psnews.com.au: Why mandated work fun is often an emotional drag
Publication: Employee Engagement | Leadership Development | Psychological Safety | Workplace Culture
Michelle Gibbings, a leadership speaker in Melbourne, says organisations often try to motivate their employees with mandatory social hours and team-building exercises that often do more harm than good. She suggests better ways of creating workplace joy. This article was originally published by psnews.com.au The emotional baseline people bring to work is heavier than many […]
You Can’t Mandate Joy At Work, But You Can Create The Conditions For It
Publication: Employee Engagement | Leadership Development | Psychological Safety | Workplace Culture
The emotional baseline people bring to work is heavier than many leaders realise. Gallup’s global data revealed that 39% of adults reported feeling worried for much of the previous day, 37% felt stressed, and 26% reported sadness.¹ That context matters for leaders. Team members don’t leave their emotional weight at the door. They carry it into […]
When a Colleague’s Behaviour Crosses the Line: Your Playbook for What Comes Next
Publication: Difficult colleagues | Leadership skills | Psychological Safety | Workplace behaviour | Workplace incivility
You know the feeling. You walk into a meeting, and your stomach tightens. You see an email in your inbox and brace for what’s coming. You replay a conversation in your head repeatedly, wondering whether you overreacted or underreacted. Working alongside someone whose behaviour is corrosive is exhausting. It eats into your energy, confidence and […]
The Right Kind of Uncomfortable: How Leaders Grow Under Pressure
Publication: Leadership Development | Learning Growth | Psychological Safety | Workplace Performance
At the recent Milano Cortina Winter Olympics, one of the most useful reminders had nothing to do with medals or margins. It was about fear. In alpine skiing, the luge, and freestyle aerials, athletes routinely push past 140 km/h with little more than a helmet between them and the ice. Yet their biggest battle is […]
Address Corrosive Behaviour Before It Becomes Culture
Publication: Corrosive Behaviour | Leadership effectiveness | Psychological Safety | Workplace incivility
Recently, there was a discussion in the media about whether we should say “please” and “thank you” to AI assistants. The debate gathered pace after OpenAI founder Sam Altman remarked that those extra polite words cost OpenAI “tens of millions of dollars”, which he described as well spent. It’s an interesting cultural moment, but it […]
The Leadership Advantage of Saying “I Don’t Know”
Publication: Leadership Advantage | Leadership Uncertainty | Over-Certainty Risk | Psychological Safety | Uncertainty Management
Picture this…the executive team is stuck. Sales are flattening, a new competitor is circling, and the Board wants a plan by Monday. Around the table, the senior leaders are doing what many of us do under pressure: reaching for certainty. “We just need to back Option A and move,” one executive insists. “We’ve done this […]
Fast Company: This is How Leaders Can Turn Employee Activism into Opportunities
Publication: Courageous leadership | Employee activism | Employee voice | Leadership Accountability | Psychological Safety
Employee activism is not a leadership threat. It is a powerful signal of employee voice, cultural health, and psychological safety. In this Fast Company article,Michelle explains how leaders can turn dissent into opportunity by listening closely, strengthening organisational culture, and practising courageous leadership grounded in clarity, accountability, and trust. Suppressing employees’ voices can bring about […]
PS News – Are You A Psychologically Safe Leader
Publication: Employee Wellbeing | Leadership Communication Skills | Mental Health | Psychological Safety
In this article for PS News, Michelle explores how leaders can foster psychological safety through effective leadership communication skills to protect their team’s mental health and enhance overall employee wellbeing Recently, I was watching a video in which a leader was trying to quell concern and anxiety about a change; instead, their actions just elevated […]
Fast Company: The One Thing Leaders Must Do To Make Sure Their Business Is Still Viable in 10 Years
Publication: Business viability | Innovation mindset | Intrapreneurial culture | Psychological Safety
In the race to succeed, leaders focused on business viability in 10 years know their teams must be ready to play their part. Building an intrapreneurial culture, fostering an innovation mindset, and creating psychological safety are essential. Thanks to Fast Company for inviting Michelle to share these leadership development insights. According to PWC’s annual […]
Is Your Leadership Promoting Safety?
Publication: Healthy Practices | Leadership Deficit | Promoting Safety | Psychological Safety
Recently, I was watching a video in which a leader was trying to quell concern and anxiety about a change; instead, their actions just elevated those feelings. As people posed questions, the leader became defensive. As the video continued, you could see people withdrawing from the conversation. It no longer felt ‘safe’ to speak up […]