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Blue Mercury - Leadership

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Blue Mercury - Leadership

Connect with Blue Mercury Leadership. We are building a social movement to inspire awesome people!

We focus all decisions around our clients, and what is right for them –
concentrating on our three core values -
individual growth, team cohesiveness and organisational prosperity

10/03/2026

Last week I had the absolute pleasure of hosting a collaboration session between the &Elephants community and the Is Unleashed crew.

Giving people a first taste of working with the Emotional Culture Deck!!

(Yes, I agree... I look totally unhinged in this photo..)

Many in the group hadn’t used the cards before. But within minutes people were sharing stories, naming emotions in their teams, and connecting the dots between how people feel and how we actually operate.

No complicated models.
No long explanations.
Just honest conversation.

Huge thanks to the SIU crew for bringing curiosity and openness to the session!!

Looking forward to our next meet up!

08/03/2026

Standing at this lookout in Tahiti over Christmas, there was a clear photo barrier.
A not-so-subtle signal about where to stand so everyone could get the shot.

And yet, these two parked themselves right in the middle of the view.
Every photo.
Every angle.

In the moment, it was mildly irritating.
But looking back, it’s also a great prompt for self-awareness.

They didn’t mean any harm.
They just weren’t aware of the impact they were having on the people around them.
How much space they were taking up.
How their position changed the experience for others.

It’s the same in leadership and in teams.

Self-awareness isn’t about shrinking or staying quiet.
It’s about noticing where you’re standing.
Reading the cues.
Understanding when your presence adds perspective, and when it blocks the view.

Sometimes growth isn’t about doing more or saying more.
It’s about stepping half a pace to the side so everyone else can see what’s possible.

05/03/2026

I don’t love surprises.

I'm an Arranger.
I like plans, context, and knowing what I’m walking into.
I can go with the flow, but like... What time does the flow start? Is there parking at the flow? And whats the dress code for the flow?

So when I was told to just turn up and trust the process, that alone felt like a stretch.

Organised by my hubby, who clearly knew that while I might resist the idea of a surprise, I’d appreciate the care behind it.

This photo was taken deep down in a cellar at Gibbston Valley, with wine, food and some of my favourite people all in one room.

A really special way to mark a big birthday, and a gentle reminder that sometimes the best moments come when you loosen your grip just enough and let someone else take the lead...

A lesson I will probably need a little more time to practice....

03/03/2026

CliftonStrengths Deep Dive: Relator

Relators don’t rush connection.
They build it, one honest conversation at a time.

They’re not here for surface-level trust or big-room bonding. They want real. Depth. The kind of understanding that comes from time, consistency, and showing up when it matters.

Working with a Relator reminds me that strong teams aren’t built through grand gestures. They’re built in the small moments. Checking in properly. Following through. Remembering what someone said last week and asking about it this week.

The risk is that Relators can be overlooked in fast-moving environments. Their impact isn’t loud. But it’s profound.

The shift happens when we create space for genuine connection, not forced vulnerability. Fewer icebreakers. More meaningful dialogue. Less performance. More presence.

Relator turns colleagues into collaborators and teams into places people actually want to belong.

If you’ve got a Relator in your team, how are you giving them room to deepen connection, not just keep things moving?

01/03/2026

Vizslas are known as velcro dogs.

They don’t just want to be near you, they want to be with you.
Fully with you.
No gaps. Sometimes it feels like she wants to be inside your skin.

Today that meant dragging her own bed outside just to hang out with me.

You know me, I like to find a leadership lesson in that!!!

Connection isn’t about hovering or control.
It’s about presence.
Choosing proximity.
Making it easy for people to belong without needing to perform.

When people feel genuinely connected, they bring their whole selves.
Not because they have to, but because they want to.

Sometimes the best reminders don’t come from books or frameworks....

They come with four legs, their own portable bed and the name Pepper🐕️

26/02/2026

Said yes to my first podcast.

Bright lights, microphones, and a green screen chatting about customer experience.

Not my usual setting, but a good reminder that CX isn’t about scripts or systems. It’s about people, emotions, and the moments that actually stick.

I loved the space to talk about customer experience in a practical, human way.

The stuff that really shapes trust, loyalty, and how organisations show up for the people they serve.

A good stretch, a good conversation, and a nice reminder to keep saying yes to new rooms!!!

Thanks UBT for giving me the opportunity to get outside of my comfort zone!

24/02/2026

Rolling out CliftonStrengths or the Emotional Culture Deck isn’t the hard part.

Getting it to stick is.

I’ve seen brilliant tools fall flat, not because the session wasn’t good, but because the communication around it was unclear, inconsistent, or stopped the moment the workshop ended.

This week I wrote a blog that doubles as a practical to-do list for leaders, HR teams, and managers who are responsible for the rollout.
Not from a facilitator lens.
From an organisational one.

It breaks down what to think about before anything is announced, what to communicate during rollout, and what actually needs to happen after if you want this work to become part of how people lead and work together.

If you’re introducing CliftonStrengths, the Emotional Culture Deck, or any people framework this year, this is the part that makes the difference.

Take a look here if you are keen for a bit of a cheatsheet:
https://www.bluemercury.co.nz/post/rolling-out-cliftonstrengths-or-the-emotional-culture-deck-in-organisations

Curious which phase organisations most often skip?

22/02/2026

This is Julie.
Shes the president of the Queenstown Golf Club.

At the Southern Swing Tournament a couple of weeks ago, Julie won the Longest Drive competition.

Was it the longest hit of the day? No.
Was it the only one that stayed on the fairway? Yes.

The other three of us hit it further… I missed the fairway by about an inch. Which, as it turns out, still counts as a miss.

It was a great reminder that success isn’t about how hard you swing.
It’s about where the ball actually lands.

If we think about this in leadership or a work setting - effort without accuracy doesn’t get you the result.
Direction, intention, and staying in bounds sometimes matters more than going all out.

Sometimes the win goes to the person who keeps it simple and keeps it in play.

Lesson learnt.

(Note - she is a wonderful human, and gave us all a sleeve of balls to share the spoils of her glorious win).

19/02/2026

Back in January, we wrapped up the 100th UBT Leadership Fundamentals course.

Three months.
An all-women cohort.
Leaders from across New Zealand and Australia. We had some wonderful real conversations, and a lot of honest reflection along the way.

What stood out to me wasn’t just the capability these awesome humans built, but the confidence. The way participants began to trust their judgement more, communicate more clearly, and lead with greater intent.

You could see the shift.
Less reacting. More intention.
Better conversations they were having with their teams.

Being asked to host the 100th course milestone felt pretty special. Not because of the number, but because of what happens when women are given time, space, and support to work on how they lead.

Quietly proud of this one.

17/02/2026

I don’t often share feedback like this, but after wrapping up a leadership programme in Sydney, I was handed these notes from participants.

What struck me wasn’t the compliments.
It was the care behind them.

The way people described feeling safer to speak up, more confident in themselves, and more willing to step outside their comfort zones.

This is why I love this work.

Leadership programmes aren’t about slides or frameworks.
They’re about creating the conditions for people to think differently, feel supported, and try new ways of showing up.

Grateful for the trust, the honesty, and the generosity of this group.

These are the moments that remind me why this work matters.

15/02/2026

Every coach needs a coach.

And just as importantly, we all need spaces for support, connection, and honest conversation with people who truly get the work.

I’m really grateful to host the Advice Collective for the Strengths Network. It’s a genuinely joyful space. A room full of curious, generous coaches sharing ideas, laughing, thinking deeply, and reminding each other why we do this work in the first place.

We come together to reflect, sense-check, learn from one another, and be supported in the tricky bits, not to perform, but to be real.

If you’re part of the Strengths Network and haven’t joined us yet, you’d be very welcome. We run four sessions each year.

Reach out and I’ll send you the details for the next Advice Collective!!

12/02/2026

A couple of weeks ago at the Southern Swing Tournament at Invercargill Golf Club, this beautiful bunch of humans took to the fairways in support of the Cancer Society.

Blue Mercury was proud to sponsor (what turned out to be) the only women’s team in the field. A small but meaningful way to support a charity that touches so many lives.

We played with my late mum in mind, (with our bright yellow socks, bringing her sunshine), but also for everyone currently facing cancer, living with it, or supporting someone they love.

Grateful for friendship, generosity, laughter, and causes that really matter.💛

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Queenstown
9300

Opening Hours

Monday	9am - 5pm
Tuesday	9am - 5pm
Wednesday	9am - 5pm
Thursday	9am - 5pm
Friday	9am - 5pm

Website

http://www.bluemercury.co.nz/

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