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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

17/12/2025

Unlike everyone else - I DO judge books by their covers.

Hargreaves has just re-released his book with a punchy new cover. Same brilliant content inside, but now it actually jumps off the shelf and says, “pick me up”.

Which feels fitting, because the photo I’m sharing is very on-brand for this time of year....
Me at the hairdresser,
reading Steve’s book,
squeezing learning into the cracks of a packed diary.
Hair foils in. Brain switched on. Utilising my time in a mad way.

What struck me, rereading parts of it, is how timeless Steve's thinking is.
No hype.
No buzzwords.
Just clear, grounded insights that still land, whether you’re leading a team, facilitating change, or simply trying to be more intentional about how you show up.

The new cover feels like a signal. This work still matters.
Maybe now more than ever!!! And sometimes a fresh look is all it takes to invite a whole new group of readers into ideas that are already solid.

It also reminded me how often we say “I don’t have time to read”, when actually we do....
It just looks like ten minutes here.
A chapter there.
A moment in a salon chair when the world briefly slows down.

Huge congrats to Steve on the re-release.
Same wisdom, new energy, and a cover that finally does the content justice!!

16/12/2025

Golf clubs are communities within communities.

You’ve got volunteers, staff, board members, long-timers, newcomers… all with different strengths, motivations, and ways of working. And when those differences aren’t understood, things can feel harder than they need to be.

A recent CliftonStrengths session with the Queenstown Golf Club team was a brilliant reminder of what happens when people finally see each other clearly.
The moment someone realises
“Oh… that’s why you make decisions that way” or
“That’s why you always ask that question” is the moment the whole dynamic shifts.

And honestly… the best part?
Hearing people say they understood how to work with each other instead of around each other.

Huge thanks to the QGC crew for diving in, getting curious, and bringing their whole selves to the session.

Can’t wait to see how these insights shape the seasons ahead.

15/12/2025

At first glance, this photo looks like a group of people who’ve never met before!!!

In reality... this is Cohort 2 of the team, wrapping up their Teamwork Blueprint programme for 2025. The same group who’ve spent the last six months learning together, challenging each other, and doing the real work of embedding a shared language of CliftonStrengths and the Emotional Culture Deck across the organisation.

SSS has taken a bold approach by putting their entire organisation through this learning.
Not just understanding personal strengths, but using them.
Not just talking about emotions, but building the confidence to name them and work with them, especially when things get busy or uncomfortable.

This cohort has played a huge role in making that real.
Modelling the language.
Holding the line.
Repeating the conversations long after the workshops ended.

So yes, the spacing in this photo is misleading.
These people ACTUALLY know each other well!!
They’ve built trust, shared plenty of honest moments, and laid strong foundations for how teamwork shows up at SSS.

And next time, I promise I’ll get everyone to stand a little closer together 😉

14/12/2025

Wrapping up the most recent Land Search and Rescue - LeadSAR Future Leaders programme in-person weekends has left me feeling genuinely inspired.

What strikes me is the commitment of these awesome humans.

They all have day jobs.
They already volunteer their time to serve their communities through Land Search and Rescue.
And on top of that, they volunteer again to take on a year-long leadership development programme!!!

That is blimmen impressive!

Their willingness to learn, reflect, challenge themselves, and step into the discomfort that leadership sometimes demands is something that truly deserves recognition.

To this cohort: thank you for the mahi, the curiosity, the honesty, and the generosity you’ve shown each other this year. You’ve earned every bit of progress you’ve made, and your communities will feel the ripple effects of it.

It’s been a privilege to walk alongside you in 2025.
Here’s to the leaders you’re becoming, and to the impact you’ll continue to make across Aotearoa!

See you in 2026!

11/12/2025

So… about that tender.
A few of you have asked how it went.

Well, the image below probably tells you everything you need to know.

After hours and hours of work, late nights, careful pricing, endless forms… I received an email that didn’t even bother to include my organisation’s name. And yes, the phrasing was so generic that I’m 99 percent sure it was generated by ChatGPT.

Which is… a choice.

It was a good reminder of something I already knew but temporarily ignored: tenders and RFPs take an extraordinary amount of time, energy, and emotional labour. And often, the people on the receiving end genuinely don’t give a s**t. Not because they’re bad people, but because the system is built for scale, not for care.

So this is me circling back to my original vibe: if you run a small business, think very carefully before investing in a process that may not value the effort you put in. Sometimes the opportunity cost is far higher than the potential win.

Just my two cents after a month of paperwork, optimism, and now… a shrug emoji of a response.

Here's where I have landed...
.. next time I’m not even going to bother.

I’d rather pour that effort into the people and organisations who actually want to work in partnership, not paperwork.

Because at the end of the day, small business owners only have so much time, and I’m choosing to invest mine where it genuinely matters.

09/12/2025

Hybrid working isn’t the barrier.
Your assumptions about hybrid working are.

One thing I see often with hybrid teams is that professional and personal development quietly slips off the agenda. Not because leaders don’t value it, but because the logistics feel too hard.

Different locations,
different time zones,
different modes of working.

It’s easy to fall into the trap of thinking “we’ll do it when we’re all together again”… and then that moment never quite arrives.

What struck me in working with the HQ Travel team is how open and enthusiastic they’ve been about making it work anyway.

Instead of defaulting to face to face and absorbing travel costs, they leaned in to finding a hybrid way to bring everyone together. People from all over Aotearoa and around the world were able to be part of the same experience, at the same time, and get the same value from their professional development.

Was it more logistics?
Absolutely.

Hybrid always takes a little extra planning and a few more moving pieces.

But it’s entirely doable when you bring in someone whose brain butter is exactly this… creating connection, conversation, and development no matter how a team is structured.

So don’t park development just because the format feels tricky.
Ask for help.
There’s always a way.

A big thanks to the IVHQ team for the inspiration and the trust to design something that truly worked for everyone.

08/12/2025

Five years.
What a ride.

A few weeks ago, we celebrated Blue Mercury’s 5th birthday and honestly, my heart is still full.

There was something really special about having so many people in the room who have been part of this journey in one way or another. It reminded me that business anniversaries deserve the same love and acknowledgement as wedding anniversaries… because both take grit, commitment, and a whole lot of heart.

What has stuck with me most since the evening, were the messages from people saying “your mum would be so proud.” It’s been a full-on month, and those words have been the quiet little boost I didn’t realise I needed. So thank you for seeing me, and for saying it out loud.

To everyone who came to celebrate, sent a message, raised a glass from afar… thank you.

Blue Mercury exists because of the people who choose to be part of this community, and I don’t take that for granted for a second.

Here’s to five years of helping people find clarity, courage, and connection.
And here’s to whatever comes next!!

(This is literally the only photo/video I got of the entire evening!!)

27/11/2025

You might be the big dog in the room, but you do not always need to act like it.

Pepper could easily overpower Wally.
She has the size, the speed, and (definitely) the enthusiasm.

But she didn’t lean on any of that.

Instead, she lowered herself to his level. Matched his energy. Made herself smaller so he could feel bigger. Gave him space to pounce, chase, and win.

And honestly, they both had more fun because of it.

It reminded me how often, in leadership, we feel we have to carry the weight of being the “big dog”.

The expert.
The authority.
The one who knows, decides, or leads from the front.

But the real magic often happens when we soften. When we step down a rung, create space, and let others play, contribute, and find their confidence.

You don’t lose power by doing this. You build trust.

You don’t diminish yourself. You elevate others.

And the whole team gets better for it.

Where in your world could you try being the big dog who chooses to play small for the good of the pack?

25/11/2025

As we close out the 2025 Riders and Elephants Speaker Series, I’m feeling pretty chuffed.

Our final session with Rebecca Holliday dove into ECD and CX and honestly, it was the perfect way to finish the year. Such good energy, such real conversation.

Hosting this series has genuinely been one of the real joys of my year.

I’ve loved connecting with people doing great work out in the world and being the person who gets to bring their ideas, stories, and courage into the room.

The R&E community is something special, and every session has reminded me why.

It’s been a genuine privilege to help share the awesome work happening across this community!! Can’t wait to see where we take it in 2026!!

23/11/2025

Last week the Southern Lights were out in full force. I was completely exhausted and genuinely needed an early night. Every part of me was ready for sleep.

But then the sky turned pink and green.

I knew I should go to bed… and I also knew I would regret missing it.

So I stayed up a little longer and watched. No fancy photos, just my IPhone. No big moment. Just standing there taking it in.

And honestly, I am glad I did. I lost an hour of sleep, but I gained something that felt just as important. A moment of joy. A reminder that life is not only about getting through the to-do list.

It made me think about how often we default to the sensible option, even when something special is right in front of us.

Sometimes it is alright to choose the thing that fills your cup.

When was the last time you paused for something small but meaningful, even when you were tired?

20/11/2025

The real lesson is not in the fall, but in what we do next...

Please enjoy this hilarious video of Pepper out on the mudflats with Chelsea, our lovely dog walker (put the audio on for the full experience).

At one point she absolutely stacks it.
Full face into the ground, legs everywhere, mud flying.

For a split second she is still (mostly as her body catches up...)

If she were human, this would be the moment we lick our wounds and think about what just happened.
Replay it.
Analyse it.
Feel a bit sorry for ourselves.

But Pepper does what dogs seem to know instinctively.

She pops back up. Gives a little shake. And bounds straight back across the mudflat to Chelsea with the exact same enthusiasm she had before she face-planted.

No overthinking. No shame spiral. No “what will everyone think”.
Just up and go again.

It struck me how much energy we spend staying on the ground.
The hesitation.
The rumination.
The stories we tell ourselves before we even try again.

Sometimes the hardest part of getting back up is not the fall itself, but the meaning we attach to it.

What if we gave ourselves the same grace that Pepper gives herself?
A moment to pause, a quick shake, and then carry on with the same joy and intent we had before things went sideways.

Where in your world do you need a little more “Pepper energy” this week?

19/11/2025

The little things are never little.

I have the privilege of facilitating an all-woman cohort for a leadership fundamentals programme at the moment, and something has really stayed with me.

Before anyone even walked into the room, the organisation had already done the work of saying “you matter”.

Fresh flowers on the tables.
A beautiful cake to celebrate the start of their journey together.
Thoughtful touches woven through the space that signalled care, intention, and pride.

None of it was grand or showy. It was simple. Human. Considered.

What struck me was how these tiny gestures created a sense of belonging before a single word was spoken. The atmosphere felt warm and grounded, like the organisation had pulled up a chair and said, “We see you. We value you.”

It reminded me that leadership is often built in moments like this.

Not the big strategies or the glossy statements, but the everyday signals that show people they are worth the effort.

The little things really do matter.
They shape our experience far more than we realise.

What small touches have made a big difference for you or your team lately?

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Queenstown
9300

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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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