Altris Blog Executive coaches blogging about leadership, teams and coaching in business. Tue, 09 Apr 2019 23:48:27 +0000 en hourly 1 The Leadership Difference Tue, 09 Apr 2019 23:45:26 +0000 Martin Fenwick Read more]]>

One of the continual challenges you face when developing leadership capability is that however exciting, interesting or well designed your leadership training is, many in ‘leadership roles’ just don’t seem to take it up by changing their approaches or behaviours. The organisational response is often ‘let’s roll something else out and see if it sticks’ and so the cycle continues. However this week I heard two perspectives about leadership from leaders that I thought shed some light on the problem, and perhaps showed a way out of the cycle.

The first was from someone explaining why they didn’t ‘do a lot of leadership’. Their view was that ‘they aren’t just a leader’ and they have ‘other things to do’. In that reasoning you find the blocker for so many i.e. ‘if all I had to do was lead then I would do it’, but it’s the fact that the business still expects me to manage reporting, spreadsheets, budgets, cost control and often ‘be an expert, Senior…….’ (put in whatever professional background skill you want here instead of the dots) that I don’t have time for leading.

The second comment was from a leader who has put in place a remarkable transformation of their team. When asked ‘What did you do?’, they replied ‘I just gave them a lot of care’. In explaining that further, it was all down to the time and effort they gave to helping each person in the team succeed in the role.

The second person still has spreadsheets etc. to do i.e. they know they have management tasks to complete, but the difference is the allocation of their time to their people and what they do in that time.

I’ve always said that employee engagement survey questions all really mean ‘my boss gives a damn’ i.e. that the more you ‘care’ the higher the rating for every question and the less you ‘care’ the lower the rating. This leader is living evidence of that.

So maybe we need to stop reaching for a new leadership tool, model or framework every time our training doesn’t deliver and instead put our efforts into helping leaders to care for their team more than they care for their spreadsheets.

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We stand in support of Christchurch Mon, 18 Mar 2019 21:56:23 +0000 Martin Fenwick Read more]]> After the atrocity in Christchurch on Friday 15th we, like all real Kiwis, were distraught that this happened in our country and like many we feel the urge to do something.

As leaders we know that sometimes the right form of leadership is to listen and be supportive.

So at this time we wish to add our voice in support of those that suffered a loss and to the police, nursing and support teams actively helping, to say ‘We stand beside you’.

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What have you got to lose by giving it a go?



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Don’t Burn the Roses Wed, 08 Aug 2018 02:30:51 +0000 Lesley Colcord Read more]]>

I come across many leaders who are in charge of teams of talent that they themselves excel at. They have often been promoted or climbed the ladder to an exec/leadership position and have a huge understanding of their own field, but limited experience of how to lead and deal with people strategy & management.  Let’s be honest, managing and motivating a team, whilst having to bring in your own deliverables, can be extremely challenging and requires a flexing and often building of new muscles.  As we know, leadership skills are not a natural “given” to even the best performers of a department.  It requires a totally different skill set, alongside a heavy dose of resilience.

I feel for those leaders who have to continue in an operational sense be it creative, sales, marketing, digital etc.  They often need support, understanding & coaching on how to become a good leader.  Yes, it’s a skill set that can be learnt… but, on saying that, is not for everyone.

I’m keen to see more resources offered to assist these rock stars, as I’m saddened by how much burn out I see of these incredible, talented and kind people who are sometimes just hanging on by their fingernails. Long hours, no breaks, emails during the evening and at weekends, limited family life…..COME ON!!!  That is not a culture of success.

CEO’s out there: I challenge you to look at your exec team and leaders and check if they have the right resources in order to succeed and win both professionally & personally.  If someone is working a huge amount of hours I would suggest you are going to see burn out down the line.  Often the signs are covered up as high achievers push themselves and their teams hard. Get clear on the questions to ask of them, be brave and have the leadership conversations to help identify who needs more support.   And whilst you’re at it have a quick check in on “yourself”….how are you doing?


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The Art of the Bully Wed, 27 Jun 2018 03:36:05 +0000 Martin Fenwick Read more]]>


Bullying in the workplace is no accident. In over 20 years of talking to staff about engagement in their workplace, I still regularly hear people say, ‘why don’t senior management see what we see, and do something about it?’.  It seems that the bully goes unnoticed by senior managers, and that can sometimes be the case. But sometimes, the bully is endorsed by senior management, totally by accident.

This blog is for senior managers to hopefully raise their radar on what may be happening in the management ranks below them because that’s where the worst of bullying exists: Managers.

It’s the worst workplace bullying because any management role is authorised by senior execs and should be a living, breathing exemplar of the organisational values.

Bullies know what they are doing

People who give bullies excuses are playing into their bullying. Just because you can’t understand why someone would behave that way, don’t think it must be accidental or unintended. Bullies know they are behaving that way, and in their mind, they’re justified in doing so to ‘get things done’ or ‘sort things out’ or ‘keep people on track’. Every bully I have ever met knew they bullied. I’ve met many that said they enjoyed it.

Bullies manage up well

Bullies never act poorly in front of senior managers. There are often no clues to execs that the person reporting to them is anything other than a hard working person trying to get the job done. Bullies will always aim to look good in front of the most senior people and that’s how they get promoted with everyone else being aghast that it’s happened.

Bullies always have a reason

If any form of poor behaviour comes to the attention of senior execs, the bully has normally laid the groundwork as to how hard it is to work with ‘those people’, the challenges of making things happen for the organisation, and sometimes the stress they are under trying to deliver for you, their boss. Reasons aren’t reasons, they are excuses. Reasons on top of managing up well means the issue is swept away or justified by senior execs because the bully is getting the job done, (and of course they are as they are telling you they are).

Bullies own communication channels

The best way to bully someone is to make sure that person can only report to the bully. A regular tactic is to deal with a ‘problem’ by closing reporting lines and ensuring that the individual only communicates with and via the bully so ‘this doesn’t happen again’. Whether it’s reports, emails or any other information channel, it becomes closed down so that the bully can control what gets said or passed on to others. This also means that the bully controls what goes to their reporting line by changing reports, outputs etc to suit what they want to say.

Bullies like to make people feel bad

Often, bullies will make sure that someone is very clear about all the things they have done wrong in a situation. Many of these will be tenuous and uncheckable because ‘someone else told me’ and as few of us like to go to the someone else to check, we never refute them. Some are false and unarguable because they are based on the bully’s authority over the person being bullied e.g. ‘as your manager….’.  By making someone feel bad or inferior, they create dependency on the bully and re-enforce that the bully needs to be obeyed in future.

Bullies make it your fault

‘If only you just did what I said, then this wouldn’t be happening’ is a theme of bullying. It becomes your fault that they are behaving the way they are. If you just complied/did what they said/agreed etc then they wouldn’t be acting this way towards you. So future actions of the bullied are predicated by trying to avoid being bullied again.

Bullies create dependence  on the bully

Some bullies can create situations where the gift of something, which can even be the role, means that someone is beholden to the bully in some way. It could be future attendance at something that you want to go to. It can be the bonus you are working towards. It can be the performance review in organisations where that is totally in the hands of a manager. The more people are beholden, the easier it is for the bully to push them the way that the bully wants.

As a senior manager, the next time a few words come your way about how someone is behaving, you might want to see if it fits any of the above before you write the comments off because you’ve never seen that kind of behaviour from them before.

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Your Personal Brand Tue, 29 May 2018 02:10:00 +0000 Lesley Colcord Read more]]> Personal Brand


Your brand is what people say about you when you are not in the room” Jeff Bezos

I co-facilitated a workshop last week inside one of our largest and most successful NZ companies. Part of the workshop addressed personal brands in the context of creating an image. “What is it you want to be known for?”

It is commonplace to struggle with this question. I see women struggle with it more than men, as women often aren’t so comfortable with pushing themselves forward and promoting themselves. Not saying that guys don’t ponder this one too.

One of the attendees at the workshop shared with the group that she found it difficult to think about this and take the lead in what her future looked like in regard to what she offered and what her brand is. This is a very common roadblock.

My co-facilitator then brought up a very powerful, succinct point, and here it is (paraphrased and with my own twist!).  You do already have a brand, therefore is it better to have an intentional or an unintentional one?

Of course, the answer to that question is INTENTIONAL.

Is your personal brand intentional or unintentional?


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Is Female Leadership Really Different? Tue, 01 May 2018 17:50:16 +0000 Jayne Chater Read more]]> Female Leading a Meeting

For years women have kept their heads down and played by the rules. We’ve been certain that with enough hard work, our natural talents would be recognised and we would be rewarded.

We’ve made undeniable progress and yet, as we’ve worked, ever diligent, the men around us often continue to get promoted faster, paid more and achieve their goals.

I am often asked about female leadership and why this is an important topic.  Shouldn’t we just believe that women can be and are good leaders?  Why do we have to make a specific distinction between male and female leadership?  Why does it have to be a ‘thing’?

There are many reasons, with one being that typically we associate leadership with being male (McKinsey, Women in the Workplace study, 2016).  When we look at the facts, it is no wonder this is so.  Recent NZX statistics showed us that 32% (39) of the 122 companies that are listed on the NZX have no female directors, while another 45% (55) have Boards that are at least 70 percent male. (NZX Annual Statistics).  In January 2018, there were only 27 female CEOs on the list of Fortune 500 companies.

As women look to continue their upward trajectory in the business world, they have yet to be fully appreciated for the unique qualities and abilities they bring to the workplace.

Even when they manage to reach the top of the ladder, the issue of gender equality remains, where women are often not always viewed in the same way or paid the same as men. A high-powered male boss is often admired for being strong and assertive, whereas a woman in the same position may be referred to as ruthless or overbearing if she operates in the same way. We also see a related issue portrayed too often in the movies, where a hard-working professional woman has to choose between career success and a family. These can become subliminal truths and make it harder for women to achieve their full potential.

A lot has been written about why women are so under represented in senior leadership with reasons given ranging from poor childcare provisions to institutional bias. One thing researchers can’t agree on is whether there are fewer women leaders because they’re less effective at the job, or because society expects them to be.

One theory ties into that mentioned above, where society generally associates successful leadership with stereotypically ‘masculine’ traits such as assertiveness and dominance, and so disapproves of female leaders because they go against these gender norms. As a result, women experience greater obstacles in reaching the upper levels of leadership. In the 1970s, Virginia Schein came up with the phrase ‘think manager-think male’ to explain the automatic association between leadership and masculinity.  It is disappointing to note that 40 years on, that association still exists in certain circumstances today.

But with the recent rise of ‘transformational’ leadership and its emphasis on traditionally ‘feminine’ traits like empathy, collaboration, and emotional intelligence, perhaps the expectations of female leaders are shifting. The value of more “feminine traits”, is now being increasingly recognised which is why it is now time to embrace female leadership.

Fundamentally, it’s about being confident in operating in a way that uses your natural talent and traits, being true and authentic to who you are as a female leader.

We believe working on key elements such as understanding what your purpose is, (why you do what you do), understanding your strengths and your blockers (the key barriers that will hinder your success), understanding who you are and what you stand for are all vital to your success as a female leader.

Being a female leader is about understanding what you can change, when you need to back yourself and get others on board and in turn create a path for younger female leaders following in your footsteps.

It is about having courage and choosing to lead, rather than choosing to follow.

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What Truly Motivates You To Succeed? Mon, 23 Apr 2018 18:43:53 +0000 Kelly Samson Read more]]> Success


You know that feeling where you wake up in the morning dreading the day ahead? Only to realise it’s only Monday? Compare this to the mornings you wake up feeling happy to be alive and supercharged with all the possibilities ahead.  Both scenarios are you, but what a huge difference between the two!

What drives you to start something and stay with it to succeed or get halfway through and then quit?  Sometimes we get part way through a goal and then lose motivation (I’m putting my hand up to this one!).  New Year’s Resolutions anyone?  We all know there’s a big difference between starting and having the motivation to stick with it to achieve your goal.

If you’re not motivated, it’s very unlikely or at least a lot harder to succeed, right?  So, to achieve your success, it’s important to understand where your motivation comes from.  Because what you’re motivated by will determine the decisions you make, and in turn, your decisions drive the actions you take or not take which directly affects the results you achieve.

Extrinsic Motivation

Lisa was a high performer.  She was known for getting results, consistently.  She thrived on getting the win and hearing the praise when she finished the project or closed the deal.  Combined with her strong motivation to be the best was the fear of falling short or ‘failing’ and this drove her to work harder and harder, often for 60 – 70 hours a week, or more.  But after each high of the win, she was always left with the feeling of what’s next, sometimes not even pausing to absorb the praise of the win, but launching straight onto the next challenge.  These are all examples of motivation by external factors.

Examples of extrinsic motivation:

  • Writing an article or book to sell
  • Putting in extra work under the threat of losing your job
  • Studying hard because you want to get praise for achieving an A
  • Securing more sales to win the company bonus/prize/praise
  • Doing something to avoid being reprimanded
  • Participating in a sport to win the award

The risk with any extrinsic motivation is that once you’ve received the external reward you’re often looking for the next ‘hit’ and what’s next?

Intrinsic Motivation

Tim woke each morning with a feeling of positivity about the day ahead, sure there were some things that he had to do that he didn’t like so much, but overall what he chose to be doing was in line with his personal values, and the work itself was personally rewarding.  He felt like he was connected to, and living his true ‘why’ in life.  This intrinsic motivation is more powerful and sustainable than any extrinsic motivation.

Examples of intrinsic motivation:

  • Writing an article or book because you can’t contain it
  • Participating in a sport because you enjoy the connection and fun
  • Playing an instrument for how you feel while playing
  • Solving a puzzle for the challenge
  • Working for the sense of purpose or contribution

Knowing what truly motivates you means you will be fully conscious of why you’re doing what you’re doing, and avoid the nasty trap where your external motivations clash with your internal values.  Maybe you know you ‘should’ be motivated, but you’re exhausted or feel an inner frustration.  For example, you’re pushing more hours, meetings and sales to achieve a bonus but it’s clashing with your internal values of integrity, purpose or balance.  Knowing that you may have outgrown past extrinsic motivations and the need for external significance that you once valued is no longer a driving force in your life.

See this powerful clip on understanding your why

Questions to ask yourself to connect with your full motivation:

  1. What about this goal is truly important to me?
  2. Which of my personal values align with this goal?
  3. Am I being motivated towards something or away from the thing I don’t want?
  4. What are my top 10 personal values?
  5. What truly is success for me? How will I know when I have it?

Often, we are unaware of what motivates us. With this, you could feel lost or find your life seems to be different from what you believe is right for you.  Becoming aware of, and choosing to live fully in line with your intrinsic motivations is key to achieving sustainable success, happiness and fulfilment in all areas of in your life.

If you would like to know more about how you can understand your true inner motivations and how to live fully in line with them, you can contact me here.


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The Joy of Recruiting and the Leadership Trip-Hazards Wed, 11 Apr 2018 23:36:49 +0000 Martin Fenwick Read more]]> Recruiting Headaches


First off, just think of the people that you’ve worked with or inherited when you took over teams or departments. How many of them did you feel couldn’t do their job that well? How many have you said ‘I wouldn’t have hired him/her’? How many have you restructured out or into other roles or even fired? I would be surprised if the answer is zero, but think what that means. It means that people just like you made ‘bad hires’ and when I say ‘just like you’, I mean managers that thought they knew how to recruit people, were good judges of character and were supported by the same processes as you. So what’s the chance, given that history, you will do any better?

The only difference is you versus them, and would you say that they had no idea what they were doing? Or did your previous bosses make any of the same mistakes that you could if you don’t work hard to avoid them. Let’s look at just some of the pitfalls we notice managers falling into when recruiting.

  1. The ‘Hurry Hire’ headache. You need someone and you need them now. See where this is going? I’ve even seen clients recruit someone that has red flags all over their 91 Day risk report because ‘we need someone to do the role and can’t wait’. The problem: Short-term expediency meets long-term issues in a recruit that someone else may have to remove.
  2. The ‘I like the cut of their jib’ catastrophe. There are people you will be naturally drawn to and people you aren’t. Remember that in an interview situation you are asking the candidate to impress you and some can be quite good at that. You can have the kind of conversation that you like to have, and before you know it, they are the candidate for you. Even if all of the other testing has shown that there are issues (see above red flags in our 91 Day Report’. The problem: Filling the world with mini-me’s is never a route to success.
  3. The ‘I’m a good judge of character’ conviction. Often linked to issue 2, I’ve never heard a senior manager say they weren’t. For some reason, seniority bestows upon you some wonderful talent for divining good people just by shaking their hand (kind of like medieval royalty and their perceived ability to cure disease by laying their hand upon you and just as believable). If you believe this then go back to the analysis above, throw on the ones you did get wrong (that wasn’t you that was someone else?) and then see if the data backs it up. Few of us have the ability to sense if someone is as good as they say they are in their interview, full stop. The problem: Fundamentally nobody can judge character in an interview. Even the experts. Don’t assume you can if they can’t.
  4. The ‘CV canyon of doom’ disaster. The thing about CV’s is that they tell you where someone worked and what they say they did. There are also people whose job it is to help other people make their CV look better. There are also people who move between jobs because when they get there, it seems they can’t quite deliver, so we ‘move them on’. Then it’s ‘Wow, what great companies you’ve worked for, what great roles you have had, let’s make you a GM’ all because they had good ‘experience’. Really good recruiters work hard to verify this. They know you have to really dig deep to get an honest comment on a past employee because none of us like to sound like we were dumb enough to employ someone that was that bad. The problem: 91 days later is the wrong time to find that you brought in the wrong person for the job you are looking to fill.

That’s just four issues in recruiting, and professional recruiters will tell you that they have to deal with more than that.

So what’s the answer? Ignore your opinions and don’t delude yourself by making sure you test and verify. The minute you think someone is right for a job, test your own assumptions, biases and drivers against this list of four and then check with your recruiter as to whether they think you are getting too invested and ignoring the facts they are finding for you.

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Make your Bed! Wed, 28 Mar 2018 22:28:50 +0000 Lesley Colcord Read more]]>

Wake up early; drink coffee; eat breakfast; see each day as a new opportunity; make your bed; turn up; be present; work smart; be ambitious; don’t settle; avoid mediocrity; be kind; exercise; eat clean; eat treats; drink for fun; ask questions; be a cheerleader; go to the theatre; hug more; always look up; watch the sunrises & sunsets; play your music loud; dance often; smell good; graze your knees; be creative; mix up your routine; be surprising to others & yourself; under promise and over deliver; say NO more often; say YES more often; give others space to dance & shine; be authentic; do what you love in play if you can’t in work; hold hands; laugh until you snort; lift each other up; speak loud & be proud; dance to the beat of your own drum; be colourful; be the best you can in what you do; don’t compare yourself to others; aim to lead in something; aim to follow in something else; study “you”; know & own your superpower; keep learning; listen to the young professionals; have hobbies; have attitude; and…make each day count, this moment is the only one that is guaranteed.


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