Richard Barrett posed this question in a recent article, and it got me thinking. In his article (available on Substack) he says that ‘action is making the invisible visible’ and with this I agree. Of course, there are many steps between the connection with the invisible and the materialising of that into action. Or at...
Daily we take positions on the information we receive. Where there are gaps we might explore further. Often it is easier to fill with assumption. The source of the information also has an impact – do we trust it or not? Is it real or not? Once we’ve crossed these not insignificant tests off we...
Restraint. It’s a hard quality to apply, especially for leaders when taking action is both and expectation and the norm. Decisiveness is a much-admired leadership quality, driven by an instinct to intervene, to act and fox. For some this is seen as the proof of a leader. And yet we know leadership, like life, is...
Difference. It’s easy to spot and easy to reject. If we broaden our thinking to the 8.3 billion, and rising, unique individuals on this planet that’s a lot of difference. Difference gets in the way from the macro – nation to nation – to the micro – one person to another. And it isn’t just...
I was reflecting the other day that living in and with the complexity of our world today demands a number of new powers. First amongst them may be the ability to see – something of course most of us take for granted. It can be overwhelming juggling the huge number of demands of our times...
You’ll probably have heard the phrase ‘vacuum of vision’ being used over recent weeks. I came across it in a brilliant perspective piece from Richard Huntington in Management Today on the state of not just our current political leadership but also within our businesses. I think it’s worth a read. Of course, a deficit of...
Having watched King Charles’ address the US Congress earlier this week has led me to reflect on the nature of courage and its essentiality in leadership and life. A quality of the heart, it is a quiet sort of power supply that carries us into the most difficult situations – places we probably wouldn’t choose...
Last week I had a day in London with 3 separate face to face meetings…and I have to say it was a treat! Nothing noteworthy there you might say but for me there was. It was powerful. Being ‘out there’ – away from the laptop screen – seeing and being with real people. Why? Because...
There’s little predictable about our world right now. Conflict. Political uncertainty. Shaky business confidence. You’ll have your own examples. Predictable, stable looks like an ever more distant continent. I confess I am comfortable with predictable (it’s probably the same for you). And yet, volatile is attractive too. Great leaps forward come from volatility. The discovery...
At the start of any coaching journey the road signs probably point to insights, released potential, new and more polished skills, personal and professional development. Quite rightly, they are a useful frame for the process. Coachee and coach have already agreed they’ll make the journey together, armed with some goals for the destination. All seems...