Blog

The mind in the heart Of course we’ve all heard of putting our foot in our mouth but I wonder if we have ever pondered the idea of the mind in the heart? Most of us will be very aware of the power of persistence, determination and will when seeking to get things done. AndRead more

The real work of agile for leaders ‘We don’t need an accurate plan, we need a shared understanding.’ Jeff Patton Of all the words written and thoughts expressed about organisational agility, to which we at azzur have contributed, this quote perhaps encapsulates the most important aspect of an agile culture…its people. In the uncertainty andRead more

Birthing the new masculine I had the privilege this weekend of seeing a most beautiful and spectacular performance of dance. The dance was depicting the role of the feminine in birthing the new masculine. A young solo female contemporary dancer, performed on a circular, central stage with over 150 people present. In the centre ofRead more

Expressing our passion ‘Great dancers are not great because of their technique, they are great because of their passion.’ – Martha Graham Passion has the power to transform.  Elevating the ordinary to the extraordinary. Lifting us out of the mundane and making compelling dancers of us all, irrespective of our skill with the steps. AsRead more

Creating a questioning climate Fairly consistent leader laments, in my experience, are the ones that go something like…’we need more diverse thinking in the organisation,’ or ‘we need more innovation in the organisation,’ or ‘we need people to be more challenging (of the status quo or old ways of doing things)’. Such laments are heartfeltRead more

Can we move beyond our need for power to create a new economic model for our survival? Greta Thunberg has inspired many recently by calling on all powerful people to use their power to end our abuse of our planet. In strong and direct language, she calls out the ‘powerhouses’ of humanity to make differentRead more

Finding your inner rebel We are far more familiar these days with the concept of purpose and connecting our own personal lives and our work lives/organisations with something that has deeper meaning and which feels connected to a higher ideal. We may find that having contemplated and arrived at the sense of that purpose andRead more

A state of grace in leadership A year ago I asked a group of MBA students I was working with what qualities someone needed to be a great leader.  ‘A great leader needs to be savage,’ was the first response.  What the speaker meant was leaders have to make tough decisions and so be ruthlessRead more

Are you too much in control? We all very much aware of staff engagement surveys measuring the levels of empowerment that people within the organisation feel they have. These can cover a range of dimensions but typically when looking at empowerment explore the levels of freedom and autonomy felt by staff at all levels coupledRead more