At a time when some parts of the world are stalling on their position on diversity, equality and inclusion with some organisations seemingly pulling back their focus or programmes, or both, following the recent declarations in the US, it seems to me that it could be timely to consider what it is that we mean...
In most well-intentioned organisations we strive toward building a culture founded on strong, well considered values and ethics. We consider the questions, who are we and how do we want to be? This motivation to build something meaningful to the majority typically gives rise to traditions. The habits, behaviours, practices that support the building of...
Transforming an organisation is a familiar concept…at least intellectually and one often on the agenda of Boards and Exec Teams. There are any number of areas that arise as candidates…culture, governance, technology, processes, efficiency, profitability. The list goes on. For the most part, the focus will be on the symptoms and the approach will tend...
As a leader, how often do you stop and think about the quality of the field you are creating in your team, project, organisation? We define leadership in many ways and at the core of it lies our ability to engage the will, heart and qualities of all those participating in the collective endeavour. Of...
If we look for it, we can find evidence of our deep interconnectedness to all things every single day. Whether it be as old friends and contacts pop back into our lives and we realise they were ‘always there really’ or when we take a business decision thinking we’ve fully considered its range of outcomes...
We are seeing a welcome focus on employee well-being in our organisations these days. Admittedly some may argue that it’s still not sufficiently embedded into the culture especially in the face of economic, operational and human challenges. However, well-being, mental and physical especially, is slowly making its way onto our radar. For well-being to truly...
According to the New World Encyclopaedia, ‘The word community is derived from the Latin communitas (meaning the same), which is in turn derived from communis, which means “common, public, shared by all or many.”[1] Communis comes from a combination of the Latin prefix con- (which means “together”) and the word munis (which has to do...
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...
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...