Insights
People are my library, my writing inspired by what I learn: ideas, inspiration, wisdom, and sometimes some eclectic whimsy for good measure, all centred around #OpenLeadership. At the heart of all of this is that I write to share learnings and to discover my thoughts. Over the years i have written (mostly) daily, over 2000 posts and 1,000,000 words (that last part blows my mind, tbh!). Enjoy browsing.
Different forms of intelligence
I am loving the new substack of Elif Shafak, who wrote a piece the other day called "My Wife Reads Fiction".It begins with her frustration at how often she hears these words from "important men" who, in addition to their misogyny, dismiss the value of how fiction...
Different forms of intelligence
The truth is, there are different forms of intelligence. Multiple paths to wisdom. And information is not the same thing as knowledge.
Trust is greater than fear. Fear is the Mind-Killer.
So, for today, I give you a key passage from Dune around transcending fear, then close with my favourite quote of all time, from Marianne…
Know when to follow the energy
Ultimately the learning is to "follow the energy", to create the opportunity and see who is energised, who makes the effort to connect and to meet. So, as regular readers know, I am in Cayman right now. Due to Covid, first time home here in 18 months, so am keen to...
Do not tolerate the intolerant
Unlimited tolerance must lead to the disappearance of tolerance. If we extend unlimited tolerance even to those who are intolerant, if we are not prepared to defend a tolerant society against the onslaught of the intolerant, then the tolerant will be destroyed, and...
How to shorten Airport Immigration queues instantly
Last week I flew into Cayman for the first time in 18 months. Impressively efficient through the entry process was, it did take two hours for one flight, as in addition to regular immigration and customs needs, there was covid test checking and entry procedures for us...
Soon Come!
Soon Come! Today is (as long as covid testing and results processing go according to plan) my last day in quarantine in Cayman. I soon come out! So excited to meet up with so many old friends over the next ten days or so. I just looked at my diary and realised I have...
My first quarantine pause
I arrived in Cayman last Wednesday evening, all going smoothly I will get the all-clear to release from it by Tuesday evening. Today, Monday morning, I'm therefore entering day five of six of this quarantine "pause". In short, it has been a very quiet few days,...
How was your trip? Uneventful
Last week I flew to Cayman. When asked “how was your trip”, I answered: “Uneventful”. Sometimes that is a great story, to having no story…
How to never have to fire anybody again
Businesses with a strong culture may never have to fire anybody ever again, they will simply leave. The above highlight is from Allistair McCaw, speaker, author and specialist in leadership and culture, with deep experience around elite athletes and sports teams....
Being together is not like Zoom
Being together is not like Zoom. As so much attention is given to adapting to different working norms, broadly hybrids of working in an office or working online, less than two days into quarantine I feel like sharing some thoughts. Being together is not like Zoom I...
An update to my “Now” page
In November 2020, inspired by Derek Sivers, I set up a "Now" page on my site, then wrote about the idea in: "Tell people what you are focussed on now". The idea is simple: Most websites have a link that says “about”. It goes to a page that tells you something about...
Mentoring addresses privilege gaps
There are many forms of privilege in our world. One that is sometimes less obvious is knowledge gaps. Mentoring can address this. If your parents (and perhaps their peers, neighbours, family members) never went to University, or if they never owned their own home,...
Elevating Leaders – launch day!
Today marks the launch of the new podcast series: "Elevating Leaders". As the page on the site notes in the intro: This short series of interviews aspires to inspire women leaders of today and tomorrow as you seek to elevate your own leadership.My name is Tom...