In our ‘always on’ world the loading on our senses and emotions can feel like an onslaught. And the stimuli and provocation keep coming. We may find ourselves reacting in ways that are out of proportion to the situation or to how we would if we were less overloaded, whether that’s ‘lashing out’ or shutting...
I came across a definition of love the other day that was offered by Burt Hellinger, the godfather of family constellation therapy. It is a definition that offers food for thought in a leadership and organisational context. LOVE = SEEING + DISTANCE – JUDGEMENT This definition of love offers much food for thought and some...
We all live somewhere on the optimism-realism-pessimism spectrum likely depending on our upbringing and subsequent life experience. The daily headlines right now would, of course, challenge even the most optimistic of us yet buying into this ‘doom’ or sinking ever deeper into it isn’t helpful. Tending our thoughts and words is vital right now in...
Have you ever really focused on what happens when people come together in a group? Imagine there’s a complex, knotty issue under discussion. How much of the energy is given to wrestling with the facts and solving the issue in a linear efficient mode, how much to the less visible knots and how much to...
Canadian e-commerce giant Shopify recently became the latest organisation to take an axe to meetings. All recurring meetings with more than two people have been banned, Wednesdays are meeting free and big meetings – of 50+ people – have to fit a six-hour window on Thursdays and are limited to one a week. You may...
In a McKinsey article about the book ‘Why Managers Matter: The Perils of the Bossless Company’, the authors, Nicolai J. Foss and Peter G. Klein argue that it’s inappropriate to assume that the call for more self-management, autonomous working and equality of agency is appropriate in improving the performance of an organisation. It caused me...
Short-termism may appear to be a particular affliction of political leaders. The constant restructuring of national services with ill thought through plans and/or little time given to allow the new to work is one example. Another is the promises that got them elected are often side-lined or plain broken when in power. Perhaps the short-termism...
As babies, as young children, and young adults we (hopefully) are taught, eventually, to have and value our independence. Psychologically this is a vital part of our development as we learn to become our own person, find our own sense of self and identity. We separate from the parental guardrails and make our way in...
The legend of King Arthur and his round table is a powerful one and like all myths, legends and fairy tales, it contains many archetypes and principles that are both timeless and great sources of wisdom. One that feels most prescient for today’s world is the expression of cooperative leadership and for this the round...
We all enjoy reminiscing about the past and it can bring much comfort especially when things are so uncertain. Indeed the past can contain many useful pearls of wisdom if we have the ability to stand in an objective space and harvest the value. There are, however, risks with being reliant on the past. By...