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What If We’ve Been Looking at Leadership from the Wrong Direction?
At Common Ground, we understand the importance of a good leader with skills that can motivate a team to do their best. However, we believe that what is often overlooked is not just what the leader does for the team, but what the people in the team do for each other. This was the idea that caught my attention recently when listening to Keith Ferrazzi discuss what he calls “teamship”, which is the idea that there is an underdeveloped layer in our thinking about leadership: how
Sep 143 min read
The Strengths Antidote to 'Groupthink': Why Great Teams Need Difference
There's something reassuring about being in a room where everyone agrees. The conversation flows, nobody pushes back, a decision comes quickly and everyone leaves feeling aligned.
But what is agreement isn't always a sign that a team is working well? Not a team where everyone thinks the same, but a team where people understand why they think differently, and know how to use that difference.
Sep 103 min read
The Cost of Friction: Why Telling Stalled Teams to "Work Harder" Accelerates Burnout
When a team starts to miss deadlines or slow their output, the traditional reaction is predictable. Management steps in to introduce accountability trackers, or launch motivational programs to push the workforce forward. The underlying assumption is that: performance drops are caused by a lack of employee effort. However, in complex, modern organisations, this approach can be an operational mistake. Your people are rarely lazy, stubborn, or disengaged by default. In fact, mos
Jul 222 min read
Beyond Personality Labels: Why High-Performing Teams Don’t Use Standard Personality Tests
While traditional personality frameworks offer valuable self-reflection, high-performing teams often require the insights of the Gallup CliftonStrengths® model to deliver immediate results. By moving from general behavioral classification to specific talent mapping, this approach transforms team members' unique cognitive pathways into a practical understanding to enhance communication and work execution. At Common Ground, we anchor our workshops entirely around the data-drive
Jul 132 min read
The Akrasia Effect: Why Brilliant Team Strategies Stall Out by Monday Morning
It is a scenario that frequently plays out in businesses throughout Australia. An executive leadership team books an expensive offsite get-together. The energy in the room is fantastic. Over the course of the day, they look at data, evaluate changes, and craft strategic ideas. Everyone feels completely aligned on the new direction. Then Monday morning arrives. The flood of daily emails hits, urgent fires break out, and by Tuesday afternoon, the team has instinctively defaulte
Jun 223 min read
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