Thinking
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The idiot test
If people on the internet seem stupid or evil, pay closer attention. Your bubble might be morphing into an echo chamber.
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Coming soonFrom the archives
Bangers you might have missed.
The irreconcilable tensions of public leadership
If you work in the public sector, embrace the frustration. The system is working exactly as designed.
Identity
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Choose meaningful friction over costly convenience
We get to choose our hard. Convenience and conformity can have costly second-order effects.
How to conquer apathy
The unequivocal solution I would die in a ditch for.
How to lead in the Subjective Era
The Subjective Era will reward leaders and organisations who optimise for two things: trust and human agency.
Are you busy - or burdened?
If you're collapsing under the weight of things, this one is for you.
Podcasts
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PowHer podcast with Jess Stuart
Alicia talks to Jess about leadership in an AI world, structural barriers for women in leadership, and the human skills we need to stay sharp.
Why citizens' assemblies won’t fix political distrust
Democracy done better - or just papering over the cracks?
Can philosophy AI-proof your career?
The future of leadership is context - understanding the broader implications of the work you do and the role you play in the world.
Identity
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The tension is the engine
Why unresolved conflict may be the thing that keeps a life alive.
Systems
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Why people still protest Jacinda Ardern
What happens when our lives are shaped by systems we can't vote out
Society
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The kids are all right
Dunking on grumpy Boomers, broken systems, and under-regulated techno-evangelism. Nodding to young people as they laugh their way to the group chat.
What if you’re a character in someone else's story?
What The Slap can teach us about our opinions.
Stories
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From custom to conscience: calling bullshit on old thinking
Premarital sex, power literacy, chocolate cake: in. Class structures, outdated morality, fruit cake: out.
How AI will enshittify - and what you can do about it.
The value added by any technology product tends to erode. In the absence of regulation, here's a practical resistance strategy to protect yourself.
Society
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Is 2026 the Year of the Terse Email?
Why my fridge is an unaccountability machine and you might need to put your consumer rights pants on.
Meetings that Matter course - FREE for paid subscribers
Design and lead strategic conversations that drive action outside the room. Videos and workbook.
Stop trying to agree with everyone
What Councils have taught me about making decisions under pressure.
Society
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2026: The State of It
Bullshit is up, accountability is down. Here are three trends to watch and three skills to master.
Day 23: Families are overrated
You can't pick them and they might be shit
Day 20: Spelling still matters
Can you find the typo in this post?
Day 14: Kiwis don't work hard
Why did they tell me otherwise
Day 13: We need to talk about class
It's the missing piece in the D&I puzzle.
Day 11: Email is evil
Pick up the phone - or your legs.
Day 10: Play the power game
Get across the invisible stuff if you want to win.
Day 9: There's no right answer
Stop trying to make it perfect. Pick a path and crack on.
Day 8: Self-help is a con
But you might still benefit from it
Day 7: We should lose our Internet privileges
This is why we can't have nice things. Subscriber opinion.
Day 6: We should tell people to shut up
Early and often. Be cruel to be kind.
Day 5: Conspiracy theorists are right
It's a shame they're crazy
Day 3: Women should be ugly and mean
It's a great way to get ahead.
Day 2: CEOs are tiny babies
And they don't even realise it.
Day 1: Your strategy is a load of shit
And a waste of time.
Identity
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Is all advice just projection?
When people tell you what to do, they share more about them than you.
Society
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The news is killing you
(Or just keeping you scared but fear pays, so click this headline.)
NSW local government professionals become Strategic Public Leaders in Sydney
Local government managers from across NSW came together for two days of strategic leadership training with Alicia McKay - in partnership with LGPro NSW.
When decisions SUC(k)
When the stakes are high and messy, building a good process is the only way through.
The ambition vacuum
Ambition depends on shared stories about the future. The old stories have collapsed, leaving a vacuum of inevitability and futility, especially around AI, the climate, and democracy.
The busker principle
We underpay the work with the highest social value. In the new world, this toxic trait will be our undoing.
Council rates are a straight-up bargain
Don't vote with your wallet. Pick people who play nicely with others.
The P Tax
How we punish women's ambition - and what to do about it
Podcasts
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The Amazing Cities and Towns Podcast with Jim Hunt
This episode of the Amazing Cities and Towns Podcast sponsored by Bearing Advisors, Jim Hunt interviews Alicia McKay about local government from down under.
Local Legends Toolkit
Provide fun, fast and effective strategic leadership development for your Mayors and Councillors with the Local Legends Toolkit.
Poppy loppers
Why Kiwis snark at success. Welcome to the first piece in a six-part series on the ambition recession.
Four empires, one square
2,500 years of Athenian empire and colonisation compete with cheap tourist trash. Travel was the winner on the day.
Identity
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You are who you aren't anymore
Straddling the ravioli ravine with a Nashville musician to wonder about the cost of becoming yourself.
Mycenae
If you're going to make your brother eat his kids' flesh, expect a run of family murders and eventual ruin, no matter how strong your city walls are.
Philosophy 101
Three wise men, three empty historic sites, one upturned rubbish bin
June 2025 Book Report
A mixture of crotch-wetting, tear-shedding and hope-for-humanity books to improve your month
Delphi
Getting high as balls to tell the future (spoiler alert: the future is on fire)
Introducing The Ambition Recession
A new essay series is on the way.
Local government is back in the firing line
They don't want reform, they want rates-capping. This is a bad idea, but it will play well in the 2026 election.
Scrolling is the new smoking
Tech giants have copied Big Tobacco’s playbook - and it works.
Society
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Nepotism, networks and human connection
On finding an afterschool job and buying a duvet in the current digital WTF-scape + BRING BACK LANDLINES
Power
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Critical thinking is not enough. It's time you learned about power
Numbers and words are cool, but we have calculators and ChatGPT now. What you need is POWER LITERACY.
AI
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Big things should be good for us
Cos you're worth it. Public value, private plunder, and general purpose technology.
May 2025 Reading Journal
Short stories, essays and memoir to get you thinking, but in manageable chunks (+ a prompt for a mid-year reset.)
AI
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Behind the AI hype machine
Why the public conversation about AI is failing - and what leaders should be talking about instead.
NZ Herald Feature - From foster care to own boss: How a teen mum defied the odds
NZ Herald profiles Alicia McKay's journey from foster care and teen pregnancy to international consultant, author, and speaker.
AI
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The problem with AI Conference Culture
We are letting techno-optimist corporate shills dominate the chat. Get these men off the stage.
AI
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There are no magical robots
And if there are, they look a lot like the dudes who already run the show
Identity
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Everyday is everything
Find meaning in the daily drudgery or consign yourself to a lifetime of dissatisfaction
April 2025 Reading Journal
From China to Aotearoa + a focus on form
The Four Commandments of Priorities
Thou shalt have as few priorities as possible. Thou shalt treat priorities as commitments, not wishes. Thou shalt rank thy priorities. Thou shalt walk the talk in tricky times.
Identity
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Put yourself in situations
You don't need a plan. You need to put yourself in a situation and watch what happens.
March 2025 Reading Journal
Big sad stories packed with perspective
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