Latter day heroes conjure up very clear archetypes of dragon slaying, evil beating, world saving on a vast scale. Romantic, seemingly invincible and invariably male, these heroes were the very epitome of courage and strong values. The courage needed in leadership today is no less great, but my sense is that its nature is quite...
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...
Wherever we look we’re surrounded by examples of service – the purely transactional of a service provided for which we pay (smile optional) through to the more noble and life impacting work of health and emergency services and the armed forces. In our own lives, when we really think about it, everything we do is...
When we speak about teamwork and building a high performing team, it can be easy to be lulled into a false sense that it’s a walk in the park. That by undertaking a few team building exercises the group will achieve optimum performance. For sure, team building activities are useful and have their place in...
Many will be aware of the well-known TED Talk given by Brené Brown on the power of vulnerability. Despite a growing focus on mental health in the world of work and a wider acceptance that being ‘strong’ all the time is unhealthy, we still seem to have a general struggle with how we step into...
Back in the day when Tesco was sweeping all before it its then CEO Sir Terry Leahy talked about setting audacious goals – many of which the business delivered. I was reminded of this idea in a recent conversation with @GuillermoRogel who talked about asking people to consider for themselves what a ‘10 X bolder’...
‘It is not the strongest of the species that survive, nor the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change.’ Charles Darwin The super temperatures and wild fires in Southern Europe, and other parts of the world, have shown us the need for change if we are to address our climate crisis. Conversely, we’ve...
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...
Fear is a vital factor in human survival…it protects us in the face of the ‘grizzly bears’ we encounter in life. The challenge though is to know when a fear-based response, running away, burying our heads etc. is the right response and when courage is what’s required. Our systems are crumbling. Uncertainty is rife. Physical...
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...