Become A Reliable Leader
In 1997, Starbucks faced a crisis when tragedy struck, and three employees were killed during a robbery in Washington, D.C. The outstanding leadership of CEO Howard Schultz was demonstrated when he flew straight to D.C. and spent a week with the co-workers and families of the three employees. While some leaders might have stayed as far away as possible from this tragic situation, Howard’s natural leadership traits prevailed. With compassion, approachability and a dedication to meeting his employees’ needs, he did what was right.
If there is one skill revered across all organisations and institutions, it is leadership. Let’s take a look at Forbes’s list of the skills of a reliable leader.
A Reliable Leader Is Committed & Resilient
A Reliable Leader Is Collaborative
A Reliable Leader Is Self- Aware yet Confident
A Reliable Leader Is Competent yet Humble
A Reliable Leader Is Clear and Courageous
Henry Louis Gates, at Harvard University, once said,
The Two Types of Responsibility
BY RIA STORY
Responsibility: The Foundation of Authentic Leadership and Influence
Being a leader, whether you are a formal leader, the boss, or a mom, comes with responsibilities. Most of us understand this on a broad level – to be a leader means to be a role model, set an example, etc. But, what does it really mean to be responsible or to take responsibility?
“Character isn’t something you were born with and can’t change, like your fingerprints. It’s something you weren’t born with and must take responsibility for forming.”
~ Jim Rohn
Taking responsibility as a leader means accepting responsibility for developing your own character and then helping someone else develop theirs. John C. Maxwell stated, “Reaching your God-given potential requires taking responsibility for yourself and your life. It means taking an active leadership role with yourself”. If you don’t accept that responsibility, you won’t be able to become very successful as a leader or highly effective in any area of life for that matter. Let’s look at two ways accepting responsibility improves leadership and increases influence:
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Responsibility to Others
As a leader and/or mom, wife, co-worker, friend, and more, your first responsibility is to others. This is the foundation for influence. This means leadership of others starts with leadership of self. You can’t lead anyone else at a high level if you aren’t able to lead yourself well first because you can’t give someone what you don’t have.
Leadership isn’t something you do. It’s something you are. And, it starts inside you. We all have influence on some level, with some people. If we want to increase our influence to a higher level, impact more people, and create a greater legacy in the lives of others, we must start by accepting the responsibility for striving to be better ourselves. We must work to develop leadership qualities within ourselves first.
The responsibility to others comes when you are ready to say, “I’ll work on me first, so I can help you”. Until and unless you are ready to accept that responsibility, you won’t be able to become a very successful leader.
Would you prefer to choose your vacation destination based on the advice of a tour guide or a travel agent? Advice from someone who has actually been there is much more valuable than advice from someone who has only seen the brochure. Being an effective leader of yourself before leading others is much the same.
Responsibility for Others
Although the first responsibility is foundational, and you can’t influence many without it, the second responsibility is perhaps where you actually build more influence. Accepting responsibility is a give and take. First, you give: knowledge, credit when things go right, respect, love, help, coaching, opportunities and experiences, freedom, and through delegation, even responsibilities.
In other words, you nurture others and help them grow.
And, then you take: the blame, the responsibility when things don’t go well, the burdens, the responsibility for removing roadblocks, their input, their feedback, and the time to listen. In other words, you become accountable. Rudy Giuliani wrote about this in his book Leadership, and said, “More than anyone, leaders should welcome being held accountable. Nothing builds confidence in a leader more than their willingness to take responsibility for what happens during their watch”. In fact, he summarises his entire leadership philosophy with a two-word sign that sits on his desk. It says, “I’M RESPONSIBLE”.
The woman who will accept responsibility to and for others on her team, in her organisation, or even in her family will very quickly increase her influence.
Ask yourself how you can accept or ask for additional responsibility in either your professional life or your personal life. At work, it could mean asking to take the lead on a new project or volunteering to lead a focus group. At church, it could mean starting a study group, so you can bring together a group of women who want to increase their influence with their families. At home, it could mean becoming the leader by setting a good example with your food choices and helping your children or spouse do the same.
Accepting responsibility for everything in your life is the key to being able to change anything in your life. Accepting more responsibility in any area of your life will allow you to develop greater influence in that area of your life. More responsibility equals greater influence and control.
This was published on Ria Story’s LinkedIn
RIA STORY
Ria Story is a motivational leadership speaker, TEDx Speaker, certified leadership trainer, and author of 20 books and journals, including Leadership Gems for Women, and The Ladder of Influence®. Ria has presented on leadership at Yale University and has spoken on Capitol Hill. Ria has spoken several times at International John Maxwell Certification Events and with motivational speaker Les Brown in Los Angeles, CA. Ria has an MBA as well as a BS in Human Resources Management and has more than 20 years of experience in leadership and management. Ria specializes in helping you Become the Leader You are Destined to Be.®
How to Build a Thriving Social Media Marketing Agency
BY RITA AGOULIAN
The Secrets to Growing a Social Media Agency That Lasts
Ten years ago, Mad Men gave us a glimpse into the daily happenings at Sterling Cooper, a fictional 1060’s New York creative agency where success was measured in lavish office parties, whiskey-fuelled brainstorming sessions, and extravagant client dinners. Today, in the digital age, the perception of a thriving social media agency has somewhat changed. Whilst it’s easy for people to chalk success up to one’s ability to stay in sync with a viral TikTok dance, tap into brat summer, or drive visibility through a sixty-second aesthetically pleasing butter board video; there’s a lot more to building a successful social media marketing agency than simply riding the trend wave. Behind every viral moment, ecstatic client, successful campaign, and profitable agency is a carefully crafted business strategy that integrates systems, processes, and business acumen.
Source: Image by freepik
Organisation is Key; Structure Sets You Apart
As a social media agency owner, one of the key lessons I’ve learned is that organisation is not just a nice-to-have; it’s the backbone of everything. Competing deadlines, managing cash flow, and keeping a pipeline of clients to scale can easily overwhelm you if you’re not set up to succeed. Early on, I learned that you can’t just wing it. Too many competing deadlines without solid systems and processes in place leads to unnecessary stress on the team. Since then, I implemented strict systems and processes —everything from project management tools to automated invoicing. Staying organised allows us to maintain the standard of work we’ve become so well known for and that helps us organically scale via word of mouth and leaves room for creativity and staying on top of the changing landscape and trends.
Know Your Numbers
I’ve seen too many people dive into agency land without a clear understanding of their financials. If you don’t know your numbers, how can you make informed decisions and ensure long-term sustainability of your agency? Knowing your income, expenses, and profit margins helps you set realistic goals, make smart investments, and know where you stand from a cash flow perspective. Without a clear grasp of your financial health, you risk under-pricing your services, overspending on unnecessary costs, or failing to allocate resources effectively for growth. At the end of the day, you can’t scale if you don’t know your numbers.
Charge Your Worth
When you’re building a business, it’s easy to fall into the trap of thinking you need to charge less to attract clients. At LickYourPhone Media, we learned early on that setting the right price not only reflects the quality of your service but also builds trust with clients. If you’re charging too little, you’re signalling that your services aren’t valuable.
Identify the unique benefits your agency offers compared to competitors. This could be expertise in a niche market, proven results, or a specific service offering that stands out. Highlight what makes you different.
Research what other agencies are charging, but don’t undervalue yourself by competing solely on price. Position your rates based on your experience, industry standards, and the complexity of the projects.
If you’ve delivered results like increased revenue, leads, or engagement for previous clients, use this data to justify your rates. Clients are more willing to invest when they can see the tangible return on investment of a campaign or ongoing work.
Automate & Integrate AI: Scale Faster with Technology
The future of social media marketing lies in automation. One of the best decisions you can make early on is to invest in automated systems and artificial intelligence (AI). Not only does this help with scalability, but it also frees up time to focus on strategy and creativity—where your value truly lies.
AI tools can help streamline everything from customer service chatbots to personalised email marketing campaigns. The sooner you integrate AI into your workflow, the faster you can grow. We’ve used automation to streamline client onboarding and reporting processes, allowing us to handle more clients without compromising on quality.
Start with Your Low Hanging Fruit
Every agency starts small. We did too. When I started LickYourPhone Media, I sent out email marketing campaigns to a targeted list of contacts. This helped land our first clients and got the ball rolling. From there, we became known as the go-to specialists for social media marketing in the hospitality, food, and beverage industry.
You don’t need a huge ad budget to start; sometimes, it’s about reaching out to the right people at the right time. Once you gain traction, it’s easier to expand and diversify your client base. Don’t overlook the power of networking and word-of-mouth in the early stages of your business.
Delegate Wisely, Hire the Right People
As a business owner, you can’t do everything, and you shouldn’t try. It’s your job to delegate effectively so you can focus on strategic growth rather than getting bogged down in day-to-day operations.
Key to this is hiring the best people for the job and then trusting them to do it. Our team is hand-picked based on their expertise in social and digital media marketing, influencer marketing, and videography.
Knowing when to hire locally versus overseas is also important. For example, overseas VAs (Virtual Assistants) may seem like a cost-effective option, but often, managing remote overseas workers can take up more of your time and require quality control.
People First
At the core of every successful agency is a strong team. After working in corporate finance, I promised myself I would never create an environment where people felt undervalued. I start every day with a mentoring session to ensure my team feels appreciated, motivated, and valued. We also operate a virtual office, an approach led by my team, who really value the flexibility working from home offers. And through this enhanced flexibility, our agency is also more inclusive of different people’s own unique ways of working and individual needs.
Happy employees are productive employees. When people love what they do, it shows in their work, and that translates into client satisfaction.
Back Yourself
Mindset is half the battle in entrepreneurship. I’ve always been “delusional” enough to believe that I would succeed, even when the odds were stacked against me. That’s not to say that my journey hasn’t been filled with setbacks, but I’ve remained resilient and have always kept pushing, and I always come out stronger and with learnings.
Once I learnt to trust in my decision-making, I was able to take more calculated risks that have helped scale the business to what it is today. It also sets the tone in the agency that it’s ok to make mistakes and fail - it’s how we move forward and take those learnings into the work we’re doing.
Market Your Own Agency
You’d be surprised to learn how many agencies neglect their own marketing efforts. We’ve built a following of over 2 million users across our platforms, showcasing our expertise to potential clients. These platforms are our portfolio. Don’t be afraid to put yourself out there; ensure your contact details are easily accessible; invest in paid ads; and create thumb-stopping content that attracts. Marketing your agency is just as important as marketing your clients’ businesses.
RITA AGOULIAN
Rita Agoulian is an entrepreneur and the founder of LickYourPhone Media, known for turning her passion for food into a powerhouse social media marketing agency. Her success has earned her back-toback Stevie Awards as Woman of the Year in Social Media and Most Innovative Woman in Social Media.
Career Jitters - How to Shake Off Stagnation and Launch into New Opportunities?
BY ANDREW JONES
FROM STAGNATION TO SUCCESS: STRATEGIES FOR OWNING YOUR CAREER GROWTH
In a rapidly changing world, professional stagnation is a pressing concern, especially among younger generations and mid-level executives. As industries evolve, the risk of being left behind has never been higher. For many, the inability to adapt means career growth comes to a standstill. How do you break out of this cycle?
The key is to adopt a strategic approach to career management, one that positions you for long-term transformation rather than short-term gains.
The single most important piece of advice is this: manage your career before someone else does it for you. Taking ownership of your career path is not optional; it’s a necessity. Here, we explore actionable strategies to break through stagnation and transform your career trajectory.
Source: Image by upklyak on freepik
The Case for Career Ownership
More than 70% of Gen Z and millennials globally feel their employers don’t help them develop skills for the future. This highlights the growing need for professionals to take control of their own career progression. Instead of waiting for opportunities to come to you, proactively manage your career and align your choices with a longterm vision that looks beyond your current role.
certifications, or even an MBA. Continuous learning not only helps you stay relevant but also signals to employers that you are adaptable and forwardthinking.
4
Mentorship and Sponsorship
Skills Audit and Gap Analysis
Your skillset is your currency in the job market, and it’s constantly devaluing unless you keep it updated. Regularly assess your skills against market demands. With the rapid rise of AI, automation, and digital transformation, skills such as digital literacy, leadership, and cross-functional competencies are becoming essential for staying competitive.
Conduct a skills audit every 12-18 months. Identify gaps between your current expertise and where the market is heading. This self-assessment can lead to targeted development, whether it’s in digital upskilling, leadership training, or certifications in emerging technologies.
Role Stretching
Another effective way to avoid stagnation is by role stretching—taking on assignments that push your boundaries. This doesn’t necessarily mean moving up the corporate ladder. Sometimes, lateral moves, project-based work, or exposure to other functions can provide the breadth of experience that enhances your versatility.
1 2 3
Continuous Learning
In an era where industries can be disrupted overnight, continuous learning is non-negotiable. This could involve executive education, industry workshops,
Cultivating relationships with mentors and sponsors is a powerful tool in overcoming stagnation. As one 2020 survey showed, those who had the opportunity to be mentored were five times more likely to be promoted.
A mentor provides career guidance, shares wisdom, and helps you navigate uncertainty. Sponsors, on the other hand, actively advocate for you when advancement opportunities arise. Both relationships are crucial, especially in industries or organisations where visibility can be a challenge.
5
Networking as a Growth Strategy
In today’s globalised job market, networking isn’t just beneficial—it’s essential. Your network could be the key differentiator that unlocks your next career move. However, networking should be purpose-driven
Purpose-Driven Networking
Instead of simply collecting contacts, build relationships aligned with your career objectives. Networking should help you expand geographically, gain industry-specific insights, or develop leadership skills. Use platforms like LinkedIn and global conferences to connect with thought leaders, share content, and engage in meaningful conversations. Don’t wait until you need something—build your network before you need it.
Global networks can significantly accelerate your career. For instance, the UoMSEA’s Global MBA offers students a global platform, connecting them with alumni and industry leaders from diverse backgrounds. This is an immediate gateway to new opportunities, beyond national or industry borders.
Maintaining Relationships
Building a network is one thing; maintaining it is another. Consistent, meaningful engagement is the cornerstone of strong professional relationships. Check in with your contacts regularly. Share valuable insights or introduce them to others in your network. Keeping your relationships alive ensures that they remain beneficial for both parties.
Coaching, Mentoring, and Career Counselling
Another way to combat stagnation is through coaching, mentoring, and career counselling—each offering distinct, but complementary benefits.
Coaching: Future-Focused Development
Coaching unlocks potential by focusing on future possibilities. It answers the question, “What do I want?” and involves self-awareness, emotional intelligence, and strategic thinking. Coaching fosters clarity around your career vision and helps you map out actionable steps to achieve it.
Mentoring: Leveraging Experience
In contrast, mentoring draws from the mentor’s personal experiences. As a career mentor, I’ve worked with professionals across diverse industries, helping them navigate career transitions, leadership challenges, and role uncertainties. A mentor is particularly invaluable during periods of stagnation or change.
For instance, I once mentored a first-time manager in a multinational firm who felt consistently overlooked for promotion, despite strong performance metrics. They were frustrated and convinced that management was biased. In our sessions, we worked on shifting their mindset from frustration to proactive ownership.
We focused on what was within their control— strengthening visibility, building relationships, and showcasing leadership skills. Through volunteering for high-impact projects and refining their communication with senior leaders, they were recognised for a leadership role in a different division within six months and were later promoted by the end of the year.
This shift—from feeling overlooked to taking accountability for their growth—shows how mentoring can turn career stagnation into a transformative journey.
Career Counselling: Tactical Guidance
Finally, career counselling provides practical advice on role transitions, upskilling, and navigating industry shifts. It offers the frameworks, templates, and guidance needed to clarify objectives and pursue them strategically.
Mastering the Job Search
When it’s time to find a new role, navigating the job search can be daunting. However, by focusing on job search efficiency, personal branding, and leveraging LinkedIn, you can improve your chances of landing your ideal job.
Clarity of Purpose
Begin with a clear understanding of your career goals. Reflect on what truly motivates you: what roles, industries, and companies resonate with your values, passions, and long-term vision? A focused job search is far more efficient than a scattershot approach, allowing you to concentrate your efforts on opportunities that align with your aspirations. Not only does this clarity help in your search, but it also comes across in interviews, where a confident sense of direction can be compelling to employers.
Personal Branding
Your personal brand is more than just a collection of skills; it’s your unique value proposition to employers. It’s how you present yourself to the world—through your CV, LinkedIn profile, and overall online presence. Be intentional about how you showcase your strengths, experience, and achievements. The job market is crowded—employers aren’t just looking for qualifications, they want to know why you are the best fit for their team. Your brand should tell a coherent story about who you are, what you’ve accomplished, and what makes you different from the competition.
Tailored CVs and Cover Letters
Customising your CV and cover letter for each application is critical. Employers can spot generic applications from a mile away. Research the company, understand the role, and tailor your application to emphasise the skills and experiences most relevant to the position. Highlight achievements and contributions that align with the company’s needs, and use specific keywords from the job description. 63% of hiring managers prefer candidates who tailor their resumes to the job they are applying for. Show that you’ve taken the time to understand the position, and make it clear why you’re the best fit.
If you are confident that you are a strong fit for the role you’re pursuing through online applications but consistently face rejection, it’s time to pivot your approach and focus on networking directly with potential hiring managers.
Blaming the software or feeling unfairly treated is unproductive - online portals are often saturated with applicants, and automated screening tools may be looking for attributes that you do not claim.
Rather, take action by strategically networking to create meaningful connections with decisionmakers. Reach out to professionals within your target companies, attend industry events, and leverage platforms like LinkedIn to engage in conversations with hiring managers. This direct interaction not only showcases your interest but also allows you to present your unique value proposition in a way that stands out from the crowd—something that often gets lost in the impersonal nature of online applications.
Leveraging LinkedIn
LinkedIn is not just a job-search platform; it’s a powerful personal marketing tool that can enhance your professional visibility. Optimise your profile by keeping it updated with relevant skills, certifications, and accomplishments. Use it actively to share industry insights, comment on trending topics, and engage with thought leaders to build credibility within your field. Follow companies you’re interested in, join relevant groups, and leverage LinkedIn’s advanced search tools to identify and connect with professionals working at your target organisations. This proactive engagement not only helps build your network but can also position you as a knowledgeable and enthusiastic candidate when the right opportunity arises.
Source: Image by rawpixel.com on freepik
Source: Image by ijeab on freepik
Active Networking
Networking is one of the most powerful tools in your job search arsenal. Studies show that referrals can boost your chances of getting hired by up to 15%. Networking doesn’t just involve cold outreach— look to build genuine relationships. Attend industry events, participate in webinars, and don’t be afraid to ask for informational interviews or mentorship from professionals in your field. Engage with alumni networks, join associations, and remain active in industry-specific groups. These interactions often lead to learning about unadvertised job openings or opportunities that may not have even been created yet. A simple coffee meeting or LinkedIn message can turn into a potential job lead or long-term professional connection.
Mastering Interviews and Assessment Centres
Once you’ve landed an interview, preparation is key.
• Understand its culture, mission, and pain points. Prepare to articulate how your skills can help solve their problems.
• Structure your responses to competency-based questions using the CAR method Context, Action, Result—is a structured approach where candidates describe the situation or challenge they faced (Context), the steps they personally took to address it (Action), and the positive outcome or impact of those actions (Result), ensuring clear, concise, and results-oriented responses. This framework demonstrates impact and is easy to recall.
• Practice makes perfect. Engage in mock interviews with mentors or coaches who can offer constructive feedback.
• After every interview, reflect on what went well and where you can improve. This ensures continuous improvement over time.
Conclusion
Professional stagnation doesn’t happen overnight—it’s the result of passivity. To overcome it, take proactive steps to manage your career, continuously upgrade your skills, build purposeful networks, and position yourself for future growth. With the right mindset and strategies, stagnation can be transformed into a springboard for career evolution.
By embracing a structured, intentional approach, professionals can continuously adapt, grow, and thrive in an ever-changing landscape. Remember: your career is your responsibility—and the best way to secure your future is to actively shape it.
ANDREW JONES
Andrew Jones is an accomplished Executive Coach, Teacher, and Facilitator. He works with a wide range of organizations, academic institutions and individuals, from MNC leaders to entrepreneurs, across various industries. With more than 30 years’ experience in Asia, Andrew has helped clients navigate complex career and leadership challenges using a blend of one-to-one coaching, mentoring, and career counseling that he adapts for each client. He guides them through deepening self-awareness and unravelling the assumptions that are holding them back from accelerating their professional and leadership growth. Andrew coaches and teaches at leading business schools, including facilitating career development workshops for Global MBA students and alumni at The University of Manchester South East Asia Centre.
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Warning Signs You Might Have A Toxic Culture And What To Do About It
BY COLIN D ELLIS
Toxic culture is the biggest risk facing every organisation today. Yet many senior leaders - despite there being a story about culture every week in the media - are refusing to take it seriously. There are many recent examples of toxic culture in Australia that have not only caused physical and psychological harm to employees, but also significantly damaged the reputation of the organisations (and those that govern them) who were complicit in allowing the conditions to arise.
These include Rio Tinto, Sony Music Australia, Country Road Group, Parliament and most recentlyand very publicly - at Nine News Group. In every one of these organisations, the warning signs were evident to senior leaders and board members, yet their inaction (or apathy) meant that toxic culture - and the glare of the media spotlight - became an eventuality.
What is toxic culture?
For the benefit of clarity, a person can consider a culture to be toxic if they witness or are subject to, one or more of the following elements:
• Bullying
• Harassment
• Racism
• Sexism
• Misogyny
• Misandry
• Homophobia
• Age-ism
• Unwanted physical contact
• Verbal or emotional abuse
• Lack of workforce diversity
• Non-inclusive
• Inequity of pay
• Inequity of conditions
• A lack of trust
• Fear
• Favouritism
• Employee monitoring
• Micromanagement
Source: Image by Sandy-licious Art on freepik
If just one of these elements is evident, then it is enough to bring an organisation - and its leaders - to the media’s attention and to undermine safety for those that work there, performance and results. Yet it needn’t be this way.
What are the warning signs of toxic culture?
Here are five warning signs that a culture maybe about to become toxic and actions that leaders can take to mitigate them:
There’s no culture strategy
You get the culture that you choose to build. Vibrant, respectful, high-performance culture doesn’t just build itself because you have a good structure and talented people in those roles. It takes time, money, effort and a structured approach to build a sense of belonging amongst staff. If you’re not spending money on it, then you can expect it to degrade.
ACTION TO TAKE: Actively define the culture required to deliver your strategy.
There are different rules for senior leaders
Poor behaviours from senior leaders are one of the biggest generators of toxic culture. This was certainly true of Sony Music Australia. Yet often, boards and HR turn a blind eye to these, insisting that ‘that’s just who they are’ or ‘that’s what they need to do to get a reaction’. If you’re allowing an individual (or individuals) to compromise the environment for everybody else, then employees make take matters into their own hands.
ACTION TO TAKE: Ensure that senior leaders are role models for the culture you wish to see.
You don’t actively monitor culture (or ignore the results)
If you don’t monitor your diet, exercise or working habits, there’s a good chance you’ll get sick. The same is true for culture. If you aren’t actively listening to your employees, understanding the key themes, working with them on the plan to address the issues and then acting on the plan, then there’s a good chance that the culture will slowly rot.
ACTION TO TAKE: Regularly ‘take the pulse’ of your culture and act decisively on the feedback provided.
You’re losing good people
A culture is only as good as its people and if the ones leaving the organisation are the very people required to maintain its performance, then there’s usually a reason. Even if there are limited opportunities to progress, great people will rarely leave a great culture. So if the people you’d want to keep are heading for the exit, find out why.
ACTION TO TAKE: Ensure that you have exit interviews to understand why good people are leaving.
Nobody ever gets sacked
In any organisation - even the best ones - there are usually 5% of employees who either don’t want to show up and do a good job, aren’t very good at it or else actively disrupt the ones that want to succeed. If you’re not performance managing these people and showing the worst of them the door, then this will reflect back onto the rest of the culture. The culture is only ever as good as its worst employee.
ACTION TO TAKE: Be good at performance management and take a zero tolerance approach to poor behaviour.
By taking these five actions, leaders can ensure that they are actively managing the risk of a toxic culture as well as investing in its positive evolution for years to come. However, culture is perpetually changing, and without a continued focus on it, the conditions for toxicity will never be far away.
COLIN D ELLIS
Colin D Ellis is a five-time best-selling author and culture consultant. His latest book is Detox Your Culture. Find out what kind of culture you have right now at www.fiveculturesquiz.com
Are You Getting Complacent?
17 Signs
ARE THERE SIGNS OF COMPLACENY IN YOUR LIFE?
Is complacency creeping up on you, like it does to so many of us? Are you getting overly comfortable with things? Sliding into a state of easy contentment? Blissfully unaware of your life traps or leadership derailers? Showing the signs of complacency?
Complacency can prevent you from doing the things you really want to do in life.
There are many areas in which you can become complacent. For example:
• Health and vitality (both physical and mental)
• Relationships with your spouse or partner (if applicable), family, and/or friends
• Work (potentially including not just paid work but also family caregiving, household management, and volunteering)
• Education and learning
• Service (contributions to family, friends, classmates, colleagues, community, and/or causes or places)
• Activities (e.g., play, fun, hobbies, travel, free time, vacations)
• Financial (e.g., income, assets, security, savings, investments, wealth-building, etc.)
• Personal core (including things like happiness, fulfillment, gratitude, authentic alignment, and religion or spirituality).
How to know if you’ve fallen into the complacency trap? Here are 17 indicators.
17 Signs of Complacency
When you’re complacent, you tend to:
Take things for granted
Have so much routine that things feel boring or monotonous
Start losing your ambition and initiative
Stick to what you know instead of pushing yourself sometimes
Stay in your comfort zone
GREGG VANOUREK
Start to “phone it in” at work or in relationships
(e.g., poor communication or minimal effort)
See a decline in your work output and/or quality
Stop learning and growing
Resist change or trying new things
Avoid risk
Resist input or feedback
Miss opportunities
Take the path of least resistance
Put off more difficult tasks
Stay in a job that isn’t challenging
Give up on your aspirations and dreams
Start to feel apathetic
The Downsides of Complacency
Comfort and satisfaction aren’t inherently bad. They’re good, up to a point.
The issue arises when you become too comfortable and complacent, losing the motivation and passion to embrace challenges and chase your dreams.
Complacency drains your drive and leads to inaction when you should be taking steps forward. It prevents necessary improvements, reduces initiative, and diminishes your sense of hope. Over time, it fosters mediocrity, closes windows of opportunity, and stalls personal growth and career progress.
You’re wise to address complacency when it arises and bring back a sense of urgency to your life and work.
Never be passive about your life…
ever, ever.
-Robert Egger, from our LIFE Entrepreneurs interview
Reflection Questions
1. Are you seeing signs of complacency in your life, work, or relationships?
2. What steps will you take to regain the drive and urgency to escape this trap?
Postscript:
Inspirations on Signs of Complacency and Urgency
Complacency keeps you living a comfortable life… not the life you desire. Challenge yourself to do something different. Then, notice the new charged quality of your life.
~ Nina Amir, author and coach
The life you have left is a gift. Cherish it. Enjoy it now, to the fullest. Do what matters, now.
~ Leo Babauta, author
The tragedy of life is often not in our failure, but rather in our complacency; not in our doing too much, but rather in our doing too little; not in our living above our ability, but rather in our living below our capacities.
~ Benjamin E. Mays, Baptist Minister and civil rights leader
By far the biggest mistake people make when trying to change organisations is to plunge ahead without establishing a high enough sense of urgency in fellow managers and employees.
~ John Kotter, professor, author, and thought leader in business, leadership, and organisational change
This article was originally published on Gregg Vanourek
GREGG VANOUREK
Gregg Vanourek is an executive, changemaker, and awardwinning author who trains, teaches, and speaks on leadership, entrepreneurship, and life and work design. He runs Gregg Vanourek LLC, a training venture focused on leading self, leading others, and leading change. Gregg is co-author of three books, including Triple Crown Leadership (a winner of the International Book Awards) and LIFE Entrepreneurs (a manifesto for integrating our life and work with purpose and passion).
One Last Cheque: Why You Should Pay $1,000 For Each Exit Interview
BY JULIET FUNT
Source: Image by rawpixel.com on Freepik
YOU CAN AVOID THE NEXT RESIGNATION
The quest to understand why employees leave— and how to get them to stay—has become corporate America’s favourite mystery to solve. I recently sat in on a Chamber of Commerce roundtable where CEOs wrung their hands over retention leaks, trading theories and solutions like baseball cards. Leaders are pulling out all the stops: focus groups, stay interviews, engagement surveys, and town halls. Yet employees keep leaving.
We must acknowledge that a portion of this dance stems from a post-COVID rupture in the cohesive and nurturing feelings once found in company culture. For some time, I’ve believed that younger employees often leave in a recurring cycle, searching for something that only truly thrives when people are together in person. And yet they don’t want to be back in the office. And so, they leave again to find something that feels different, only to be greeted with the same confusing emptiness. But for today, let’s put this particular thing aside.
The numbers of retention paint a stark picture. As of April 2024, despite a slight dip in turnover rates to 3.4%, voluntary resignations still account for nearly two-thirds of all job separations. That’s double the rate of layoffs. We’re not just losing people—we’re watching willing and talented workers choose to walk away.
Let’s look at the shocking math.
For a mid-level corporate employee making $80,000 annually, the costs spiral quickly. There’s the immediate productivity drop in their final weeks ($6,000), followed by an average of 42 days to fill the position—during which teams operate at 65% efficiency, costing another $20,000 in lost productivity. Add recruitment costs, including advertising and interviewing ($24,000), onboarding and training the replacement ($40,000), and the productivity ramp-up period where the new hire operates at partial capacity for up to six months ($25,000). We haven’t even factored in the cultural impact, lost institutional knowledge, or dampened team morale.
Total price tag? Anywhere from $90,000 to $160,000— per departure. And that’s assuming you can find a replacement in this market.
What’s more is that 77% of the time, when someone walks away from your business, it’s preventable. And that’s not just my opinion, but proven research from the Work Institute.
While we’re all obsessing over the obvious costs, we’re missing the deeper story. Most people aren’t leaving for more money. Glassdoor found that 80% of employees would rather have a healthier workplace than a bigger paycheque, but we’ll never know what “better” looks like if we don’t get honest about why they’re really leaving.
Here’s a radical proposition: What if we compensated departing employees for their candid and thorough feedback?
I propose we pay departing employees a substantial exit interview fee—say, $1,000—for an hour of brutal honesty. (I’d love it to be plunked down on the desk in cash, but that’s likely impractical.) Here we are pressing to move beyond the avoidant and sanitised version of the truth we usually get. We need unvarnished details about the interpersonal friction, the workload-breaking points, the logistical nightmares, and the leadership disconnects that actually drove them to take that recruiter call. We would share that we’re paying them because we truly care, because the full truth will make many of their ex-colleagues happier, and we need to stress that it is safe for them to be honest.
How do we ensure this investment delivers real value? How do we protect both the company and the departing employee? Here’s the framework:
Third-Party Neutrality:
Partner with an independent firm to conduct interviews, ensuring confidentiality and reducing fear of repercussions. This creates a safe space for honesty while maintaining professional distance.
Structured Accountability:
Data Aggregation and Analysis:
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Design a comprehensive interview protocol that requires specific examples and detailed scenarios, making it difficult to provide vague or superficial responses. The payment is contingent on meeting these depth requirements.
Individual interviews become part of an anonymised database, analysed for patterns and trends. This transforms personal stories into actionable intelligence while protecting individual privacy.
Clear Contractual Terms:
A simple agreement outlines the expectations for both parties: honest, detailed feedback in exchange for compensation, with confidentiality guaranteed.
Application Discipline:
Most importantly, commit to actually using the insights you gather to make meaningful changes.
In my work, I’ve seen that understanding teams before there’s a problem is always best—it’s preventative medicine versus an autopsy. But when someone’s already heading out the door, a paid exit interview might be your last chance to learn what went wrong. Yes, some companies require exit interviews for severance, but there’s a world of difference between checking a box and sharing genuine truth.
If you don’t understand why someone left, you’re destined to repeat the same patterns.
Each unexplored departure makes you more likely to say expensive, painful goodbyes to others who’ll leave for similar reasons.
Let me know what you discover when you’re willing to pay for the truth.
JULIET FUNT
Juliet Funt is the founder and CEO at JFG (Juliet Funt Group), which is a consulting and training firm built upon the popular teaching of CEO Juliet Funt, author of A Minute to Think.
