by Karen Morley | Career acceleration, Gender diversity, Leadership
It was Madeleine Albright who used the powerfully galvanising phrase “There’s a special place in hell for women who don’t help other women.” She was ostensibly supporting Hillary Clinton’s US presidential candidacy. However, what she did was to reinforce the Queen Bee...
by Karen Morley | Increasing effectiveness, Leadership, Motivation, Performance
Leaders have relentlessly high standards – many people may think these standards are unreasonably high. Amazon Leadership Principles Jeff Bezos, in his Letter to Shareowners 18-4-18, highlights how leaders can, and why they should, aim for very high standards. 1) Make...
by Karen Morley | Gender diversity, Leadership, Unconscious bias
#IWD2018 has been and gone. #metoo has shaken things up. How to make progress on gender equality following #metoo? Keep noticing progress. The gender equality landscape has changed dramatically over the past year. #metoo has shaken the world. Rightly so. That it has...
by Karen Morley | Career Acceleration, Increasing effectiveness, Leadership, Motivation
“I know my strengths. I’m very good at managing relationships and being collaborative, and at strategic thinking. I don’t like structure, and the usual business tasks of planning, budgeting and monitoring. I know that I overplay my strengths, and that I rely on them...
by Karen Morley | Gender diversity, Leadership, Unconscious bias
It’s time for women to get credit for their ideas. Yesterday, Minister for Foreign Affairs Julie Bishop and Departmental Secretary Frances Adamson declared that the days of allowing men to take credit for women’s ideas are over. Even women as successful...
by Karen Morley | Leadership
The weight of evidence on the value of diversity continues to grow. For those swayed by the weight of evidence… or who need some evidence to do some swaying, check out Scott Page’s latest research. Diversity of thinking comes from diverse people:...
by Karen Morley | Career Acceleration, Leadership, Motivation
If you are a leader and you want to bring out the best in others and be both powerful and good, focus on the positive and minimize the negative, and grant your power generously. I was reminded of the challenges of leadership power in a recent coaching conversation....
by Karen Morley | Increasing effectiveness, Leadership, Motivation
Being appreciated is fundamental to feeling engaged at work. Leaders continue to have challenges engaging their people, keeping them satisfied and performing at their best. Not enough time is spent at a fundamental human level, in letting people know that what they do...
by Karen Morley | Increasing effectiveness, Leadership, Performance
Shareholders are generally skeptical about investment to improve employee satisfaction and happiness. They believe that investment in employee satisfaction programs is an unnecessary expense. They are unaware of the value that employee satisfaction programs contribute...
by Karen Morley | Leadership
Steve Vamos was spot on when he recently advocated that as a manager you should aim for being a coach rather than a control freak. Leaders are under great pressure to produce results at a faster pace, with greater innovation, fewer resources, and less certainty....
by Karen Morley | Gender diversity, Leadership, Unconscious bias
The 19 Victorian Male Champions of Change (MCC) recently reported on the progress they are making towards gender-balanced organisations. In their report, the leaders write: ‘Our best lesson over the last 12 months has been to experience what happens when men step up...
by Karen Morley | Career Acceleration, Leadership, Motivation, Performance
Let me share with you three simple yet powerful leadership tweaks that will help you boost your career. What got you here won’t get you there. This phrase, which comes from Dr. Marshall Goldsmith, is a very powerful one. Continuing to do more of what you’re good at is...
by Karen Morley | Gender diversity, Leadership, Unconscious bias
The social divisions that have followed the US election draw into sharp relief how difficult it is to create a real sense of belonging and inclusion for everyone. For those of us concerned with inclusion, how do we bridge the faultlines in our own organizations and...
by Karen Morley | Gender diversity, Leadership, Performance, Unconscious bias
No doubt by now you’re familiar with the following: women tend to wait to apply for promotional roles until they are 100% ready, whereas men jump in when they are just 60% ready. This article can help you to accelerate your career if you know you’ve got talent, have...
by Karen Morley | Gender diversity, Unconscious bias
How should we understand the spate of recent derogatory comments by high profile figures such as Steve Price and Eddie Maguire about women, and Sonia Kruger and Pauline Hansen with their anti-Muslim comments? How do we understand this increasingly public declamation...
by Karen Morley | Gender diversity, Leadership, Motivation
‘I didn’t think I had anything interesting to say’. The setting was the Women and Leadership Australia Symposium in Perth. In a day full of inspiring stories from wonderful leaders such as Linda Wayman, Avril Fahey and Jessica Smith, the spotlight turned from the...
by Karen Morley | Gender diversity, Leadership, Unconscious bias
Spoiler alert – it depends. If Hillary Clinton becomes the first female President of the United States, according to recent research, some women will be more interested in entering politics, while others will be deterred from pursuing a political career. Sounds...
by Karen Morley | Increasing effectiveness, Leadership, Performance
What is it that attracts us to narcissistic leaders? And shouldn’t ‘narcissistic leader’ be an oxymoron? I wrote previously about the challenges of working with narcissistic leaders and suggested some ways of counteracting their worst excesses. But...
by Karen Morley | Increasing effectiveness, Leadership, Motivation
In a recent workshop with emerging leaders, a guest speaker highlighted the dangers of narcissistic leaders. He recounted various stories of narcissists encountered through his own career, including that of the board chair who repeatedly manipulated the agenda by...
by Karen Morley | Gender diversity, Leadership, Unconscious bias
SUBMISSION TO VICTORIAN GOVERNMENT GENDER EQUALITY STRATEGY: HAVE YOUR SAY MARCH 2016 Last week I submitted the following suggestions in response to its invitation to have a say about a Victorian Gender Equality Strategy. What a great opportunity to accelerate the...
My name is Dr Karen Morley and I am passionate about accelerating leadership careers and inspiring inclusion in the workplace.
Using the latest evidence, validated benchmarks and inspiring coaching methods, I work closely with executives and organisations in Australia to optimise their leadership skills and accelerate their growth.
The most effective leaders use everyone’s talents to the full, and my programs promote inclusive leadership strategies and practices. I also engage gender balanced leadership and help women to succeed in senior organisational roles. 
