How often do we find that we go for simple solutions, maybe expecting that something that’s worked in the past will work again, only to realise an issue is more complex that it first seemed.

When considering staff engagement there is a lot of emphasis put on a good beginning as well as engagement and belonging. What we often miss is that as people travel through the organisation they are inevitably somewhere in the cycle of beginning, belonging and ending. It is the ending that seems to get the least attention.

One of the stated hallmarks of a high performing team is creative conflict. This notion of being able to speak out, to rock the boat and be courageous has liberated many silent dissenters and given them a voice at the table. And yet, something is still missing.

The day started well, clear blue sky and the anticipation of a leadership coaching meeting. On the way to the meeting, I stopped at a car wash with the thought to kill two birds with one stone, as they say, to prep for my meeting while the car had a well overdue clean. I had only been there for a short time when all of a sudden there was a flash of movement to my left followed by a very loud bang.  It was a totally unexpected shock and it took a moment to work out what had happened and how witnessing this led me to a sacred moment later.

Much has been written in relation to how COVID-19 has accelerated the movement towards employee’s working remotely. There is no doubt about this. What there does appear to be some doubt about, however, is how best to achieve optimal team engagement and performance when the team is either working remotely or semi-remotely.

Much conflict in organisations is due to polarities that people do not realise exist. One polarity that CEOs need to actively manage is the tension between senior executives being part of the senior executive ‘team’ versus leading their own functional teams within the organisation.