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...
I read an article yesterday that suggested that Rishi Sunak was ‘behaving like he thought a Prime Minister should’ rather than being himself. Regardless of Politics it had me thinking about the fine line between ‘acting as if’ and being untrue to one’s own essence. The great power of ‘acting as if’ is that it...
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...
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,...
The number of leadership archetypes that exist within our cultures is extensive. We have the hero knight, benevolent king, the powerful protector, the tyrant, the gracious queen, the sage and the maverick plus many more. More often than not when we speak of leadership we are often referring to a hierarchical position, someone senior or...
There has never been a more pressing need to apply the principle of leadership as a team game. The challenges in our world grow daily, likewise the issues and complexity we face in the world of work and so the possibility that all the capabilities needed to navigate these ever-growing demands and complexities can be...
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...
It’s so easy to become locked in our own worldview. In our defence we’ve probably cultivated it over years of experience and processing of ‘information’ that has served us well in navigating the various twists and turns of life. The challenge of course is the one of assumptions and mental models…both of which can create...
We all know what it feels like to work in a team or group where there is a tense undercurrent, where the communication isn’t open and smooth and where competition or fear, or both, infect the dynamics. Of course it’s the responsibility of the team leader to pay attention to these things although often they...