My Library
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.
Getting off balance
I am someone who is “always active, never busy”, so this week in Bute was to see how much more I could “decelerate”. It has been a week where I have been about the most grounded and centred I have ever felt. That said, I got off balance for a short while yesterday. I...
Getting off balance
I got off balance for a short while yesterday. I suddenly and unexpectedly lost that sense of being grounded and centred.
We’ve always done it this way
"We've always done it this way" I refer to this phrase as "the six most dangerous words in business" It is amazing how hard and fast patterns of behaviour can be and how difficult people, organisations, industries can find it to think differently, no matter how...
Is it true that: “The mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation”?
Commuters at Waterloo station. Happy, or resigned? "The mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation.” - Thoreau This quote has always been powerful for me in checking in with myself (and clients, friends, family) as to how "in balance" I feel. Early in my journey...
In all seriousness-ness
A few weeks ago I was in conversation, where, as my friends know, I am often really serious. All of a sudden, I somehow started a statement with: "in all seriousness-ness", which caused the other person to burst into gales of laughter. For the rest of the conversation...
HSBC – Please DO more
"As I grow older, I pay less attention to what men say. I just watch what they do"~ Andrew Carnegie HSBC, and other leading companies should do more around gender pay equality. Andrew Carnegie died just over a century ago, after devoting the last two decades or so of...
Nurturing relationships
So this is a post on gratitude and about nurturing relationships, but I'm starting with a picture taken from a riverboat yesterday. Allow me to explain... I've just had a great work week, truly feeling I am doing the work I was born to do, really energised and feeling...
What is Bravery?
Bravery takes different forms, and it is always relative to the individual. Stories here on swim coaching, mental health, and the bravery of a 7…
Inspire Bravery
Image from my favourite post on Bravery: "What is Bravery?"Read right to the end to find out who that brave swimmer is. This week an experienced and skilled coach and facilitator asked to have a video call with me as they had read some of my posts and wanted to ask...
I’m running a business here
A French café, where customers are typically allowed to linger "I don't mean to be rude, but I'm running a business here and you've been sitting here for two hours. I'm the owner and these staff are expensive, you see"Owner of a coffee shop/cafe near London this week...
HSBC believes a Londoner is a Londoner
HSBC Ad, seen at a London Railway Station, February 3, 2020 On January 31st, 2020, the UK formally withdrew from the EU, the latest marker in a journey that has seen so much divisive identity politics in the UK. On February 3rd I saw this ad at one of the busiest...
We need to look at success differently
The new triple bottom line, for more see: "Leading from Purpose" We need to look at success differentlyYancey Strickler, CEO of Kickstarter I'm #ProudtobeaCA and have always felt the monthly CA Magazine has been a first-rate resource for thought leadership on business...
Do you leave enough space?
Over several years I have consciously created and curated my life such that space is a priority. Earlier this week I wrote in "Permission Granted" that: "henceforth, I will take at least one four hour chunk of time every other working week to be without any electronic...
Being creative – doing the weekend differently
Text Think Different written on a pinned white sticker This week's 8am Saturday post is coming to you more like 10:30am, as I did my start of the weekend a little differently this week. I totally acknowledge that many people have to stick to conventional routines of...