Dear Friends and Colleagues, Reflecting on 2019, I have borrowed words from a newsletter I wrote 3 years ago – The most common mistake leaders make when trying to grow a business is not defining the organisation’s mission and purpose.  There is simply nothing more fundamental to an organisation than understanding what its ‘purpose’ is […]

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People At Their Best has opened a new office in Parramatta. Looking more like a gallery or library than a corporate office, we want to offer a creative space where our clients can expand their thinking and have different thoughts. We think it is best described as an old-fashioned ‘lyceum’ or place of discussion and […]

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By Peter Barraket As I write this (December the 5th), it is International Volunteer Day and for the past two years I have been lucky enough to be a driving member of a long-standing and successful amateur sports club in Western Sydney. A not-for-profit club, our sports club was established first and foremost as a […]

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MENTAL ILL-HEALTH & SUICIDE COSTS AUSTRALIAN ECONOMY $180 BILLION PER YEAR On 31 October, the Australian Productivity Commission released its Mental Health Draft Report – it estimates the cost to our economy of mental ill-health & suicide is $43 – $51 billion per year, plus $130 billion for diminished health & reduced life expectancy. Further: […]

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Over the past year 15 years, I have been involved producing great Australian music. The most recent effort has seen me work with Raf Rouco and 12 musicians to release, Shoot The Moon, on 26 September 2019, exactly 50 years since the release of the Beatles, Abbey Road. This is the third record that I […]

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Amy Morin has written an important article entitled, 11 Anger Management Strategies That Can Help You Calm Down Fast: https://www.verywellmind.com/anger-management-strategies-4178870 In the article, Morin offers strategies based on cognitive behavioural interventions to better respond to challenges and control our anger. In addition to Morin’s strategies, I personally use the S.T.O.P. technique which we have discussed previously If you […]

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Amy Dawel has written a great article that describes the pitfalls of focusing on outcomes and results rather than purpose and values.  Her canvas is the journey of the Richmond Tigers who went from 13th in 2016 to premiers in 2017 and 2019. To turn the club around, Richmond coach, Damien Hardwick stopped focusing on winning […]

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Many of us are  familiar with the 70:20:10 learning and development model that advocates experiential learning (70%), learning from others (20%) and formal learning (10%)  – here is a different take from Dr. William Glasser, M.D. the Amercian Psychiatrist who developed Choice Theory and Reality Therapy. Click on link to see the Glasser’s learning model:  what-we-learn 1   […]

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In July 2019, I attended the World Congress on Positive Psychology.  Listening to world-class researchers was a joy. A few of the ideas which resonated with me: By empowering, strengthening, connecting and inspiring, leaders can can drive work engagement via the satisfaction of work-related psychological needs (autonomy, competence, relatedness and meaningfulness) Leaders can influence organisational […]

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By Peter Barraket: There are quantifiable benefits for increasing diversity in your leadership ranks. A study by McKinsey & Company titled Diversity Matters[1] concluded: Companies in the top quartile for gender diversity were 15% more likely to have financial returns above their national industry median; Companies in the top quartile for ethnic diversity were 35% […]

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