Some years ago, a good (and older than me) friend was fond of saying ‘the older I get, the less I know.’ Usually, it followed some unexpected and illogical incident or inquiry. At the time I found the statement a little puzzling. How could we know less, surely with age we know more? And yet...
I’ve been contemplating the almost science fiction nature of our reality today and how easy it would be to ‘give up’ on any sense making or acts of leadership. Craziness and dystopian realities can create a false fog in our minds…tempting us into a level of coma when, in fact, something completely different, and indeed...
Dashing heroes and defenders of the good are a thing of fairy tales, legends and of Marvel comics! Epitomising the upholding of good over evil, moral standing and care for the underdog they give a powerful insight to an aspect of leadership that is (very often) all too absent in our public leaders. In the...
With the increased talk about war, I was reflecting on the role of business leaders and business in general to play a role in establishing peace. We are so used to delegating the responsibility for peace to world leaders and politicians. Or the United Nations. Or NGOs. But don’t we all have a part to...
Maybe ‘un-gifting’ sounds a bit strange as we enter the season of gifting. Yet it might be just what we need. From personal experience, we tend to hold on to things too long. Ideas, ways of working, our expertise, career milestones. They give identity. At times they’re lifebelts. But what if these tethers have got...
Our conditioning dictates that the goal is the thing, not the process of getting there. I’m as caught in this groove as the next person. So, we might just pause (even though there’s stuff to do) and think about what we’re missing out on in this goal rush. And the impact of that. In being...
It’s not easy right, to reveal what’s hidden. Sometimes because we don’t know. Sometimes because of unconscious bias or blind spots. Sometimes because we feel to vulnerable or don’t want to reveal. There have been a few posts recently here on LinkedIn about how changing gender from female to male has dramatically changed the way...
You may recognise this phrase if you’ve ever done a slightly edgier personal development programme. From experience, when the activity is explained it can make the heart quail (mine did/does), at least a little (even for those who can dance, though proficiency isn’t the point). Yet, slowly, embarrassed shuffling becomes something freer, more essential, as...
You are doing battle every day. Sometimes it can feel like a constructive use of energy. Sometimes it can feel hopeless. How often do we stop to really ask ourselves just what we are battling for? Heroes, knights and mercenaries all had/have their reasons for their battles. As leaders we are more than mindless cogs...
We might interpret gaps as negatives, a lack of, a hole to be filled, a deficit. Gaps in a usually busy diary might cause anxiety. Am I needed? Working hard enough? Is there a problem? We can obsess when others have knowledge or skills we feel we don’t. A gap. I am learning to think...