I heard about a local school the other day whose mission is about pupils becoming DHBs (Decent Human Beings) through their education at the school. Not a new idea but an inspiring one. It got me thinking about this in the context of organisational life where values are often mentioned though not always with the...
Most of us are familiar with the change curve and the stages we go through when facing a change – whether one we have chosen or something imposed on us. These days we are most likely experiencing wave after wave of change curve scenarios and finding ourselves at different places on each wave. This can...
Imagine all your previous learning and accumulated knowledge and skills being wiped out and then consider the words of American writer and futurist Alvin Toffler… ‘The illiterate of the 21st century will not be those who cannot read or write, but those who cannot learn, unlearn, and relearn.’ Toffler’s words recognise the world we find...
Whether we’re more heart on sleeve or more poker-faced, or anywhere in between, we may move through life and especially work assuming our moods are managed, our emotions under our control, perhaps not on display and not affecting others. On occasion we might inquire of our human selves whether that’s really true. Imagine asking your...
In our interactions with others we can often assume that we are all having the same experience, viewing the situation similarly and extracting the same data. The reality is we are having entirely different experiences, picking up on very different things, seeing, and hearing, with different (literally) eyes and ears. If we imagine this in...
Skilful communication is one of the pre-requisites of leadership yet a few conversations in the past week have come as a reminder of how hard we can find it to get this right and how often neglected it is in race to deliver targets. Perhaps the problem is that we see it as a given....
We already knew this yet the past few weeks have reminded us, starkly, that there’s little normal about our world anymore, little that we can rely on. The status quo is being upended daily, more so even than in pandemic times. Cowering behind the metaphorical sofa, assuming this will blow over, is an option but...
The problems that pop up daily, often unexpectedly, in life and work can put us in perpetual reactive mode – perpetual whack-a-mole. Conversely, proactivity – the ability to take control rather than just responding, acting in advance of future situations, is a much admired and often required quality in the workplace. Yet is it possible...
Taking a proportional response to something could feel very boring – as though we are devoid of strong opinion or clarity of thinking. It could seem like holding a balanced perspective means that nothing clear emerges. Many people see navigating an ‘and/and’ approach as a compromise, as an inability to step up and be counted...
As human beings we tend to be drawn to, and favour, people like us – who share the same values, beliefs, outlook on life. Who think like we do. It’s comfortable and comforting. Yet we also know that embracing difference – extending our learning and understanding of the world – whilst confronting, may be helpful....