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…
- 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.…
Dismantling the Pink Ghetto in communications
This wasn’t the blog post I had planned for this week. In fact, you could say it practically wrote itself (and no I don’t mean AI – this is very much all me). It all started with a really touching International…
- 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…
- 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…
Creating team connection each week
During the “pandemic years”, there was much discussion about connecting teams in a hybrid environment. While we have moved back to business as usual, I think we can admit how we work has changed. Many teams have ‘work from the…
Unlocking team performance, innovation and inclusion with psychological safety.
Psychological safety might sound like a mouthful, but it’s a critical aspect of a healthy organisational culture that fosters innovation, inclusion, and performance. If you haven’t heard about it, you’re not alone. If you are anything like me, once you…
Breakfast with Jacinda Ardern: A masterclass in communication
Effective communication is the backbone of successful leadership. In a world filled with noise and distractions, the ability to connect, inspire, and lead is a rare and valuable skill. One leader who consistently demonstrated how exceptional communication skill really is…