See more clearly
Power is getting harder to spot. Trust in government, experts, and the media is tanking, and decision-making is shifting into opaque systems and private hands. When you ask better questions and see underlying forces, you reclaim your power.
Events
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Strategic Public Leaders Training, Sydney
Join us for two days of strategic leadership training with Alicia McKay - in partnership with LGPro NSW.
How to lead in the Subjective Era
The Subjective Era will reward leaders and organisations who optimise for two things: trust and human agency.
Why citizens' assemblies won’t fix political distrust
Democracy done better - or just papering over the cracks?
Sneak peek! Power literacy WIP
An inside look at creative incubation - and an emerging framework for power literacy.
In defence of furious women
The stories that taught us to blame them
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
Make friction cool again
Why speed is overrated and thinking is under threat
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.
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 Class structures, outdated morality, fruit cake: out.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.
Stop trying to agree with everyone
What Councils have taught me about making decisions under pressure.
WTF do you want? Desire is suspicious; productivity a scam.
First Friday Flurry of 2026 goes hard.
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.
Unpublished opinions
Friday Flurry featuring retracted Unpopular Opinions
The passage of time - and a few whinging men
Friday Flurry Birthday Special featuring salacious gossip and LinkedIn screenshots.
Stop talking shit and start making sense
On communicating clearly and quitting the news
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.
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.
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.
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.
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
Society
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What's worth more than money?
Creative value under extractive capitalism + an urgent plea to reclaim sovereignty over your attention
Change
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For when it feels like you can't change anything
Everything is connected. Once you see it, you can shift it.
Alicia McKay named Top 25 Thinker in Local Government by the LGIU
Alicia McKay has been named one of the world's top 25 thinkers in local government by the UK's Local Government Information Unit.
Future Local Lab interview
Future local leadership, challenges and solutions - an interview with LGIU.
Are you having the wrong argument?
Learn to have better arguments for fuller, fairer, and more focused decision-making.
How to be popular with voters and achieve nothing
Hint: its being a rock-throwing jerk.
The public opinion trap
It will skew your perspective and make for bad decisions. Don't fall for it.
In defence of the bureaucrat
Spare a thought for your local public servant. Taking the boot out of the public sector, volume 3
The difference between private and public value
Your retort to "you'd never run a business like this!". Taking the boot out of the public sector volume 2.
Public service isn't inefficient, it's complex - there's a difference
Let's shatter the myth that the private sector would do government projects faster or cheaper: they don't.
Local leadership done well: strategic, aligned, and connected
How Local Legends transforms governance and management effectiveness in local government
Systems
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You can be the one who changes things
It's never been a better time to change things at work - and it's what your boss wants you to do.
Systems
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If you were them, you'd be a jerk too
Stop pointing fingers at people when you talk about change and focus on the systems that need shifting instead.
Training
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Local Legends In-House Programme
Bring elected and executive leaders together for two days of strategic leadership development at your Council.
Society
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Put your bloody phone down
You're an adult, and you control your time and attention. Put down the damn phone.
Eiffel Tower leadership
Eiffel Tower leadership is bold, innovative and willing to endure short-term pushback for long-term gain.
Push out your payoff
Learn to shift your focus to longer-term outcomes for greater impact.
Mildura Rural City Council: Local Legends in-house programme
Mildura Rural City Council invested in its Councillors and executive managers to build strong relationships and boost decisions after an organisational review.
Three ingredients of perspective
Perspective isn't pop-psychology or esoteric waffle. It's good decision-making practice with tangible application. In this post, I outline the three ingredients of perspective: horizon, significance, and connection.
City of Mitcham: Local Legends in-house programme
City of Mitcham used the Local Legends programme to transform their decision-making.
Glen Eira City Council: Local Legends in-house programme
Glen Eira City Council used the Local Legends programme to help their leaders navigate financial uncertainty.
Stories
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Understanding idea technology
The ideas we have shape the world we live in. We need to question those ideas regularly, to create a society we can be proud of.
How to ask bigger questions
Most people ask small questions, so they make small-time progress. Learn to ask big questions for bolder choices and better results.
Society
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When progress goes too far: becoming a top woman manager
Discover insights from a thought-provoking book on women in management, challenging gender biases and exploring strategies for success.
Work
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The problem with professionalism: rejecting sameness at work
Professionalism is just an acceptable way to discriminate against people in the workplace. It's time we talked about class.
Events
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Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communications and the Arts, Online, November 2023
Alicia McKay speaks to federal government about how to work more effectively with local Councils in Australia
Identity
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You deserve this. Bye.
What to do when other people are negative or jealous about your achievements.
People eat takeaways because they're tired, not because they're lazy.
How late-stage capitalism and modern family structures keeps Dominos in business
The art of perspective
An evolution of perspective, as told in four paintings
The creator economy, cannibalism, and speed painting
Plus: books about weird chicks doing weird stuff.
The rich got richer, and social media somehow got worse
This week: Rich dudes still indiscriminately fucking us over from every direction. SURPRISE!
Society
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The human hands behind AI’s ‘magic'
AI content is a less nuanced version of our existing bullshit, which is why the 'future' looks a lot like the present.
You're a person, not a brand
Hey, Sniffing Lady... DON'T GET ON THE PLANE.
Yelling into the void
Social media is an empty consumerist hellscape. Meanwhile, our connection muscles atrophy.
Bad books, organised books, books-in-progress
I point proudly at my bookcase like a child showing off their things on a playdate and tell you about a couple I creepily observed at a restaurant last year.
Society
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Gaslighting at work
If your boss is questioning your wellbeing, maybe they're a reality-denying asshole with a gaslighting problem?
Knitting
Six terrific books to add to your pile, a reflection on why you're probably a disproportionate asshole in your relationships and a hopeful note on AI in a late-capitalist wasteland.
Society
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Are you on the right side of history?
On staying humble in our moral conviction, given what historical assholes we probably all are.
Saving time
This week's Friday Flurry goes deep on Jenny Odell's new book, and gets a bit meta. What is time, what is it for, and how healthy is your relationship with it? Is that your fault? (Spoiler: no.)
Guilt, fashion and general dread
If you're a worrier who feels weird about fashion, you're not alone.
Society
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Stop being so damn nice
7 reasons why being polite/nice is a terrible idea, including inequality, inauthenticity and... being boring.
Society
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Why women are so bloody exhausted right now
Men - read this to find out why the vaccuum cleaner is always out.
Society
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Gyms are weird
Gym bodies: a healthy goal, the ultimate class signifier, an oddity of late stage capitalism, or all three?
AI
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How to stop AI from stealing your job
ChatGPT is the latest AI tool to break the internet. Learn how to beat AI and stop it stealing your job by asking better questions.
Serve the room: questions to ask for leadership success
Level up the questions you ask to make connections, drive progress and show true leadership.
Systems
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The problem is never the problem
The problem is rarely the problem. Strategists know that, and they don't waste time blaming people, when systems are usually at fault.
Videos
Events
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Alicia McKay hosts 1,000+ Mayors and CEOs at ALGA's NGA in 2022
The ALGA National General Assembly in Canberra, July 2022. Keynote, MC and workshop presenter. Watch the videos!
Strategic Public Leaders Masterclass in Canberra, Australia
Alicia ran a sold-out masterclass for Mayors and Chief Executives at the ALGA National General Assembly in 2022. Watch the recording.
Resources
Ask a Strategist 28 April 2026
Systems analysis for leadership challenges around work, speed, and delivery.
Bonus AI resources for paid subscribers
Thanks for your support, here's the goods.
Quizzes
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Local Legends strategic audit
Audit the strategic capability of your Council and find out where to focus your efforts.
Responding to community requests: a guide for Councillors
A guide for Councillors on dealing with incoming constituent requests
