Blog - Sonia McDonald

Courageous Conversations

Here on Sonia’s blog, she shares tips, tricks, and insight into the world of courageous leadership. These resources help you navigate the ever-evolving space of leadership, guiding you into a world of kind, courageous leaders.

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Top 10 Skills Needed for 2021

15 Things Every Successful & Courageous Person Has In Common

5 Questions to ask Yourself for 2021

Is Leadership a routine?

Time to Assess Your Leadership

Leadership in Succession

Research show significant gaps in Australian leadership and management

Why Leadership Matters and Research to back this!

Why Leadership Must Change NOW

What was one Big Skill Gap for Leaders in 2020?

Zoomed to Lead

Are you at a Career Crossroads?

5 Things Parenthood Taught Me About Leadership

Congratulations! You are leading a difficult team remotely.

What Drives You?

Does Kindness and Leadership go hand in hand?

How to have Courageous Conversations

Great Leadership Teams “Optimise Collaboration”

Great Leaders are Great Communicators

Become a Leader for the Future of Work

Partnering and Nominating for 2021 Outstanding Leadership Awards

Empathetic Leaders Needed!

R-e-b-u-i-l-d-i-n-g a Culture Remotely

The 3 Bs?

WANTED: LEADERS for a CHANGE!

Courage under Being Fired

Adapt, Lead and Connect with your Team

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

Managing signs of “Struggle” in your Team

The No. 1 Mistake Leaders Make in a Crisis

Horrible Bosses 3

Is the Human Element the Missing Link in Business Performance?

Freakin Failing…or Bouncing Forward

LeadershipHQ – how making a mistake during a pandemic created a new company and brand

Dealing with The Jerk

Is it Safer to be Feared or Loved?

Engaging and Motivating Remote Teams

The Value of Kindness and Narcissists can be kind too

Get Free of Goal Shame

What working from home can teach us about Leadership?

The No. 1 Mistake Leaders Make in a Crisis

Communication Secrets of Remote Teams

Why Everyone Should Have a Coach

How to Build Trust

IMPOSTER SYNDROME AND FAKING IT

Rule #1 Leadership isn’t Easy

Great Bosses Appreciate Others

Are We Exhausted Leaders?

Being a Great Leader and Having a Life

Set Yourself Up for Success

Great Checklist for the Managers of Remote Workers

Free Leadership Resources & Courses

Weekly Leadership Insights

Keeping Your Mind and Body Healthy During Self-Isolation

Here Are 6 Ways to Start Your Week Off Brilliantly

From Bushfires Generosity to Coronavirus Greed

McDonald Inc. Launches The Huddle

What to do if your Manager Can’t Lead Remotely?

Stop Being Selfish.

How to Not Lose Your Sh*t

How we can teach Courage and Kindness?

We have YOU covered with Online Leadership and Learning

My Leadership is being tested and what I did about it.

12 Rules of Courage

12 Rules of Kindness

Best Bosses Do These 5 Things Differently

Literally How to Show Kindness at Work (or Anywhere)

Courage & Kindness Movement – How you can help

Leading Our Children with Kindness and Courage

What We Can Learn the World’s Youngest PM

Would You Trust a Robot Over Your Manager?

Courage to Deal with the Jerk at Work

Making Time for Your Leadership Development Even Though You’re ‘Too Busy’

How to Handle Challenging Co-workers with Kindness

Courage under a Bad Boss

Leadership Through a Crisis

Kindness will be your secret weapon in 2020

Why Corporate Australia Needs More Kind and Courageous Leaders

Are we missing Kindness today?

Importance of Kindness at Work

We Need to Celebrate Kind and Courageous Leadership

People often ask me Why Courage?

Leadership Actions that Make a Big Impact

What I’d Tell My Younger Self about Leadership

Are you a Taker or Giver?

Do You Know What Leadership Legacy You Want to Leave Behind?

Why Your Organisation in Brisbane Needs a Leadership Program

Best Leadership Program In Brisbane

Empathy is What Kills Shame

Why I am over Busy.

9 Attributes of Courageous Leaders

7 Forms of Courage Emerging Leaders Need

How to Shift From a Culture of Blame to One of Accountability

Lead with Courage

4 Skills That Make Up Courage

Get Your Brave On With These 20 Quotes

Clear is Kind

7 Laws of Kindness

15 Everyday Acts of Courage

7 Ways to be a Great Leader

9 Tips for Feeling Less Overwhelmed and Exhausted

7 Laws for Improving Your Quality of Life

These 5 Questions will truly help your Personal Growth

The 10 Things All Top CEO’s Do

7 Laws of Self Esteem

It’s the Courageous Leader that will build the Strongest Teams

7 Ways To Coach Others

8 Courageous Ways of Letting Go

Courage is Valuing Yourself

7 Courageous Conversations You Might Need to Have

Why Learning is Critical to Great Leadership

Courageous Conversations Makes You a Better Leader

Courageous Leadership Course and Program

Courage to Love My Daughter

Thoughts on Bill Shorten’s Speech and his Leadership?

7 Laws of Productivity

Let’s Squash Tall Poppy Syndrome

7 Laws of Courage

7 Ways to Coach Others

5 Things Motherhood Taught Me About Leadership

3 Ways that Kindness Makes You a Better Leader

The Brain and Overcoming Fear

7 Ways to Overcome Fear

You don’t have to be a “Leader” to have a Coach

7 Laws of Courageous Leadership

Weak Company Culture is Behind the Decline in Employee Loyalty

WHY CHANGE IS HARD – and how we can make it easier.

10 Ways to Build Your Resilience in Business

Neuroscience of Fear – Tips to Overcome Fear

We’re All in This Together

The 7 Laws of Leadership

Top Tips for Managing Resilience

Not Having It All; Is Having It All!

The HR Problems 8 out of 10 Businesses are up against

The New Kindness of Leadership

Can You Afford the High Cost of Poor Leadership?

Does Your Team Need Some Resilience?

Top HR Trends for 2019

Having a Life While Still Being a Great Leader

My Top 50 Quotes for Inspiration and Motivation

Goal Setting

6 Tips for Starting 2019 with a Great Mindset

A Courageous Act

My Wish for 2019

Millennial Leadership Style

10 Traits of the Confident Female Leader

10 Tips for being a Confident Leader

100 Years Away from Gender Equality in the C-Suite

You Need to Read This

10 Ways to Engage Your Team and (more importantly) keep them engaged!

6 Tips for Reflecting Over Christmas

6 Tips for Not Being a Superhero

What To Never Say To Your Boss

How are Performance, Culture and Leadership Linked?

Bullying in the Workplace – Why is it Still so Common?

5 Signs You’re a Brave Leader

Trust to Improve Performance

Are You Feeling Fake?

Feeling Overwhelmed? Me Too.

Focus on what makes you rock

How to Transition New Leaders

Leadership a Deal Breaker for SME’s & Start-Ups

5 Habits of Bad Leaders + Infographic + Free Plan

Top 5 reasons why you need an executive coach

3 Tips for Being an Authentic Leader

Does Being Successful Make You a Great Leader?

Importance of Values, Beliefs and Vision in Leadership

brave Summit

Brilliantly Brave…

Top Companies are Still Lacking Women in Top Leadership

3 Ways to Get a Great Mindset

Mark Bouris Show – Lessons Learnt

Rock It.

Put yourself out there!

Art of Not Giving a Crap

Focus.

Neuroscience of Faking It

Passion. It Matters.

3 Ways to Get on a Board

5 Reasons Why We Need Board Leadership

Top 5 reasons why you need a business coach

5 Keys to Building Great Connections

Leaders of Leaders Interview with CEO of carsales.com Ltd

Emotional Health for Success

Your passion is your calling.

Women’s Leadership Brain – What do you think?

Women, work-life balance and neuroscience.

Women Make Excellent Investors and Entrepreneurs

Why Working on Your Strengths is so Important

Why women need to support women, not compete with them!

Why our brains are wired to connect – Neuroleadership Summit Blog Part 1 June 2013

Why mentoring is important

Why Innovation is Important for Your Leadership Style

Why Great Leaders Use “Attentional Intelligence.”

Why Don’t We Have More Women Leaders?

Why does gratitude make us happy?

Why Caring for your Female Workers is Good Business

What’s up with the market…talent market that is…!

What would you do differently?

What really motivates your team? It’s not what you think it is

What Makes These Women So Inspiring?

What is your brain doing to you?

What is it that makes us follow one person above another?

What happened to the Bell Curve?

Welcome to LeadershipHQ

Using Brainpower in Marketing

Unlikely Entrepreneur

Unconscious Bias

Turn Your Managers Into Performance Coaches

The War For Talent Escalates

Goal Setting

The Science of Presence

The science of morality and why trust is all in your head

The Practice of Adaptive Leadership

The Passion for Innovation inside the Unlikely Entrepreneur

The Leadership Shadow

The leader’s secret skill: 5 ways to develop influence.

The Leaders as Advocate

The HR Architect spends 5 minutes with Sonia McDonald

The carrot or the stick?

The Best Leaders Put Others First

The 250 Most Influential Women Leaders

Talent and the Brain – it Grows!

Sweat the Small Stuff in 2016

Succeeding as the Underdog

Struggle for Authenticity

Stress, Sleep and the Brain – Neuroleadership Summit Blog Part 2

Spotting Leadership Potential

Soul of Leadership

Single Parenting and Leadership

Shine…

Seth Godin, Tribes and Leadership Mistakes

Self Awareness Versus Success

Recruiting with your whole brain…

Purpose Rocks

Utilising the Power Pose in Leadership

Power of the Mix

Power of the Early Adopter – How Change Builds Momentum!

Please help me help the homeless in Australia

Patricia Arquette’s Oscar Speech – What’s the Fuss?

Organisational culture and its effect on business performance

New Leaders In the Business

Neuroscience of Sales

Neuroscience of Leadership

Negotiation – You’re doing it wrong

Need to make some tough choices? Ask a woman

National Association of Women in Construction

Name that Emotion

My Absolute Favourite Books!

Managing the Mental Health of Your Team

Listen to the Fool!

Let’s bring balance to the diversity & inclusion discussions!

Leadership Truths

Leadership Success Through Failure

Leadership key to Mental Health

Leadership for Entrepreneurs

Leadership Development – what does the future look like?

Leadership Challenges & Insights

Leadership by Walking Around (LWBA)

Leadership Brisbane

Leadership balance: there’s more to it than you think

Leadership and Risk

Leadership and Innovation

Leadership Ad-Vantage

Leaders, Are We Too Busy With The ‘Doing’?

Leader’s Mindset

Just the Facts Ma’am – The Statistics on Women and Boards

It’s not just IQ and EQ that effect work performance, what about MQ?

Is your working memory really working for you?

Is Neuroscience Dehumanising?

International Women’s Day – Power of the Female Brain

Inspirational Female Leaders: Karen Marie Simmons, Transformation and Change Advisor

Inspirational Female Leaders: Ali Sherry

HR Summit Brisbane 2014

How to help your team learn

How Pride Boosts Results

How Good Leaders Keep You Safe

How Good Is Your Focus?

How business is changing in the modern world

Are You Frustrated with Leadership Development?

Holistic Leadership

Groups on Linkedin

Going For It! Bring me Richard Branson

Get on Board the Crowdfunding Campaign!

Gender Equality and Inclusiveness in the Australian workforce

Framing Your Journey

Forging an Irresistible Organisation

Exploring Role, Authority and Power

Everyday Leadership

Goal Setting

Endorphin Goal Setting!

Employee Engagement Through Leadership

Does Your Executive Assistant Need Leadership Skills?

Do you REALLY listen to your team?

Do You Have a Leadership Game Plan?

Director of Your Mind

Designing Leadership Learning – Neuroleadership Summit Blog Part 3

How to Resolve Conflict in Your Team

Daydreams and the Resting Brain

Courage

Connect and Lead Through Relationships

Clash Between the Brain and Customer Service

Change, EVP and Compassionate Leadership…

Building Trust

Building a Pipeline to Gender Equality (Free Ebooks!)

Brain Breaks

Brain Based Decision Making

Blended Learning for Leadership and Diversity

Awesome Leadership Magazine and FREE Kickstarter eCourse

As the mind changes, so does the brain

Are Your Decisions Really Rational?

Are you a responsive leader?

Are leaders too hard on themselves?

10 Ways to Be an Authentic Leader + Infograhic

10 Tips For Confident Leaders

7 Key Trends – Neuroscience of Leadership

Fast Track Your Leadership

How to be a Great Future CEO

Why your business isn’t as gender inclusive as you think, and how to change that.

3 Steps to Motivating Your Organisation’s Key Employees with Blue Ocean Leadership

3 Keys to Easily Building New Skills and Talents!

3 Steps To Boosting Your Organisation’s Effectiveness.

If social media influences your decisions, you’re probably stuffing up.

Art of Not Giving a Crap in 2018

10 Tips for Confident Leaders

How your emotions affect others

Keeping our Workmates Safe…!

7 Mistakes New Leaders Make in the First 6 Months

The Neuroscience of Fear and Vulnerability

Decoding Leadership Effectiveness

Strengths Based Training and Organisational Positivity

Are You Hiding Behind Your Leadership Mask?

The Future of HR

Leadership is an Attitude

Why leaders must be authentic

10 Ways to Engage Your Team

How to help your Team Learn

Being the Jamie Oliver of Leadership! Do you have a ‘‘why’’?

Squashing Those ANTs

Workplace Collaboration

The C Word

15 Leadership Books Every Future Leader Should Read (or anyone actually)

CEOs and the Pain of Company Growth

Resilience and Self Esteem

Qualities of Highly Successful People

5 Tips To Boost Your Productivity

Be the Best you can be!

Darth Vader of Leadership

What Makes an Inspiring Leader

Leadership Strategy and Why Your Organisation Needs One

7 Top Tips for Self Leadership

Top Tips for Building Your Brand Identity

Confidence – it’s so HOT right now

Entrepreneurs and Testosterone

The Importance of Board Engagement: Part 3

The Importance of a Great Board Culture: Part 2

Board Leadership: Part 1

Future Leadership – Globe’s Most Critical Issue?

5 Reasons Even Execs Need Coaching

Creating a Culture

Amplify: Making women leaders heard

Will you bend or break?

What I’d Tell My Younger Self about Leadership

Who Helped Me?

5 Exciting Discoveries About Our Brains (plus eBook)

We Lead Our World

Appreciative Inquiry

Are you a FAKE leader?

When Teams Work Best

Building Tomorrow’s Workforce – Supply Chain & Logistics Conference 2012

Building a Female Eco-System in Leadership

Gender Diversity – Why We Need Men Involved

Keep your brain in good shape

Are you a good mentor?

Millennial Leadership Style

Leadership and Ego

The Jerk!

How to lead a difficult team!

Board Leadership Matters

Diversity of thought – a powerful tool

Collective Leadership

11 Ways to Make it Happen

Breaking our Glass Walls

Leadership is Scary

6 Steps to Leading Change Through Neuroscience

The Science of Persuasion

10 Key Revelations from the Diversity Debates

Bad Leaders Are Contagious

Leadership is Changing

Leader’s Secret Skill (Don’t tell anyone)

7 Keys to Leadership – Neuroscience of Leadership Applications

The Queen Bee Myth

Are you as passionate as Steve Jobs?

Can Adaptability Be Taught?

5 tips for looking after yourself as a LEADER

How Extraordinary Leaders Double Profits

Self Awareness Versus Success

Lead With Emotional Intelligence

How to Stay Ahead of the Curve

Emotional Health for Success Part 2: What Does it Mean to Have Your People’s Back?

How to demonstrate thought leadership and showcase an innovative organisation

How to Create An Effective Executive Profile

Our Latest Books