• This week, there have been a number of leaks and stories from the camp of NRL club the Canterbury Bulldogs regarding a player revolt against the coach. According to various sources, the coach has “lost his dressing room” and players feel as though they are being overworked and mistreated. The variety of stories culminated with […]

  • A few weeks ago, I had a discussion with a client around the value he saw from outsourcing different areas of their business. This meant outsourcing functions (or parts of it) from IT, to Marketing, People and Culture and other areas to specialist consultants who can manage it. This business has a mandate to grow […]

  • Another Financial year is upon us!   A hectic time when budgets are negotiated, performance is reviewed, and strategies re-aligned. 2023/24 will, I am sure, see a major focus on people across our organisations especially as we are still experiencing labour shortages and a consistent increase in the cost of goods. Keeping the lights on […]

  • Recruiting and onboarding new staff is a time intensive and expensive exercise.  I know this first hand, having recruited thousands of roles over the years, both for my clients and for our team at Optimum.  Devoting time to write position descriptions and job advertisements, screen resumes, conduct interviews, prepare employment contracts, procure the tools of […]

  • Before I started at Optimum, I always thought that company values were all optics and no substance. 6 months in, I’ve realised how wrong I was and how important they are for setting you up for success. Not only have the following values helped me to excel in my role, but they make our team […]

  • Teamwork is when people work together towards common goals. Defining teamwork is straightforward, but understanding how to work well as a team can be complicated. Becoming an effective, high-performing team takes a lot of practice. Great teamwork is about working together and collaborating to come up with better approaches. You know that you have the […]

  • The past couple of weeks have been quite sad weeks for me personally. Anybody that knows me well knows that I love the sport of horse racing. I have a passion for horses and have owned a few horses over the past 15 years. Last year, I went to the Magic Millions sale at the […]

  • We talk about engagement a lot in the world of work but when you see true engagement – you know it! I was lucky enough to get a ticket to the recent Post Malone / Red Hot Chili Peppers (RHCP) concert in Brisbane. Post Malone the ‘warm-up’ taught some very good lessons during his set […]

  • In January 2023, Optimum Consulting turns 20! I struggle to believe that the business has been in operation for 20 years and I have been reflecting on the journey quite a bit of recent times. There have been many “highs”, an equal number of “lows” and plenty lessons learnt during this time. Here are a […]