How to have more constructive conversations about gender
I’ll never forget the conversation I had a couple of years ago with the head of HR at a large retailer. We were reviewing the agenda for a gender diversity workshop with the organisation’s Leadership Team and he shared a concern that he and some of his male colleagues...
Attention Scott Morrison: Gender-balance is not a zero-sum game
Fireworks on International Women’s Day are more usually celebratory. Scott Morrison’s International Women’s Day remarks instead created an incendiary reaction with a quite different result. His remarks show a shameful misunderstanding of the significant economic...
How to be visible, feel authentic and advance your career
It’s a bit of a Catch-22. To be prepared to be visible, to feel authentic and to advance your career is so much easier when you can follow women who’ve already blazed the trail. It’s so much easier to follow a path that someone has created than to forge your own. And...
Thanks Gillette. Why men should aim to be the best they can be.
The recent Gillette ad caused a massive response for a 1:47 minute film.Is it the close shave we had to have, or one that’s just too close for comfort?The ad actively highlights the importance of rejecting toxic behaviour, showing men intervening when others are...
How to deepen learning by making your organisation’s climate safer
‘Jasmine’ is an early-career scientist in a large pharmaceutical company. When she listens to the team’s conversation, she’s concerned. She’s sensing what she believes are significant problems with a batch in production. She’s the only woman working in a team of more...
How to play a better part in psychological safety
I was recently in a meeting with a very good client; we have an open, trusting relationship. Things got a little sticky though when, without thinking about it, my client disclosed what was a confidential piece of information about a mutual colleague. It was just a...
Advocating for inclusion is the best way to get it
Small acts of advocacy are all it takes to make a social movement. The #metoo movement was for the 12 years prior to last year’s Harvey Weinstein scandal a very small force for change. It wasn’t one single event that caused the social explosion. But it was when...
Moderate your power to get the best from your team
Powerful people aren’t the best leaders, yet often end up in leadership roles.When powerful people work on their own, they tend to process information more effectively, have more creative ideas, and concentrate for longer. Therefore, they are often identified as...
Why caring about people should be at the heart of leadership
The demands of leadership continue to increase in pace and complexity. Leaders have to care about more things than ever before. Why should caring about people be elevated to leaders’ number one concern?Under the pressure of escalating demands, most leaders adopt...
Why employees are not engaged at work and what you can do about it
Much of how we see our success as individuals is tied to our everyday experiences of our work. On a daily basis, we make judgments about how important our work is, and how much effort we will put in to it. We decide whether we like the people we work with and whether...
Why leaders should create a coaching culture
When leaders coach, they create a culture that is empowering and energising. When coached, people develop, their motivation elevates, and they engage more deeply. Organisations with excellent cultural support for coaching experience 13% better business results and 39%...
How to be more influential at work
Have you ever struggled to get your voice heard in work meetings? Do people talk over you or constantly interrupt you, causing you to shrink into a corner?Learn how to be more influential at work.Most of us can identify with the feeling of not being heard when there...
How to free your decisions from bias
A CEO mentioned recently his frustration with a few of his Senior Leaders who play the ‘merit card’ whenever diversity is raised. In doing so, they stymie good initiatives. Each small block they construct rebuilds the wall as fast as the CEO and supportive leaders...
How to cultivate trust by delegating more
Amy cultivated trust in her team by delegating more after she experienced a challenging incident. Amy was invited to accept a senior leadership role for which she had no technical training. She took up the challenge. But she had doubts about her fit for the role. So...
How to disassociate gender blame from corporate disaster
Or, how to shift attention from Catherine Brenner and lipstick, to why corporate leaders in major financial institutions take illegal actions and make corrupt decisions. And why it took a Royal Commission to bring this to light. What is the connection between...
Vacancy! Women’s special place in hell is NOT REQUIRED
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...
Leaders have relentlessly high standards; Bezos
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...
How to make progress on gender equality following #metoo
#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...
How to be an authority figure when you are ‘nice’
“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...Welcome!
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.
