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The Wheel Keeps Turning

Or so it may seem. This quarter has seen me interstate facilitating some strategic planning workshops; overseas…

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Employee Engagement starts with a Deliberate Exploration of Futures

Some thoughts flowing from my session discussing challenges in Futures Consulting posted by James Balzer: I’d explained…

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The Future of Workplaces

Tomorrow morning (Friday the 12th)  I’ll be joining Elizabeth Kulas on Disrupt Radio discussing the Future Of…

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A New Form of Goal Directed Intelligence

It’s extremely rare that I post to a specific article and say ‘go read this’, which is…

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Looking Up Feeling Good Partners with Steel Chicks

If you followed my numerous posts over the years you know I like jumping in early on…

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Dragging Workplaces back to the 1760s – the Work In Office Dilemma and the Productivity Myth

In the 1760s Josiah Wedgwood changed forever the nature of workplaces. He expanded his pottery business and…

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Dr Kim Hazendonk joins our Speaker’s group

We’re delighted to announce that Neuro-Psychologist Dr. Kim Hazendonk of Positive Brain has accepted our offer to…

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Embracing the Hybrid Workspace – are You there yet?

I flag my bias towards the need for a vastly improved approach to managing staff in the…

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Exploring Strategy Development – the Organisational Evolution model

An interesting public workshop in Perth in the first week of October introducing a varied group to…

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Perth workshop 5th October almost fully booked

A note for those of you in Perth that there are just 4 spaces left for the…

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Delving into Heatwave Scenarios

Later this month I’ll be facilitating a scenario session looking at the potential impact of a long…

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Introduction to the Organisational Evolution Model workshop in Perth

Looking Up Feeling Good will be running an workshop on the Organisational Evolution Model in Perth. The…

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Sponsoring Vic 55 2s Master’s Hockey

Looking Up Feeling Good are delighted to be associated with the Victorian over 55 2s at the…

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Why You Need to Read ‘Invisible Women’ Now

If you’re involved with setting policy, allocating funding, designing products or services and delivering on them, then…

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Preparing for Heat Waves In a World Primed to Cook

Are we there yet? Have people finally cottoned on to the idea that maybe, things aren’t going…

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Strategic Impact of Long Term Decision Making

One of the most challenges aspects for owners of businesses, and also for Boards charged with running…

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Emerging Risks for Australian LGAs

Local Governments in Australia face an emerging risk space that many seem unaware of. Brought on by…

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Getting Over it Being Over, Not Over

It’s been a rather hectic few months here at Looking Up Feeling Good in between getting a…

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High Risk Play for Australian Retailers Opening in a Covid19 Constrained Environment

Interesting emerging dynamic about to land on the shop fronts of Australian retailers that pose serious risks…

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How Main Stream Media Fomented the Latest Victorian #Covid19 Outbreak

There’s a lot not to like about the latest spike in Victoria’s #Covid19 numbers. And the most…

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Why Climate Change Intervention is WAY Easier than We Think

For those of you that follow me on other platforms, you’ll have seen, heard or read some…

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Explaining the #Covid19 #Pandemic using your own car as if it was your body

Trying to understand something you’ve never experienced before can be a real challenge. In this post the…

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The Reality about Hybrid Work

There’s a significant disconnect with a number of articles on ‘Hybrid Workplaces’ and it’s really disappointing to…

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Sports, Recreation and Active Living Start Ups Opportunity Funding

Hi everyone – though a focus on particular those of you in Victoria, Australia who have an…

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Post-Covid Workforce Planning framework

Old normal, new normal, normal normal. As some businesses aim to rush back to ‘old normal’ they’re…

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India’s Covid Surge has a Fat Tail for Australian Companies

As Covid19 variants continue to emerge, the cause of which can be fairly placed at a lack…

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The near term future – 3 Months to 3 years

What does the future hold for Australia in the next 3 months, to 3 years? Travel, work,…

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Before I Was Me – thoughts on what aging might hold

Sometimes the words come to you readily and this small piece has me thinking about what I’d…

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Waving Goodbye to Wedgewood’s Factory in HR

I was doing it well before then and there’s clips of me online going back as far…

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Why the Future of Vertical Farming is Two Decades Ahead of Expectations

Like lab grown meats, Vertical Farming is going to be part of the future of food. For…

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A Shift in Perspectives – What Commercial Property Owners Are About to Experience that Many have Never Before

In rental and lease markets it’s fair to say that for the best part of three decades,…

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PPE Opportunities for Australian Manufacturers Emerging in the USA

With Australia having just about wrestled Covid19 to the ground (NSW remains a bit of an issue)…

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The Mechanical, Psychological, and Biological Interventions of a Pandemic

The Mechanical, Psychological, and Biological Interventions of a Pandemic With Johnson and Johnson also pausing it’s #Covid19…

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Life Versus Lifestyle – Approaching Life AfterLockdown

It seems that one way or another, Victoria is going to pop out of #Lockdown. Probably not…

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The art of sanity in a Pandemic Lockdown

No, it’s not easy. Most of the challenges come down to our expectations – are they valid…

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Covid19 – Helping People Deal With Lock-down Events

A thought on the ‘Why should I be in lock-down in my suburb, it’s not fair that…

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What Makes Good Visions?

Visions are forward looking statement, but good ones, REALLY good ones have key elements 1. They are…

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State Governments Dodging Responsibility or Just Not Alert to Reality?

If there’s one thing that the #CaronaVirus has shown us loud and clear it is that we…

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Councils need to Pivot their Parks assets Usage NOW!

Most Councils and Government community assets are in full lock-down. Now more than ever, Local Councils Must…

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China’s Gift: Carona Virus Pandemic Threatens Insurers in two ways and one is way More Costly

Travel Insurance Providers may face claims for cancellations for travel plans yet taken. But the HUGE risk…

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‘China’s Gift’ – Why the AFL needs to Prepare for Crowd-Free Rounds

China’s Gift to the world, the #CaronaVirus is not yet as severe as what the US gift…

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China’s Gift Has a Fat Tail – Corporate Collapse

Potential Impacts of the Carona Virus will cascade across the globe. With deaths on track to climb…

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My Personal Experience of #Covid19 (thus far)

Five days ago I tested positive for Covid. Here’s a bit of what the story has been…

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If that, then what? The question that unlocks almost everything

Decision making is an interesting field of inquiry. I’m about three months in to a long term…

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Can GM Foods rescue the planet? – the Only way GM food can come to our rescue

There’s a little problem with food production in the world that not many people want to talk…

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Employee Engagement Beyond the Workplace

My most recent long term client contract had me specialise in Employee Engagement, something I’d done consistently…

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Social Issues Hackathon co hosted by Casey and Dandenong

Great to see some quality collaboration between the City of Casey and City of Greater Dandenong aimed…

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Beyond VUCA – the VUCA 2.0 concept

Most people who’ve been involved in planning and strategy development will have heard of VUCA – Volatile,…

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Is Manufacturing Output Data a Reliable Indicator of Economic Activity

In short – ‘No’. In days of yore manufacturing data meant jobs being done, employed people being…

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The Drive to Make Futures Thinking Pragmatic

  I’ve writen a fair bit over the years about the need to move futures thinking out…

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Australia, We Are Killing Ourselves

Every where we look we are being given clear signs of the blatant stupidity and arguably outright…

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2019 The International Year of the Cooperative

Every year I aim to identify what I think a major focus of the upcoming year will…

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Can the United States Survive the Childish Tantrums of an Incompetent President?

Here we are with the last posting of the year looking at the potential for wide ranging…

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When will the next Federal Election be held in Australia?

I’m reluctant to make predictions but am getting a few calls so: My tip is on a…

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Asia on the Rise – why Australia’s Neighbours Will Leave us Behind

The Asian Productivity Organisation has shifted gears from being a centre for member countries to talk about…

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10 years on from the Australia 2020 Futurists Summit

The question is, ‘how does the thinking inside this document stack up?’ Turns out, pretty good. What…

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BBC Article on the Future of work and the likely skills needed

it’s OK not to know your career path when you leave university – sometimes that won’t emerge…

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Inverting the City/Country Dynamic

At a recent session with the Gen Y group working on the ‘Future Melbourne’ project for the…

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When it comes to decision making ‘Bias’ can be friend or foe

McKinsey’s interview with Richard Thaler on ‘debiasing the corporation’ is a really good one. I’ve spent the…

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Disaster Ahead for the People of Ipswich

As the Ipswich Council has determined that recycling schemes are too expensive and indicates it will end…

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Using Foresight Thinking to Enhance the Productivity of Nations

As Nations look to develop their understanding of Productivity and more effective planning, National Productivity Councils are…

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Saving the Polar Ice Caps

Okay I admit that on the first take this idea might sound a little crazy. I reminded…

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To Manage Your Expectations, First You Need to Know What They Are

We all use words that tell us about the results that were achieved and whether our expectations…

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There’s No such Thing as a Normal Future

The last couple of months have been hectic to say the least, with a myriad of client…

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I’m nominating 2016 as The International Year for Consumer Fightback

Those of you that have been tracking this website for a while will know that towards the…

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Planning Tips for Local Government Agencies

I’ll be helping to kick off the Local Government Corporate Planners Conference in a couple of weeks,…

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Why Donations Won’t Fix the Plight of Australian Farmers

The immediate needs of farming families are obvious. Feed to keep stock alive, someway of holding onto…

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The Four Phases of an Adaptable, Resilient and Sustainable Organisation

There are four phases of thinking that every organisation MUST have available to them if they plan…

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A Fork in the Road for the National Party

Life is full of interesting and not so interesting choices. Some seemingly mundane or innocuous choices turn…

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A Common Mistake That Kills Your Ability to Achieve

It probably does not get much simpler than this – no MBA required, no advanced training needed….

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Xmas and all that paper

In parts of the world it’s Christmas day, a time for excusing your retail spending on a…

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Victorian Election – who should you* vote for?

Part of being effective as a futurist is being able to assess potential issues and their impact…

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Curing Brain Cancer One Fund-Raiser at a Time

‘m wrapped to be acting as EmCee for the third year in a row at Blackwood 8’s…

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Memo PM Turnbull – Your First 100 Hours

The major party in Australia’s dual party Government, the Liberal Party, has removed their leader Tony Abbott,…

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Picking the Right Futurist for Your Strategic Insights

When I look at my overall client types, it seems to me that I have two main…

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The Outsider’s view of the Inside Futures

As a consultant, one of the great puzzles I consistently discover is the mindset many clients hold…

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What the Weather Bureau can do to help this Drought

I’m going to come back to an idea I first floated back in 2004. By and large…

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How to Stop Japanese Whaling in its Tracks

Whilst I appreciate the efforts that Greenpeace, Sea Shepherd and the various Australian Governments have given regarding…

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The Quick Low-Down of Corporate Visions and why they Fail

I’ve just read an article about Corporate Visions and getting employees on the same page. And as…

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How California can Learn from the Australian Experience of Drought

As the drought in California continues to bite hard on the lives of millions, a recent article…

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Will a Change in Greens Leadership make the Nationals Redundant?

With the moderately surprising news that Christine Milne had decided to step out of her current political…

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Why most Strategic Plans are little more than wish-lists

In fact I’ll go one step further and say that many Strategic Plans are DELIBERATE methods for…

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Why Battery Technology will force Power Companies to embrace domestic supply

Around Australia and parts of the world like the USA, some governments and especially many large scale…

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Men, What Will Your Legacy Be?

I’m male. You may like to take that into consideration with the rest of what you read…

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The Future of Energy

  On a day when The Age front page ran a story of mass disconnections of householders…

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Eat OR Extract? You CANNOT do Both

With Farmland across NSW, Queensland, & the Northern Territory under pressure from the mining sector, the quality…

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2015 will be the International Year of Battery Technology

For the past few years I’ve decided to declare each year to be something I think the…

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Why Uber is not part of the Sharing Economy

I keep reading posts that Uber is an example of the ‘sharing economy’, the one in which…

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Incumbent models are vulnerable to leapfrogging technology. Here’s why:

One of the reasons I founded The Australian Strategic Planning Institute was to ensure that high quality…

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Down the Drain with a Four Minute Shower – redux

As Victorian edges its way into a new drought phase and plays catch up to other parts…

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A 2003 Prediction about 2015 One Step Closer to Coming True!

Sometimes when you look at enough assorted pieces of information a clear pattern emerges. In a previous…

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How Digital Agencies Will Fail Everytime

Tomorrow I’ll be at the State Library of Victoria as part of the #V21 Digital Summit. In…

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Are Interest Rate Levers too Clumsy for a Teetering Economy?

I’ve been having a think lately about whether the use of Interest Rate movements by the Reserve…

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Leading with One Hand Tied behind Your Back

There’s a few problems with the successful leadership lists that bounce their way around the internet. In…

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Why Coal’s biggest problem right now, is not renewables

There’s no doubt that coal has a legitimacy problem with large swathes of the public around the…

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How do you handled ‘the unsettled’ transitions?

At almost every stage in a shift in the way societies and organisations operate, there comes a…

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Things I Should Have Said But Didn’t

Sometimes when we have the chance to say something, we don’t. About two years ago one of…

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The Loud Secret: Underestimating your Internal Skill Sets

I’ve just posted a quick overview on LinkedIn called The ‘Loud Secret’ – Underestimating your internal skill…

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Queues – coming to an Emergency Department near you

Health Care costs in Australia are rising and are likely to continue doing so as our population…

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Towards the one step replacement of damaged DNA & promise of living forever

We’ve been getting far more effective at understanding the way our brains work especially as they relate…

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