How to Avoid Being a Control Freak? Start Coaching.
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....
What is the best way for men to champion gender equality?
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...
Three Powerful Leadership Tweaks to Boost Your Progress
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...
How to build bridges and inspire inclusion
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...
Women: How to accelerate your leadership career
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...
What ‘Price’ inequality? What should we make of opposition to equality?
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...
Leadership stories that move us
‘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 leadership stories from wonderful leaders such as Linda Wayman, Avril Fahey and Jessica Smith, the spotlight turned...
If Hillary makes President, will more women enter politics?
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...
The seduction (and destruction) of narcissistic leaders
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...
The dangers of narcissistic leaders
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...
A strategy to achieve the equal social, civic and economic participation of women
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...
How coaching transforms leaders: six small steps to big change ….. part 2
Jane’s frustration at ‘not knowing the story of what I’m doing’ in a new role introduced Part 1. She identified the inner messages she tells herself that get in the way of her effectiveness: ‘People move me around. I need to grow up a bit, I...
Why is ‘feminist’ such a dirty word?
During Monday night’s Q&A Maddie Mott drew our attention yet again to the challenges that using the word ‘feminist’ brings with it. She asked Australia’s Minister for Women, Michaelia Cash: “how you can be Minister for Women yet not...Leadership with GRACE
Exciting beginning to Executive Master of Arts 2016 Leadership Intensive class at University of Melbourne with a guest presentation from Tim Conolan, CEO, tlc for kids. Great presenting at @unimelb today about #leadership @tlcforkidsaus & #GRACE#thanks...
Targets and quotas have a place
Targets and quotas have a place I agree that arguments along the lines of you have to be an “X in order to understand an X” are unhelpful. The economic benefits of diversity don’t come simply from having differences in the room. It’s what you...
How coaching transforms leaders: six small steps to big change
‘I don’t know the story of what I’m doing’, was how Jane described her frustration with herself in a recent coaching session. As she moves into a new role that requires her to demonstrate greater authority in a highly complex stakeholder...
Does unconscious bias training mask gender bias?
Unconscious bias training leads men to mask their gender biases according to an article in The Australian last week – ‘Men have learnt to mask their sexism in the workplace’. The proposition is that unconscious bias training is backfiring, because...
Can we achieve gender equality in less than a century?
International Women’s Day (IWD) was first celebrated 105 years ago to recognise women’s achievements and to advocate for equality and progress. Recently, the World Economic Forum has suggested, based on our current rate of progress, it will take more than a further...
How can teachers and schools reduce the gap between the genders?
At least in the US, educators believe that gender differences have been successfully addressed and no longer exist. Lee Shumow and Jennifer Schmidt explored teacher classroom behaviour and its impact on students’ decisions to pursue science studies. In their own...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.
