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,…
- Australian Government, Communication, Communications professional, Culture, Leadership, Team performance
Clarity in purpose for communication teams
Commnication teams need a clear purpose to enable them to demonstrate the value they create for an organisation
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…
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…
- Australian Government, Behavioural science, Blog post, Communications professional, Team performance
Diversity of thinking in your team
This week, I sat down with Elm’s newest team member Amy. When I say new, she has been with us for six months, but we agreed that time has flown by, and it feels like we haven’t had a real…
The #1 way to make your communications team more efficient
In communications, we never have enough resources, time, or capacity to deliver everything that is asked of us or to meet our own expectations. It means we need to be efficient in how we operate. To be efficient, we need.…
- Australian Government, Behavioural science, Blog post, Communications professional, Leadership, Team performance
2024 is the year of changing the world – one meeting at a time.
Many departments have values of ‘inclusion’ and ‘collaboration’ and ‘innovation’. And to make this happen they have meetings. And lots of them. Everyone is invited, and we all meet. And talk. And then get up, move to another room, meet…
Why your APS census results should mean something
It happens every year. The APS Employee Census results are in. You spend three or four weeks pouring over the results. Dissecting the good and the bad. Debating the internal communications approach. Someone writes the action plan. And… nothing. Silence. The…
- Australian Government, Canberra, Communications professional, Facilitation, Leadership, Team performance
Why being nice doesn’t equal great culture
I was talking to a friend last week about who is finding work particularly challenging at the moment. Everyone she works with is lovely, nice, and great to spend the day with. But the work keeps piling up, and some…
