Author Archives: Genevieve Matthews

Do you have a Pro-Team?

  Do you have a Pro Team? Talking through our ‘Show-up Factor’ Framework today with a group of Leaders. What sort of team do you have? Two key ingredients for high performing teams: Accountability and Communication. The Pro Team has both. They’re Showing Up. Whoa Team are good on the accountability, yet perhaps lower on…

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Panic or Problem Solve

Yesterday whilst we having a leisurely cuppa with dear old friends we hadn’t seen in a while, there was a knock at the door. Then this voice “Not sure I can come in he said”, sensing immediately something was wrong, I bounded out of my chair, was out the door and into action. There was…

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Facing Difficult Conversations

Here’s a few ideas on how to stop avoiding the difficult Conversations and be courageous for constructive conversations instead! Are you needing to have a conversation with someone? It could be a business discussion or something personal. It’s on your mind. It’s been niggling, bugging you and you’ve been putting it off? Firstly – ask…

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Overcoming Presenting Nerves

“Staring out across the audience, I could feel the nerves wanting to take over, the feeling of dread coming back into the pit of my stomach… NO, I said to myself, you’ve got this. I focused on the far wall of the room, just slightly above everyone’s head and breathed, in and out, in and…

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Leaders have a People Responsibility

With the role of leader of any kind, whether titled Team Leader, Supervisor, Manager, CEO or Director etc, there comes a very important responsibility. A responsibility to remember people are people. They are not robots. Across a multitude of industries there has been an intensity to the pressure and stress in the last 12 months…

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Learning to Delegate

Delegation doesn’t necessarily come naturally to everyone. If you had parental influence anything like mine, the mantra’s were “If a job’s worth doing, it’s worth doing well” and “If you want a job done well, do it yourself”. Yes literally, that’s what I grew up with. I watched my Dad an amazingly hardworking man achieve…

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Breaking Down the Silos

Breaking Down the Silos

Anyone finding the silo bridges seem a little non-existent? Either they’re not in use or perhaps broken? The silo effect is one of the most damaging issues in business. Where department teams don’t talk, don’t work well together, have a ‘them and us mentality’ or it’s all about us (only) thinking. There is absolutely no…

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Leadership Survey Results

Leadership Survey Results

Since the beginning of this year, we’ve surveyed hundreds of business leaders to identify and check-in, as to “What are the current top 3 improvements you would like to see the team make?” Interestingly, it’s vastly different, here’s snap shot at some of the feedback Strategic direction, communication, service Engagement, accountability, team work Commercial insights,…

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3 Reasons for Business Leadership Struggles

There are 3 reasons many leaders struggle with engagement, accountability and driving results in business – and 3 steps to getting leadership fit in the next 8 weeks to take the team on the journey. The challenges aren’t going away, the pace is probably unlikely to slow down either and we can only dream of…

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Honing Your Coaching Skillset

Getting ready today to deliver a favourite Leadership Capability Development topic:Coaching & Mentoring. We’re going to be exploring the actual skillset of how to coach and/ or mentor. How to know what’s needed when and where, the questions to ask, how to dig deeper, or get someone ‘out of the weeds’. There is a lot…

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Wise Advice from

Wise Advice from Yoda

Take a moment and try and pick up a pen near you. Yes, actually try and pick up the pen. At this point, you could be still reading or you might actually have picked up the pen. Because you see in the words of Yoda from Star Wars “You either do or do not, there…

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Simple Systems for Managing Time

Simple Systems for Time Management

We all often start the year with the best of intentions. Goals, Plans, new diary. It’s going to be an awesome year. Then … suddenly, remarkably rapidly, our day to day catches up with us again and it’s only February and we’re already feeling the wheels spin out of control again. Here are a couple…

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Food for Thought – Cookies n Cream

Food for thought. So lots of conversations these last couple of weeks with middle managers feeling very ‘stuck in the middle’. It’s not the yummy ‘cream in the oreo’ feeling. It’s actually super uncomfortable, frustrating and demotivating. They’re in management roles yet not actually being empowered to lead or manage their team. It can happen…

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Merry Christmas

As 2020 comes to a close, we would like to say Merry Christmas. It has certainly been a year of highs and lows in so many ways. A year to forget, yet a year to remember. Here at The Art of Extraordinary, we have been incredibly blessed to work with some amazing leaders who through…

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Top 10 Triggers in the Workplace

Top 10 Triggers in the Workplace

Whether it’s for improving peak performance, peace of mind/wellness or healthy relationships, these top 10 triggers have an enormous impact in the workplace.  This year has certainly had its challenges and they continue…! Whilst we may not be able to control what is going on around us, we certainly have the opportunity to adjust how…

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Celebrate the Wins

No matter how micro or small, it’s a really important daily or weekly practice to celebrate the wins for a leader and as a team. Often we’re so focused on what’s next, maybe what didn’t work, that we might not take time to celebrate what actually did work. Or even what we learn from that…

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Calm for Christmas

The sound of laughter, the smells of Christmas, red and green everywhere, a present is passed to you with the words ‘Merry Christmas’ and despite the beauty, joy and family in front of you, surrounding you, it’s hard to be present and focused. With so much on your mind, the presence of family or friends…

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Forget to Plan or Planning to Forget?

Only 1 month till Christmas.  2021 is around the corner. When it comes to ‘Planning’ it’s one of those words that evokes varying responses. Some people love planning and let’s face it some people don’t. For some it’s a finely tuned capability and they can plan every minute of the day, large projects, or small…

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Back to Basics

Recently took the plunge on committing to a 12 month fitness program. Finished last year’s soccer season with an injury. So making choices this year and really had to reassess what help most. See, have this secret vision. Want to be a really fit and healthy 90 year old. With this in mind, the next…

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Flick the Switch or Blow the Fuse

What if you could flick the circuit breaker first before the fuse blows? When it comes to the human mind there is so much you can do to circuit break the traditional responses and reactions when it comes to being in overdrive, handling stress, overwhelm, frustration, disappointment or low self-esteem. The thing is only 20%…

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