In business goodwill is typically seen as an intangible asset, created over time, related to a good name/reputation. Something in the ‘bank’ of value and for use in the future. In day to day living it is something more active – the kindness, compassion, help, friendliness we extend to others. And therein lies its power....
Some recent conversations have reminded me again of how communication, the words we use, the energy behind them, and the context in which they’re set can easily undermine rather than achieve our intention. For me this is all about the framing. Time poor, results challenged leaders may feel they don’t have time to think carefully...
It’s the same with love. Both are fundamental in being human. But not, it seems, in being a leader. And yet, in my experience of working with leaders both heartfulness and love are present but rarely acknowledged and certainly not openly discussed. Think of the power that exists in both. Heartful leadership holds compassion in...
Dashing heroes and defenders of the good are a thing of fairy tales, legends and of Marvel comics! Epitomising the upholding of good over evil, moral standing and care for the underdog they give a powerful insight to an aspect of leadership that is (very often) all too absent in our public leaders. In the...
With the increased talk about war, I was reflecting on the role of business leaders and business in general to play a role in establishing peace. We are so used to delegating the responsibility for peace to world leaders and politicians. Or the United Nations. Or NGOs. But don’t we all have a part to...
Our very literal interpretation of the word ‘hierarchy’, and within that the function of leadership, that we see deployed in most organisations misses the true essence of hierarchical responsibility which is much more profound than status, authority over, personal power or control. One of these more profound aspects is the responsibility a leader has to...
If, as the saying goes, it takes a village to raise a child then we might consider it takes a world to raise a leader. And, in embracing the need for a better world, consciousness must become a core quality of our leadership. Starting to tap into a deeper and higher wisdom comes through deepening...
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...
If we want to thrive in today’s more volatile and dynamic world, we may wish to consider how we continue the journey to incorporate more feminine qualities within our leadership practise. Of course it’s very easy to become caught up in the polarities when speaking about a more feminine style of leadership. The temptation to...
It’s a real challenge isn’t it! In these tough times when there’s so much pain and suffering and so many atrocities on every level of human existence. The temptation when we feel pain is to shut down, protect the heart and avoid the causes of the pain. What if we thought about pain differently –...