We are hearing that communication teams are being asked to deliver more than ever. Everyone is being squeezed. Recruitment freezers are popping up across government, and budgets are tight (or non-existent). Teams are increasingly expected to provide expertise across a…
The dark days of 2024 and the team that got me through
Some years are harder than others. You know, the ones where you crawl to the end, counting down until the year is just over. 2024 has been one of those years for me, both personally and professionally. For many reasons,…
