I was musing with a friend in the past few days over the state of the world and how we might fix/save it. Dramatic as that may sound it’s a question that already concerns many and should concern us all. Central to our musing was what cataclysmic event would galvanise us into the action needed,...
There are, as we know, a plethora of leadership models, frameworks, qualities and quotes that define leadership, and we can be forgiven for being somewhat confused about what the definitive description of leadership really is. To come to new answers or insights on this question it is important to elevate the thinking beyond the conditioning...
If like me you are a fan of period dramas you will have a visceral sense of the hierarchy associated with the notion of service – a system where the so called lesser are in service of the so called greater. Even though in many ways (though for sure not all) our society in the...
When times are tough (could they be any tougher than now?) accentuating the positive might seem like a fool’s errand. As a leader being relentlessly positive and encouraging the same in others may feel out of touch, lacking empathy, ‘Pollyanna-ish’. An optimistic mind-set doesn’t preclude empathy rather it brings a different focus to our challenges,...
The number of leadership archetypes that exist within our cultures is extensive. We have the hero knight, benevolent king, the powerful protector, the tyrant, the gracious queen, the sage and the maverick plus many more. More often than not when we speak of leadership we are often referring to a hierarchical position, someone senior or...
The level of misinformation surrounding us these days is so pervasive and toxic that it’s possible to lose all sense of equilibrium and ‘truth’ even when exchanging views with long-standing friends and colleagues. Of course, truth can be both factual and perceptual. For example, there are many ‘truths’ or what we might call ‘deep knowing’...
It isn’t too much of a stretch to assert that our world is going through incredible transformation (not all of it good). For example the breakdown of established institutions, destruction of our planet, developing the technology to save ourselves or destroy ourselves, increased human connection as we start to really see the impacts of our...
There has never been a more pressing need to apply the principle of leadership as a team game. The challenges in our world grow daily, likewise the issues and complexity we face in the world of work and so the possibility that all the capabilities needed to navigate these ever-growing demands and complexities can be...
Freedom is a basic human right and one that should be protected. With freedom, of course, comes responsibility and consequences. Whether it’s in our own personal lives, in our communities or organisations we all expect (at least in the Western democracies) to live our lives with full freedom. But what does that really mean? We...
We often find ourselves dazzled by the ‘brightness’ of others and fail to notice the lack of substance under the sparkle, hype, positive words. As we’re finding in the UK our seemingly ‘feel good’, everything’s positive PM notably dazzled many of the electorate when we should have been seeking something more sober, substantial, stable. This...