problem solving

 by Tarran Deane

Fast-Tracking Workplace Transformation: Lessons from MOTOGP 2025 by author Tarran Deane

🏍️ Fast-Tracking Workplace Transformation: Leadership Lessons from MOTOGP 2025 🏁

MOTOGP 2025 is here! And just like the race track, Australian workplaces are gearing up for a fast-paced season of change.

With a Federal election looming, fringe benefit periods ending, FY2025 financial forecasting, and draft budgets for FY2026 presentations to boards being tweaked, decisions made now will determine who makes the starting grid on July 1 and who forms the all-important pit crew.

All this brings requires energy and effort. It can produce uncertainty and anticipation.

C-Suite, Change Boards, and contractors—your race strategy matters. It’s not just about securing pole position; it’s about making sure your team is aligned, your change initiatives have traction, and your organisation is set up to win in the long run.

Lessons from MOTOGP 2025 for Workplace Transformation

🏎 Lesson 1: Strategy Wins Races and Change Initiatives

Every winning team enters a race with a clear strategy—leaders must do the same in transformation. Without a roadmap, organisations risk running out of fuel before reaching the finish line. Define clear goals and align your team before the green light.

🏁 Lesson 2: Pit Stops are Essential—So is Recovery

Even the fastest racers must take pit stops. Leaders must recognise when to pause, reflect, and adjust. Sustainable success means balancing speed with strategic recovery, ensuring teams don’t burn out before the fiscal finish line.

🔄 Lesson 3: Adaptability is the Key to Winning

Track conditions change, weather shifts, and new competitors emerge. Workplaces, too, must be agile. The ability to assess data, pivot when needed, and embrace continuous improvement is what separates great teams from the rest.

🔄 Lesson 4: Engagement and Communication

🔹 End-of-year contracts were the headline news in 2024. But what resonated most on social media? The letting go of people, the team formations, the onboarding, and the real-life trials and triumphs of adapting to new roles, working styles, and the high-stakes game of transformation. Yet, just as in racing, true endurance comes from knowing when to push and when to pause.

🔄 Lesson 5: Pre-Season Remember and Celebrate the Past

The best riders—and the best leaders—celebrate the wins, learn from the sprints, and make time to rest and recover, both physically and mentally. After all, no one takes the podium without understanding that recovery is just as strategic as acceleration. Sustainable success isn’t just about how fast you go, but how well you pace yourself for the season ahead.

🔄 Lesson 6: Go Live Adapt with the End in Mind

🚥 But not everyone starts from the grid. Jorge Martin, 2024 World Champion is benched after major crash during testing in early February 2025, requiring recent wrist surgery—a stark reminder that testing the limits (whether in technology or change management) comes with risks and consequences. The best teams prepare for both the unexpected pit stops and the victory laps.

🔄 Lesson 7: Measure the Data & Monitor the Performance

🔧 Behind every great race team, the Crew Chiefs are reviewing practice data, analysing results, and fine-tuning strategies. This is no different in business—leaders must continuously assess performance, adapt approaches, and ensure their teams are primed for success when the stakes are high.

Get a little excited with me and pump up your tires for the season ahead. 

🏁 Are you and your team ready to hit top gear? Watch the MotoGP pre-launch below and get ready for an epic season:

📽️ Video: MOTOGP 2025 Pre-Launch

🔗 Read more insights and gear up for change at tarrandeane.com

#ChangeManagement #MOTOGP #OrganisationalChange #FutureOfWork #Leadership #WorkplaceTransformation #DigitalTransformation #Strategy #CourageToChange #FY2025 #FinancialYearEnd #ChangeLeadership

 

About the Author: Tarran Deane | Leadership Change Management Strategist in Australia

This is a thumbnail image of Tarran Deane

Tarran Deane is a Change Management Specialist in Australia – Expert Leadership & Transformation Senior Advisor, renowned for helping organisations navigate complex transformations with structured planning, practical execution, and a touch of humour. Based on the Gold Coast, she partners with global and government organisations across Australia including Brisbane, Northern New South Wales, and Canberra, bringing over 21 years of expertise in driving meaningful, measurable change.

As a PROSCI® enterprise certified practitioner and transformation specialist, Tarran works with leaders in the:

  • Government, Finance, Tourism, Health, Education and Not-for-Profit Disability, Aged Care, and Community Services sectors.

She is passionate about building organisational agility, empowering leaders to eliminate fear, embrace sustainable change, and delivering outcomes that align with long-term goals.

Through a select number of engagements, Tarran delivers:

When Tarran’s not consulting or facilitating, you’ll find Tarran cornering through the scenic hills of Southeast Queensland and Northern NSW on her Ducati 800 Monster motorcycle – she upgraded from the 600 a long time of go, spending time with family and friends, or cheering for her favourite riders during the MotoGP season on Kayo.

After a left knee and ankle injury in late 2024, she’s been anticipating the autumn dry roads and fast corners the next few months will hold for her.

Connect with Tarran today at TarranDeane.com or on LinkedIn @TarranDeane to explore how she can support your organisation’s transformation journey.

You’re welcome to share this article with your network.

in Leadership / Workplace Transformation
 by Tarran Deane

Those are Some Mighty Big Long Horns, M’am!

Having just returned from my #USA2018 #LeadershipImmersionRetreat that I hosted, I wanted to share some insights this month on the Dignity of Risk and the benefits of a Pioneer Spirit, after being inspired by the Texas Long Horn Cattle. Man, they had big horns. Seriously.

There are often threats to our safety – real and perceived, and being able to distinguish between those two is empowering and releases you to fully get on with the work at hand.

But not everyone sees it that way…

Leaders will often recognise the threats to personal safety or brand reputation when reviewing their service offerings – and their conduct. It’s not uncommon for senior leaders to suffer from “paralysis by analysis”, much to the frustration of their team, as programs or services are cancelled out of fear or public opinion.

In Fort Worth, Texas, we saw first-hand how it is possible to deliver your work in such a way that people – colleagues and customers – take responsibility for themselves, know the risks at hand and trust that experienced “cowboys” will be steering the “herd” and driving your “vision” forward.

We were strangers on the sideline here in Fort Worth and had no structured reason to feel safe yet we did. We respected the surroundings and the history. We didn’t fight with the Cowboys or the cattle. Instead, we observed, were very aware of our surroundings and trusted those in front of us to LEAD us.

Take a few minutes to watch my video on this and challenge your team to break through paralysis by analysis, and let go of fear this month to embrace the dignity of risk and be bold!

 

Dignity of Risk & a Pioneer Spirit eNewsletter with Tarran Deane www.tarrandeane.com leadership speaker, executive coach, female speaker, author, MC, conference keynote speaker.png

 

I’d love to know what you took away from this video?

Here’s to your leadership success,

Tarran Deane

Want to know more about how Tarran & the Team can help?

Visit www.tarrandeane.com/corporatecinderella

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

PO Box 3962 Burleigh Heads Q 4220 Australia. +61 (0)417 654305 
Tarran Deane | Corporate Cinderella Leadership Development Company
Leadership Keynote Speaker | Executive Coach | MC | High Stakes Facilitator
Change & Workplace Culture Consultant | Education, Training & Online eCourses | Onsite Events and Professional Development

We Help Leaders & Event Organisers across Australia | New Zealand | Singapore | Malaysia

in eNewsletters
 by Tarran Deane

B. Bosses – An Extract from The Alphabet Principle: Your A-Z Guide to Being a Compelling Leader by Tarran Deane

B. Bosses

n. Bosses: individuals who are usually the immediate supervisors of a number of employees and have certain capacities and responsibilities to make decisions – the term itself is not a formal title and is sometimes used to refer to any higher-level employee in a company, including a supervisor, manager, director or the CEO.^1

 

A good boss makes his men realise they have more ability than they think they have so that they consistently do better work than they thought they could.

– Charles Erwin Wilson

Movies such as Horrible Bosses portray narcissistic, indulgent people using manipulation and intimidation to fill their own insecurities or workflow demands. Thank goodness I’ve never encountered one of those.

Brave Leaders

If you want to have an impact and get the job done, then you do have to make the tough calls, expect more from your people and rally the troops. Consultation does not abdicate decision-making. This in itself is enough to cause friction within even the healthiest workplaces! Navigating this tightrope can be tricky – and alienating.

 

Some of the Bosses I’ve had the privilege of working with demonstrated all or part of the following traits:

 

The Rule of 3-by-3

Compelling Bosses demonstrate a three-fold capability: Character, Commitment & Competency

  1. Character + Likeability + Lifestyle

In my first full-time job working at a regional branch of a major bank, I had three bosses. Boss A damaged me with inappropriate remarks in the stairwell and a hand that lingered too long. That was topped off when I saw him barefoot with hanging toenails walking through the local shopping centre. He had no self-respect and he’d shattered my perception of what a boss should be.

Boss B thought it was cool, last thing on a Friday, to have me put away a tray in the giant strong room, then close the door and spin the combo with no light on. I had no idea there was a light switch or a phone inside. I cried out and he laughed thinking it was the funniest joke.

And there was Boss C who was normal and not ‘out there’. He was reasonable and left you feeling ‘safe’ as you learned. He is one of the reasons I do what I do.

  1. Commitment + Networks + Legacy 

Going the extra mile is part and parcel of most jobs. In some countries, a maximum number of ‘ordinary hours’ you can work across a month is legislated to protect the rights of workers. In reality, life is a shifting canvas of trends and seasons. You’ll need to be here, be there, turn up and turn on to connect with people and nurture relationships.

  1. Competency + Financial Intelligence + Outcomes

Upskilling through formal and informal education, internal or external mentoring and coaching will prepare you to lead your team through different seasons. Love your stats, explore what they mean, quantify what you need and work the plan to achieve the outcomes that will move you closer to your goals.

There’s something compelling about a leader who is across the Rule of 3-by-3!

 

Imagine if your team and colleagues were all on the same page? Grab Your Copy of Tarran’s Book “The Alphabet Principle: Your A-Z Guide to Being a Compelling Leader” When You Order it Here!

 

Accountable.me

Typically, the ‘buck stops here’ with bosses. Whatever the title is on your payslip, the burden of leadership remains whether you are a supervisor, manager, pastor, doctor, builder, farmer, CEO, duty nurse, owner, teacher, principal or SME owner.

Learning how to maintain transparency and honouring commitments while zig-zagging between workflow, boundaries and the life outside is all part of the excitement. Engaging with a trusted colleague, industry mentor or external coach can go a long way to help you debrief, frame your thinking and correct your course when needed.

 

Spare a Thought for Your Boss

Bosses are people first and foremost. Until we’re ready to walk in their shoes, we should do everything we can to fulfill our responsibilities as a positive member of their team. Respect their role, make a point of getting to know them and be a proactive, positive resource for them.

 

Seek to Understand, Rather than Be Understood & Be a Good ‘Follower’

If you’re not gelling with your boss despite your best efforts, or if the nature of the work or the direction in which they are leading the business is unreasonable, then follow the existing policies and procedures to reconcile or leave. Take responsibility for You Inc. and move on.

Life’s too short.

By the same token, be patient, chat with a trusted friend or colleague and gain a little perspective before it goes too far.

The 2020 environment of rapid change, increasing use of AI and high-speed pressures on start-ups are placing real demands on founders and teams. If you have been used to working in mainstream environments or industries over the past 20-30 years you may come face to face with discomfort and demands for better performance and an innovative, driven approach to sales.

 

If You’re the Boss, Then Be a Good One

Authority used wrongly – You’re the boss so don’t lord it over people. It is not about control or intimidation. It should be about serving one another, in love, using every available attribute to make a difference on the planet.

The jobs we fill do not determine our worth. Be aware of finding the right balance between being task-focused and people-driven.

Authority used rightly – You exercise consultation and inclusivity as appropriate. You demonstrate clear boundaries. You don’t shy away from the tough calls. While you ruffle some feathers, your workplace is the right place for you and if you have up-line support, then you feel safe to make the tough calls, knowing you are backed.

Role status – Your title and society status doesn’t guarantee popularity, loyalty or respect. In High Society, Grace Kelly’s last film in 1956 before becoming the Princess of Monaco, her character Tracy Samantha Lord endearingly, if somewhat naively, asks, ‘Everybody loves me, don’t they?’

Obviously, Tracy has not taken the time to consider how others see her beyond her socio-economic standing and family name. In your workplace, if you’re gaining your value from your title or perceived status, then it’s not sustainable. Like Tracy, you may need a few friends to challenge your awareness of self and others.

You will probably polarise your colleagues and team from time to time. That’s the nature of disruption and promoting accountability. It’s not unreasonable to want your colleagues to show up, turn on and do the work.

 

Imagine if your team and colleagues were all on the same page? Grab Your Copy of Tarran’s Book “The Alphabet Principle: Your A-Z Guide to Being a Compelling Leader” When You Order it Here!

 

Care enough to confront – Have robust conversations with one another. Distinguish between attacks against people versus the pursuit of clarifying practices and processes before taking the criticism personally.

Not everyone will understand you – shocking, isn’t it? Well, it can be pretty crazy. Work with a mentor or a coach to keep a clear perspective and reveal any blind spots you may have.

Tough calls – As a boss, I’ve had to make decisions that not everyone agreed with and some that I wish I could have avoided. I’ve rolled out corporate objectives after rigorous debate behind closed doors with senior colleagues and I’ve challenged staff to grow and be accountable for their actions.

In one role, leading my region through redundancies, program closures and expansions, I leveraged my networks, worked with an executive coach, used creative problem-solving, extended reporting deadlines, challenged innuendo and gossip, had the courage of my convictions, stopped rescuing people, reassessed the culture of the organisation, reflected on what I’d learnt, what I’d contributed and those I admired, before giving myself permission to walk away.

That’s a tough call when you’re loyal.

If you’re finding the season you’re in as a leader a little tough, then put some external support strategies in place, test your communication strategies, tweak a few things and make sure you’re accountable to have a good work-life balance!

Leading Millennials & Centennials

If you’re leading a generation of Millennials and Centennials, then stay clear on your values and organisational alignment. Be consistent with your behavioural expectations. Use language and interactive training sessions that share the big ‘WHY’ and bring them on the journey with you. To be compelling is to captivate and promote unity and action across all generations within the workplace.

I’ve worked with some great bosses and some not so great. I’m a mum and a step-mum to four women. I am inspired by some of the bosses my girls have had and absolutely aghast at some of their others.

I have seen high school leavers burn out because of unrealistic expectations from a fast food restaurant that would have 18-year-olds wake at 3am to start at 4am without any training on how to adjust to shift work.

I’ve seen ‘pop-up’ shop owners in shopping malls refuse to provide 18-year-olds with a break during a 12-hour shift. The kids are fearful they won’t be offered further hours so they don’t make a fuss.

As parents, we want our children to have good boundaries and to develop their negotiation skills. We also want employers to uphold the laws of the land and honour their team members with appropriate care and mutual respect, not only because it is the law but because it is the right thing to do!

In 2016 and 2017, Mr Marsh pursued Australian company Bakers Delight to address their unfair Certified Agreement after his daughter brought to his attention the pay rates she and many under-18s were receiving.^2

The courage of Mr Marsh’s convictions and willingness to step into the debate with the company generated national media attention and public outcry which led to a report in The Age highlighting the company had agreed to remove the Certified Agreement.5

 

Imagine if your team and colleagues were all on the same page? Grab Your Copy of Tarran’s Book “The Alphabet Principle: Your A-Z Guide to Being a Compelling Leader” When You Order it Here!

 

Fruits of the Spirit | A Counter-Cultural Way to Lead if You’re Combining Faith and Works

Written about 2000 years ago in the Letter to the Galatians, the country of modern-day Turkey, Paul the Apostle shares the Fruits of the Spirit. It’s a list of qualities not often associated with job descriptions of aspiring leaders and C-suite executives, yet they are the very same character and behavioural traits that enduring influencers embody.

The qualities are: love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.^3 Which one could you demonstrate more of to be compelling and maintain long-term perspective?

  • Love – Look for the gold in every person. You’ve likely heard the verse at weddings.

 

  • Joy – Look for it in the pursuit of your long-term Don’t get hung up on the short-term problems.

 

  • Peace – This comes through the hope and trust that it is all going to turn out well.

 

  • Forbearance – Patiently hang in there with others and lean on your faith because heaven knows sometimes you just need an extra bit of help!

 

  • Kindness and Gentleness – Seek to understand one another with gentleness, sincere love and truthful speech.

 

  • Goodness – Boldly do good towards all people and have the faith-filled mindset that goodness follows you.

 

  • Faithfulness – A consistent belief and trust in God, during every season of your leadership, which inspires confidence and dependability in others.

 

  • Self-control – It’s about more than not losing your cool and avoiding conflict. Rather, it is to be caring enough to confront with diligence, virtue, knowledge, boundaries, endurance, godliness, brotherly kindness and love.

 

Consider doing a weekend word study on each of the fruits. Go back to the original Greek and Hebrew meanings to explore their relevance to you and how you lead.

 

Wish your boss was different? Or your staff were better? Maybe, just maybe we could all be better versions of ourselves. Grab Your Copy of Tarran’s Book “The Alphabet Principle: Your A-Z Guide to Being a Compelling Leader” When You Order it Here!

 

Your Boss Checklist

 

  • Communicate the ‘WHY’: use different mediums to reach the various players.
  • Care for your people: know what’s important to them, have regular check-ins, look for the opportunities to hear what’s working well and find out if they may be up against something unfamiliar. Believe the best in them.
  • Be accountable: get a coach! Pay for it yourself or seek input from your employer. Professional development may be a tax deduction on your annual income return so check with your accountant.
  • Stop solely relying on emails: guard against the overuse of technology. Pick up the phone and talk to people or see them face to face. Why? Your team members may feel more valued when you do.
  • Check your boundaries: switch off that technology at a set time each evening and don’t turn it on again until a pre-arranged time the next morning. If you’re on call, develop your own personal boundaries regarding accessibility. You do not want that message light flicking at you or your spouse during those midnight hours!
  • Make diary notes: backup what you say in phone calls by using a quick diary note. Use the voice memo function on your phone and email it to yourself or your PA. Don’t over complicate things.
  • Share the load: ask for help when you need it. Don’t be a martyr by taking it all on. Expect everyone to grow during a period of expansion.
  • Review your ‘fit’ for the role: are you growing with the position and the changing requirements?

 

Are you in agreement with the direction of the business? Are you role-modelling unity and inspiring your team moving forward? Are you able to have robust conversations and respectful debate without fear?

If you sense that you and the company are no longer the best fit, develop an exit plan. @tarrandeane #leadership

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Be compelling: be someone they know, like and trust.

 

Imagine if your team and colleagues were all on the same page? Grab Your Copy of Tarran’s Book “The Alphabet Principle: Your A-Z Guide to Being a Compelling Leader” When You Order it Here!

 

Footnotes:
^1.Business Dictionary, boss, http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/boss.html

^2. Toscano, N. & Danckert, S., 1 January 2017, ‘Bakers Delight faces legal challenge over wages’, The Age, http://bit.ly/TAP-UnfairCertifiedAgreement

^3. New Testament Galatians 5:22–23 (NIV) Leading with Faith in Action. Combining Faith and Works

 

 

 

 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

 

About the Author- Tarran Deane the Alphabet Principle Your A-Z Guide to Being a Compelling Leader for Real Life at Work - Speaker, Keynote COnference Speaker, PCO Speaker, MICE Speaker, Bureau Speaker, Associations SpeakerTarran Deane is the Author of “The Alphabet Principle ~ Your A-Z Guide to Being a Compelling Leader, for Real Life@Work”. With executive and leadership experience, covering more than 41,000 hours, across human services, workforce planning, associations and peak bodies, along with banking and tourism, Tarran has spoken at conferences and events in Australia, New Zealand, Asia and the United States of America, on strategic and operational elements of Leadership, Communication, Change Management, Diversity, Inclusion and Engagements.

As a wife, mum & step-mum, Tarran loves the tapestry of family life and recharges by serving others, chilling out and racing her Ducati 800 Monster through the hills of Northern NSW.

 

 

How you lead people impacts them. Lead them well. Your Copy of Tarran’s Book “The Alphabet Principle: Your A-Z Guide to Being a Compelling Leader” When You Order it Here!

in Book - The Alphabet Principle
 by Tarran Deane

A. Authentic – An Extract from The Alphabet Principle: Your A-Z Guide to Being a Compelling Leader by Tarran Deane

A. Authentic Leadership

 

adj. AUTHENTIC: not false or copied; genuine; real; reliable; trustworthy; having the origin supported by unquestionable evidence; entitled to acceptance or belief because of agreement with known facts or experience; authenticated; verified.1

 

When we speak the seed of value over the lives we are entrusted with, a root of quiet confidence begins its journey of conviction into the battlefield of the mind. The seed is watered, valiantly breaking new ground in the face of discouragement and word storms. The leader emerges to stand not in the shadows cast by others, but rather to turn her own face to the sun, certain of her place in the world.

– Tarran Deane

 

Just Who Are You?

The rise of social media has led to a shifting of real and perceived authenticity. People post with certain filters. They’re now able to tag the topic and context of their post in their personal profiles. As workplaces are increasingly disrupted by automation and shifting goal posts, the leader who has a clear sense of his or her identity and is able to articulate it with word and deed.

 

As a compelling leader, you can inspire your team, tribe or community by providing opportunities to others to:

  • understand individual strengths and inspire personal accountability
  • promote unity and share the vision
  • require peak performance and set clear expectations
  • rejoice in the outcomes
  • honour the role of family in the life of the team.

 

Oh, Have You Got Your Copy of Tarran’s Book “The Alphabet Principle: Your A-Z Guide to Being a Compelling Leader” Yet? Click Here to Order a Copy for You and a Colleague!

 

Strip Back the Layers

It takes significant courage to lead from a clearly-stated values position in mainstream organisations. Those who do set themselves apart from the competition are fine with knowing they risk polarising some folks at work and in their target market.

So, get your brave on. Step into a higher level of personal satisfaction. Encourage your people to identify their values and take responsibility to genuinely declare the company principles or values as ‘this is how we do things around here’. is possible to be a compelling leader who has a clear vision whether you wear a pair of jeans or a pin-striped suit. It is less about what you wear and more about the vision you sow and the difference you’ll make.

Is it possible to be a compelling authentic leader who has a clear vision whether you wear a pair of jeans or a pin-striped suit? It is less about what you wear and more about the vision you sow and the difference you’ll make. Like walking your talk.

 

This takes time. I’ve read excerpts from The Four-Hour Workweek by Tim Ferriss2 and thought at the time that every workplace has its own context. There’s no way I could have cut down my executive hours working in Human Services.

Authentic Leadership doesn’t demand you throw in the towel and join a start-up or ridicule policies and procedures that are their for your protection and quality outcomes for the business.  If you try to fake who you are or your preferred work style, then you may well live on coupons and go around the mountain a few more times before you realise that:

  • work is a noble pursuit and you don’t have to leave your job to be entrepreneurial
  • you may not have to leave your own business and ‘get a real job’ either
  • to serve in the shadows can be more rewarding and influential than being in the spotlight
  • relationships matter – it is important to be kind to one another, set clear boundaries and expect more of each other and yourself.

 

Wouldn’t life be easier if everyone on your team kindly respected each other’s differences and yet came together under ONE Vision? Let’s help you to help them be the best version of themselves. Buy Tarran’s book “The Alphabet Principle: Your A-Z Guide to Being a Compelling Leader” here and we’ll send it right to you!

 

What’s the Alternative?

Often we need someone close to us or with an objective viewpoint who can challenge us if it looks like we’re ‘faking it’ or self-sabotaging. Blind spots, unconscious bias, lack of personal accountability and a readiness to blame are incredibly short-sighted and could exacerbate tensions with family and work colleagues.

If we’re afraid to pull back the layers and shy away from encouraging our people to do the same, then we may begin to see an increase in:

  • workplace conflicts
  • disengaged personnel
  • individual burnouts and mental health issues
  • loss of credibility and influence
  • loss of intellectual property
  • union involvement
  • lack of succession planning
  • loss of top talent.

 

 

Trust through Transparency and Track Record

The case is strong. You’re most compelling as a leader when you’re comfortable in your own skin and committed to learning, giving your best, bringing others on the journey with you, honouring commitments and keeping the lines of communication open.

Your life experience within your community, current industry or volunteer service will continue to shape you. Spend time to reflect on your achievements and celebrate the person you have become. Encourage yourself and be mindful that the person you become in pursuit of a goal is often as important as the goal itself.

Your team will be watching. Sometimes, it will seem like the whole world is watching how you move and respond to changes and confrontations. A lousy attitude hurts your health and limits your opportunities.

 

Your attitude determines your altitude in business and in life. – David Armstrong, Principal Advisor, Financial Planning, National Australia Bank

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If you want to go far and go together, then navigate the tension of likeability while embracing the principle of ‘It’s none of my business what other people think of me’. Your language expresses a confidence of personal conviction and teachability, leading from a position of boldness and humility.

 

Vision – What Are You Aiming For?

Our values become clearer when we’ve come face to face with what we don’t want. Over time, were confronted with the opportunity to become better or bitter. Compelling leaders choose to become better, to develop a thirst for finding the good in other people, to pursue a cause greater than themselves and to delight in the simple things. See chapter V. – Vision.

 

Buy Your Copy of Tarran’s Book “The Alphabet Principle: Your A-Z Guide to Being a Compelling Leader” & We’ll Send it Right to You!

 

Serving One Another – Become Better at It

If I am ever stuck or become increasingly tired and forget who I am and what I’m meant to be doing, then I am too busy in my ‘doing’.

Personally, I get on my knees and read the Good Book. I spend a bit of time reading my favourite passages of the Bible, listening to worship music and recharging my soul and gaining a fresh perspective on the challenges at hand.

 

Your Authenticity Checklist

Here are a few questions to ask yourself. Oh, and they’re great questions to use when you’re coaching a direct report as well.

 

  • What makes you happy or sad?
  • What ticks you off or inspires you?
  • How do you like to process information?
  • How do you like to connect with people?
  • Close your eyes and reflect on the company you Are those people encouraging you to be a better person, personally and professionally?
  • Do you understand why you like to work the way you do? Consider undertaking a work-preference style assessment with an accredited facilitator so you can gain a deeper understanding.3
  • Watch the old movie Runaway Bride and ask yourself, How do I really like my eggs? What sort of woman am I? What kind of man am I? What can I do better? Do I use banter in a harmful manner that erodes another person’s confidence?
  • Create a Timeline of Events and update it Record the date and the nature of your feelings about various key events in your life and the lessons learned.

 

 

Enough. Your alleged authenticity is not an excuse for inappropriate behaviour,” Tarran Deane, Author The Alphabet Principle Leadership Book

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You can no longer justify yourself by saying, ‘It’s just the way I am!’ or ‘This happened to me when I was younger.’

If you are self-righteous, rude, have a problem dealing with anger and avoid taking responsibility for yourself, then your time is up. You’ve been outed. Get help from your local doctor, healthcare professional or career coach.

Real Leaders understand the impact they have and are wisely responsible AND Authentic.

Be the real version of you on your best day.

 

That’s Authentic Leadership.

 

 

Be the Best Version of You. Buy Your Copy of Tarran’s Book “The Alphabet Principle: Your A-Z Guide to Being a Compelling Leader”. It’s Time for You to Shine and Stand Up for What You Believe In!

 

Footnotes:

  1. Dictionary.com, Authentic, http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/authentic
  2. The 4-Hour Workweek, http://fourhourworkweek.com/
  3. Visit https://www.tarrandeane.com and work with us!

 

 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

 

About the Author- Tarran Deane the Alphabet Principle Your A-Z Guide to Being a Compelling Leader for Real Life at Work - Speaker, Keynote COnference Speaker, PCO Speaker, MICE Speaker, Bureau Speaker, Associations SpeakerTarran Deane is the Author of “The Alphabet Principle ~ Your A-Z Guide to Being a Compelling Leader, for Real Life@Work”. With executive and leadership experience, covering more than 41,000 hours, across human services, non profits, workforce planning, associations and peak bodies, along with banking and tourism, Tarran has spoken at conferences and events in Australia, New Zealand, Asia and the United States on strategic and operational elements of Leadership, Communication, Change Management, Diversity, Inclusion and Workforce Engagement.

As a wife, mum & step-mum, Tarran loves the tapestry of family life and recharges by serving others, chilling out and racing her Ducati 800 Monster through the hills of Northern NSW.

 

 

 

in Book - The Alphabet Principle / Featured
Camping - are you kidding me? Here's four ways you can create more memories and reclaim your sanity on a mini-break by Tarran Deane - Tent in the Bag
 by Tarran Deane

Camping! Are You Kidding Me?

Camping: How to create memories, build resilience and reclaim your sanity on a mini-vacation!

 

I’m brave but I wasn’t sure if I was ready to join my new husband on a camping trip when we were first married, and merging our blended families. When Dave mentioned it, I replied, “Camping – Are you kidding me?”

 

I was still scarred from my pre-teen trips along the Oxley Highway, in the New England area of northern NSW where every school holidays my dad took us off-road, deep into the forest, believing ‘there was gold in them that hills’. Dad was right of course. There was. But I was a tall, gangly teenager, with glasses and lank hair standing in a river bed, filthy, desperately holding fast to the suction hose as it ran along the red soil edges of the creek. Pump and dredge noisily worked over time floating on truck tyre tubes behind me. Adventure tour buses passed by and passengers sat with their noses pressed up against the glass, wondering what on earth we were doing.

 

I remember the incredible self-consciousness I experienced, even as leeches crawled up my trouser legs. I discovered their swollen, blood -filled bodies only when I’d ventured far enough from camp, hoping I wouldn’t step on a King Brown snake or inland Taipan, to unzip my duds to the sounds of a blood-curdling scream that totally freaked my parents out.

As a 13 year old I was sure I was going to die.

I lived. A decade later my Dad died young, from a heart attack brought on by stress and smoking. Just didn’t wake up one morning. He was 43.

Can you believe it?

Dad and Mum worked so hard for us as a family. Dad was a builder and he taught us, by demonstrating, the importance of working together and playing together. Oh, it was messy and imperfect and I’m sure Mum was doing the majority of the work feeding us while we were away. Except for breakfast. Dad made the best poached eggs over the fire in a cast iron pan.

I must have been a right royal pain in the butt. No moaning or whining, just in that painful age of preferring books and solitude over ‘today we will have fun’.

Looking back, they gave us a priceless gift – TIME.

As working parents, blended, step, foster or any other kind, we wonder:  Is there more we could be doing for our kids? When in reality all they want is to do more with us and have our time and attention.

Working full-time as a manager and volunteering on weekends in Church, juggling shared care arrangements with my daughter’s Dad, there were always going to be demands on my time and a reason not to take a weekend off. My family was and always is my number one priority. I didn’t want to miss this and I craved to get it ‘right’. I took Dave up on his offer to trust him and see how easy and stress-free camping could be.

Maybe you’re a bit like us?

My husband helped me make new camping memories as a parent myself and I love that we’ve been able to share this activity with our kids. They love heading to the great outdoors and are way more confident than I ever was in my early teens. We’re so proud of our Little Women.

 

Wondering if Camping is For You and Yours? Give it a Go and Find Out

Honestly, taking the time whether for school holidays, a long weekend or an overnighter, is such a great strategy for clearing your mind and getting back to nature. Burnout and mental fatigue are impacting even the most dedicated employee, leaders and entrepreneurs. Make a decision to take time out. Get your toes in the sand and grass. Turn off electronics. Use a different part of your brain and be creative. Cook on an open fire or a gas flame. Pull out that Bunnings fold up table. Camping is the great equaliser. Keep it simple.

Plan to play more. It will make you a better parent, friend and leader – whatever your situation.

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Here are our top tips to step away from the stress, get grounded, be creative, reclaim your sanity and give yourself permission to explore over the holidays:

 

1. C. CLARIFY Why would you go camping. I mean, really?

Here’s some of the reasons why we did it and you might too:

  • family as a team – no more separate rooms or TVs. Dive right in together. Everyone has a job to do.
  • family as part of a greater community – go make some new friends, strike up a conversation with the older couple in the campervan, plan cricket on the beach together
  • role-modeling and teaching resilience and problem-solving
  • resetting your emotional and physical clock
  • chilling out and laughing at yourself – I chased a bush turkey once after the rain. Fully acqua-planed in my thongs (flip-flops), landing square on my tailbone. The boys were gob-smacked, making sure I was alright before belly laughing hysterically, noting I must have launched a foot straight up, completely airborne!
  • letting the kids see the ‘unhurried side of you’. They pick up on and the ‘busyness’ of our schedules. Don’t rush. Relax, draw out the conversations and be present.
  • reconnecting with yourself and each other
  • reading the books you’ve wanted to read
  • build your own resilience and gently reflect on why you handle things a certain way
  • starting them young to be strong and capable
  • detaching from technology – enough said
  • meeting and talking to strangers within the campsite, developing conversation skills
  • re-establish the leadership within your family i.e. Mum & Dad on the throne vs. Kids on the throne and calling the shots
  • affordability for a family, proximity to home and fitting in with everyone’s schedules
  • slowing down, clearing your mind and re-evaluating your priorities

 

TIP: Give yourself permission to take a mini-vacation every few months, play in the sand, walk barefoot in the grass and tell tall stories as you sit by the fire. Making memories, whether by yourself or with friends and family is the stuff that life is made of.

You sort through the above considerations and camping may just be a perfect, low cost, fun option for you, your friends or family!

 

2. AGREE on your not-negotiables.

  • Safety 

For you and the kids. Choose a place that your friends recommend or search for good reviews on trip advisor. Secure your belongings in the car when you’re away from your site. Do not take valuables with you – leave the laptop and computer games at home. You may wish to leave the beaten track to experienced campers.

 

  • Tent or van 

Camping - are you kidding me? Here's four ways you can create more memories and reclaim your sanity on a mini-break by Tarran Deane - Tent in the Bag

Scroll to the bottom of the article for the blooper reel and watch me try and get that tent back in the bag!

You decide on your comfort and well your outlay, parking and insurance requirements. We love the tent because there’s barely $200 tied up in and we simply stow it away under the house when not in use. totally choose the throw-out tent. The best set up, full stop.

 

  • Amenities

Do you need wheel chair accessible toilets or maybe the thought of a secure shower block gives you more peace? Today’s camping grounds may range from rough and ready old school to mod con shared community areas, complete with catering fridges, toasters, kettles and some even have onsite coffee machines.

 

  • Budget

Staying in Australian campsites you can expect to pay a fee per person. The onsite managers usually only allow one car per campsite UNLESS your vehicle also has some side or tailgate awning then you could claim it’s part of your accommodation, similar to a caravan.

 

  • Duration

You know how much time you can get away from work and responsibilities in our experience if you really want to unwind give yourself time to set up, play for a minimum of 2-3 nights. Over school holidays, stay longer. 5 days maybe.

 

  • Location / distance from home

allow plenty of time to enjoy the journey in both directions. Gone are the days where you get in the car, strap the kids in and tell them to hold it till they get there! Enjoy the journey. Seriously, it’s a large part of the fun!

 

TIP: Check the long range weather forecast if you’re planning a few weeks in advance. You may not want to be stuck in a tent in the pouring rain for days on end, unable to light a fire or pee in the bushes without the fear of being struck by lightening! #Justsaying

 

3. MAYHEM – it’s the only guarantee.

Like the time to wheel fell off the trailer or I chased a bush turkey after the rain and became completing airborne after skimming across the water, to land square on my tailbone, or when the goannas came in across the boundary fence from the national park and into the tent. Honestly, they just don’t respect signage.

Or that time we tried to outrun a huge dust storm that we could see coming towards the campsite. It was the fastest tear-down and pack of the car. It chased us all the way back up the coast

Or the crowded campsites that unexpectedly happen when interstate long weekends or school holidays coincide with your plan quiet escape.

 

Tip: have a system for setup and tear down, that can happen fast! Always carry water, a firefighter and a torch. Have a pre-charged battery pack for your phone. Make sure you do turn the car engine completely off and don’t drain the battery listening to the radio or firing up the fridge that plugs into the vehicle cigarette lighter.

 

4. PREPARE.

You’re not going to be able to PLAN for every contingency and there will be some clumsy, rough moments but here are a few of our favourite items we have ready to go and stored in our loft, whether we’re traveling as a couple or taking the kids with us:

CATERING or Feeding the tribe:

  • Cooking: a single gas burner cooker and/or a mini-weber style, enclosed fire with a grate for you to sit a pot on for heating up or making a cup of your favourite tea or coffee.
  • Pantry: 2 x54 Litre clear plastic containers: 1 with dry goods like condiments (anyone use that word still?), tea & coffee, tins of backup food like beans, cous cous and in the other, your cooking equipment, cutlery, mosquito spray, spray olive oil, knives, foil for those potatoes you’re going to throw in the fire
  • Cold Storage: an esky or plug in fridge. You may not want to take refrigerated items, but it’s up to you depending on length of time. We always take a long life milk and some of those sachet coffee packets and for short stays, a great esky with bags of ice and a cake rake. You may think this is weird, however a cake rake keeps the egg cartons and sald of the ice. I know, clever really.
  • Bench: Store a light weight 1500wide table for meal preparation or if you’ve got a car with a rear tray like a hatch-back or station wagon that could work.

 

TIP: Keep your food covered when out on benches as those bush turkeys, ibis and crows are cunning little campers and quite like picking at items left out – and your nerves!

 

TENTS or your accommodation of choice:

Oh this it what it looks like! Here's four ways you can create more memories and reclaim your sanity on a mini-break

“I know, how cool is this? So easy to set up!”, says Tarran Deane

  • Throw out tents like the one’s pictured, that have built in fly screens and good ventilation are so easy to set up! This one of ours fits a double self, inflating mattress.

BEDDING:

  • 1 x self-inflating Double Mattresses
  • Sleeping: sleeping bags that unzip completely so you don’t over heat + pillows
  • 1 double fitted sheet for the base of the mattress
  • your pillows with old pillow cases so it won’t matter if they smell like wood fire

 

LIGHT MY FIRE:

  • Take a mini-weber that you can use for an enclosed fire and a bag of wood and kindling from somewhere like Bunnings or your local service station. A lot of campsites are near national parks and have all-year round bans on collecting firewood or lighting open fires.
  • Fold up chair with built in side table. We love these. Otherwise if it’s your first camping trip, take a picnic rug and throw in some cushions from home.

TIP: practice folding your tent up at home in your garage and have someone FILM you on your smart phone. This way if you feel like you’re going to dissolve into a crazy person you’ll be able to reclaim your sanity, catch your breath and eventually nail it!

 

Now What? Do You Head Off on the Next School Holidays or Seize a Mini-Vacation?

Reflect on those 4 key points:

  1. Consider – the pros and cons
  2. Agree – talk about the details, include the family in the decision-making and ultimately, dive right in!
  3. Mayhem – let go of what you can’t control
  4. Prepare – deal with what you can

It’s your call.

I’m ultimately grateful for what my parents did for us, even though at the time it seemed like hard work. Now in our own family, we have it down to a fine art and all our kids are now doing it themselves, with friends and family.

 

There have been many times when I have sat around my own camp fires and listened to friends and family chat, staring into the firelight, grateful for the sanity that camping brings and what it adds to my life.

 

So next time you’re considering where to take the family the next school holidays or how you and a few friends can get together, consider going camping. You’ll be glad you did.

 

We’re heading out again in a few weeks and you know what? Dave makes the best poached eggs.

 

 

Bloopers – Trying to Fold Up the Tent and Put it in the Bag

Blooper Reel – No.1 with Tarran Deane – nope it’s not folding up

 

Blooper Reel – No.2 with Tarran Deane [She gets it about 2 mins in]

 

 

*Media Release*

The four key camping commandments for these school holidays....

Whether it’s for school holidays, a long weekend or an overnighter, camping is great for clearing your mind, connecting with your kids and getting back to nature. Burnout and mental fatigue hit even the most dedicated employee, boss or student and the best antidote is the great outdoors. Get your toes in the sand and grass. Turn off electronics. Use a different part of your brain and be creative. Cook on an open fire under the stars. Tarran Deane was once a reluctant camper, scarred by teen camping adventures with her gold-prospecting father. Now she’s taken to it like a duck to water. Here’s her 4 key CAMP commandments 1: Consider – the pros and cons of location, climate and amenity. 2. Agree – include the whole family in the decision-making and dive right in! 3. Mayhem – let go of what you can’t control – chaos is part of the fun. 4:  Prepare – plan as best you can, and let the rest go!

Contact Media Stable Expert: Tarran Deane, CEO, Corporate Cinderella – workplace culture and customer service expert.
PH: 0417 654 305
View FULL Profile

 

in 001. Personal Leadership / 007. Family Leadership / Switch Off
 by Tarran Deane

BOOM  Thack Thack: When Your Leadership Gets Stopped Mid Journey

How do you react when your plans get blind-sided? 

Do you ever have one of those days where you delight in everything and almost miss the significance of the hazards you encounter? Like pheww – that was lucky! 

I did. 

It got me wondering… Would you open up your house to a stranger at the door? Hand over a tool? Share your story? Go the extra mile and offer the last slice of home made chocolate cake?
Last Saturday I was dressed inmy  kevlar, camo bike pants. An extra bike vest to guard against the light chill. It was a beautiful, crisp Autumn morning when I left home on my Ducati. My husband Dave was on his Aprilla and we set off to meet our friend Steve at the nearby service station.

LEADERSHIP SPILLS & NEAR MISSES

Arriving at the Caltex first I noticed a fuel spill ahead at one of the bowsers. As a motorcyclist, diesel or oil spills are a dangerous risk for riders.

No problem. Dave went into pay for our fuel, and offerred to access the spill kit and clean up the fuel at the empty bowser, which he did. Love that about him.

Got a question for you…. Is your business seeing safety as an expression of customer service vs straight out compliance issue? As a Leader are you dealing with ‘spills’? It could be time to clean house and be clear who’s on the team with their eyes wide open.

LEAN IN. Like You Mean It. 

Continuing on our adventure, cornering through the hills of northern New South Wales, everything was going fabulous!

I was leaning in like nobody’s business! I love left-handers, my hip slides back on the seat, slightly off centre, the throttle opens up and I was chasing Dave through the mountains with a huge grin.

Lesson: Find your leadership groove and enjoy the ride! 

I let Steve pass me and I’m tailing the boys. We slow down, entering the small town of Burringbar, passing the Burringbar Service Station as we’d done so many times before. 2 kms further down the tar and just short of another left hander Dave and Steve cornered from view when my rear tyre went BOOM!! Thack Thack Thack!! 

Yep, BOOM Thack Thack Thack!! 

Lesson: when you know something is wrong, stop! Pause and evaluate

Pulling up outside a small house I checked out the rear wheel. No sound when I got off the bike. I called the boys knowing they would have almost stopped at the Moo Moo Cafe at Mooball, ready to order the coffee’s.

Lesson: know your Leadership routine, where to find help and ask for it when you need it

Gosh I love travelling with my own pit crew. Hightailing it back to me, without their coffee orders, they arrived to see me standing with a rear wheel now hissing out air.

The three of us moved the bike forward half a rotation when the source of the BOOM was identified.

The scar lines along the tyre showed where the steel had scraped, before flicking up on its’ end, puncturing the thick wall and embedding ao hard that only pliers from the nearby stranger could extract it.

Lesson: Some issues we encounter at work are bigger than we realize. Investigate and pull out all the facts

Dave had an idea to head back to Burringbar Service Station for a can of Pyrol Pump Inflator, and they came through.

Lesson: Be prepared to be surprised by country stores. They almost always have something you need! 

Unfortunately I was pretty much stopped in my tracks, able only to limp back to the Burringbar Service Station and Cafe with the temporary repair. The puncture too deep and wide for the pyrol to fix.

Our solution, pull-up chairs next to the Indooroopilly Bike Riders in their lycra inside and allow ourselves to be loved on and spoilt by new friends Cheryl and Lindsay, owners of Burringbar Service Station and cafe. Great coffee and home made chocolate cake.

Here’s how I was blessed by these turn of events, while Dave and Steve rode back to the Gold Coast to pickup the motor bike trailer and come to my rescue a second time, and I prepared to sip on my second Latte.

  • Spouses and friends are to be honoured and never taken for granted
  • A good coffee opens up conversation. Find out their signature dishes. Cheryl and Lindsay are renowned for their Prawn Cutlets!
  • Remind yourself people are inherently good
  • Accept hospitality when offerred and be gracious
  • Relax and do something different. Take off your boots and your safety jacket and let tour hair down
  • If you have data, wifi and battery on your smartphone, redeem the time. Write a blog. Checkin on Facebook. Lodge a TripAdvisor review.
  • Honour privacy
  • Give thanks

That’s a BOOM Ta Dah Award for great customer service by Cheryl and Lindsay of Burringbar Service Station and Cafe, and a huge nod to the warmth of humanity that seeks to serve others by what they have in their hands.

Who can you thank today?

  * Look at the size if the piece of steel! Grateful it didn’t flick up and hit anyone. A day of surprises! 

 

Keywords: Adversity, Leadership, Resilience, Customer Service, Opportunity, Value-Add, Loyalty

in Lessons from the Road