Stepping out of the office creates invaluable opportunities to gain insight and foresight.

Recently, a client proposed holding their annual two-day global strategic planning session at their corporate office.

I countered.

I shared that different times and spaces are crucial ingredients for strategic planning. Retreats - whether at coastal golf resorts or sanctuary-like mountain hideaways - create environments where an executive team can reflect deeply, think creatively, and strategise with clarity.

January and February can be my busiest months for strategy facilitation, with both local and global clients, especially those with calendar-year financials.

There are plenty of excellent retreat venues at a range of price points - many not far from your office - offering the perfect backdrop to bring your team together to tackle the three strategic “what now” questions essential for future-proofing your business.

When I shared my retreat perspective, my client embraced the idea. In the coming week...

Nearly two years ago, I had the pleasure of presenting The Strategic Mindset Process to the 100+ regional leaders at the Gympie Chamber of Commerce. It was a truly engaging experience, full of the courage, resilience, hospitality, and kindness that this community embodies. Now, I am thrilled to announce that I’ve been invited back in the coming month to dive deeper into the topic of leadership that we scratched the surface of last time.

While hope is not a strategy, over breakfast, we’ll explore how culture eats strategy for breakfast. I’ll be sharing leadership secrets to help local bosses and business owners thrive in today’s complex world, covering how to:

 • Create psycho-emotional safety
 • Navigate the future with VUCA, BANI, and Antifragility
 • Enhance personal effectiveness and strengthen support networks
 • Align and allocate scarce resources effectively
 • Partner with stakeholders to maximise performance

Gympie, I can’t wait to reconnect with you, celebrate your recent successes, ...

With trips across the East over the last four weeks, I have had the chance to meet and listen to hundreds of leaders and business owners at various events.
 
Here are my take-aways:
 
CLIMATE ANXIETY IS REAL
Climate anxiety is a pressing issue for our youth, and one of the best solutions to avoid the looming fatal Hot House Earth and extinction scenarios is to abolish all political donations globally (ban oil conglomerate meetings in Mar-a-Lago!).
 
Our elected officials must have the freedom to act unfettered in the best interests of the planet. For this insight, I am grateful to  Phillip Nyssen for the chance to moderate an expert panel that included  Sallyanne Atkinson AO,  Peter Gollagher and  Rob Breuer on Sustainable Urbanisation, Major Events, and Smart Cities for the University of Melbourne https://lnkd.in/gs6bjuW7 this week in Brisbane.
 
REGIONAL BUSINESSES NEED TO BE MORE INNOVATIVE
By sharing my six-step strategic mindset process - Sense, See, Connect, Plan, Focus, and Move - across ...

My latest book, 'The CEO Book', is positioned at the apex of the four business books I've authored. It embodies the true essence of leadership, much like an alpha in a wolf pack.

This book delivers powerful insights into the art of empathy, crafting a safe environment for your team, and charting the optimal trajectory while maximising resource utilisation.

Using the metaphor of 'Dancing with Wolves', I paint CEOs as alphas and the orchestrators in the centre of a complex ecosystem.

The peripheral wolves symbolise the various challenges and stakeholders a CEO must engage with: competitors, customers, suppliers, internal contenders, and even disruptive forces like generative AI. Each has a distinct role, from the hunting wolves to the rogue alphas that test a CEO's wit and skill.

The concept of time is personified by the omega wolf, a subtle reminder of the ephemeral nature of success and the importance of prompt action. Meanwhile, the delta wolf underscores the critical attention ...

Over the holidays, I have been working hard on my latest book, The CEO Book.

At the heart of effective leadership lies the art of managing oneself.

My latest book navigates the twelve habits of highly successful CEOs. One of the twelve habits is to Manage Your Personal Effectiveness. This chapter has three sections: Prioritise Self-Care, Balance Work and Life and Cultivate Support Networks.

In the section under self-care, I returned to the poignant findings of Peter Attia's 'Outlive,' which outlines three distinct health futures that we may embark upon at any age.

Peter’s paths are a sober reminder of the power of choice.

The default path, reminiscent of my grandparents' journey, is a stark example of how habitual inactivity and average daily routines can lead to a stark decline in health after 40, often resulting in a life that ends too soon.

In contrast, the path of advanced medical intervention, as experienced by my father, demonstrates how even with a sedentary lifestyle, mod...

Doing leadership differently requires self-awareness. In this way, we can know ourselves as leaders and better understand others.

This week, the amazing community leaders at the Rotary Club of Paddington invited me to be their guest speaker on the topic of Conscious Leadership.

Together we learned about the three basic instincts that drive our thoughts and behaviours. As a speaker, I often find that both the entire audience and I can learn a great deal from brave audience members. Wherever possible, my goal is to bring courageous volunteers up on stage to be shining examples of the human spirit.

For instance, this week, we all learned that Debra has amazing contextual intelligence and a strong sense of purpose. As we peeled back her sweet layers, we discovered the playful, curious and creative instincts that make up Mish. Finally, the ever-reliable and loyal Steve shone through as a wonderful example of someone who is grounded, earthy and practical.

A big thank you to Debra, Mish, ...

In a world where conscious leadership is a rare phenomenon, this week it was refreshing to speak with a new generation of conscious leaders.
 
As we pass multiple irreversible global climate tipping points, it's disheartening to observe numerous unconscious government leaders in both the western and eastern worlds continuing to offer rebates to greenfield fossil fuel sites. Simultaneously, greedy bank CEOs persist in financing perilous coal, oil and gas developments.
 
By contrast, the extraordinary community leaders of the future at Brisbane Rivercity Rotaract were truly inspiring. Their many charitable endeavours include cleaning up our planet's beaches. A special thank you to  Alexandra Simmons for orchestrating such an enjoyable event. Additionally, a big shout-out to BDO for graciously hosting us.
 
#ConsciousLeadership #BDO #Brisbane #Rotaract #RiverCity #TheStrategyGuy

For the first time in ages, my event calendar is filling fast.

Even more stages are opening in 2024.
Some conferences have not been held for 5 years!

Face-to-face engagement, entertainment, strategy facilitation and education are back.

Whether you are a corporate, government, not-for-profit or business chamber client from before, I look forward to sharing future trends, strategic thinking and digital business models with your leaders and teams.

Click below for my keynotes and workshops: 
www.halecg.com/keynotes 

#thestrategyguy 
#thestrategybook 
#johnhalespeaker 
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