In a McKinsey article about the book ‘Why Managers Matter: The Perils of the Bossless Company’, the authors, Nicolai J. Foss and Peter G. Klein argue that it’s inappropriate to assume that the call for more self-management, autonomous working and equality of agency is appropriate in improving the performance of an organisation. It caused me...
We all enjoy reminiscing about the past and it can bring much comfort especially when things are so uncertain. Indeed the past can contain many useful pearls of wisdom if we have the ability to stand in an objective space and harvest the value. There are, however, risks with being reliant on the past. By...
In a search for great examples of leadership in movies, war, battles and conflict feature heavily as does the call for courage. Undoubtedly we can all associate with the challenges of courage in a conflict situation and especially one involving physical life and death. Reflecting on what we mean by courage in leadership can often...
As soon as we open the subject of masculine and feminine in any context, the temptation is to rush to gender and separation. In inviting us to reflect on the feminine within leadership it’s important to be clear that this isn’t about labelling men and women, male and female leaders even though we can and...
In the past few days we have seen an immense ending as HM Queen Elizabeth II’s 70 years of extraordinary service came to an end. The baton and responsibility have passed to her son and heir, taking us into a new era. So far we have witnessed much continuity with activation of centuries old processes...
I sometimes find myself referring to the story of the ‘Boiled Frog’ when reflecting on how easy it is for us to adapt to worsening circumstances. It’s a pretty grim allegory in reality and yet the evidence of its meaning is ever present in our world. On the one hand, it’s great that we are...
How often do you find yourself reflecting on the path not taken? Maybe it’s with curiosity, regret or perhaps relief. On a personal level we are of course faced with many choices and decisions and in each moment, we hopefully do our best to consider all the consequences and impacts – on us and others....
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,...
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,...
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...