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.
Holding every rule as breakable
Today at the Craigberoch Decelerator Lab the focus is on creativity. Before the day started I remembered that I have been “slow listening” to the audiobook of The Creative Act by Rick Rubin. I opened Audible and pressed play. The first words from the sonorous voice of...
Holding every rule as breakable
Let us hold every rule to be breakable, it can amaze, delight and inspire when we see what that can make possible.
What if you were honest with your customers?
Are you, your business, your organisation, truly honest with your clients/customers about what you are truly offering them? Have you ever gone into a supermarket/grocery store simply to buy milk or bread and found you had to walk right to the back of the store for...
I’m “in”
This week a group of four people (I was one) came together to look at bringing a new business concept to the UK. The person behind this had spoken to each of the three of us a few times in recent months and had now flown to London to discuss. We had two and a half...
Permission granted
This week it was an enormous pleasure to meet the King of Permission in person, better known as Carl Richards, who has recently moved to London. A few years ago Carl, through one of his alter egos, "The Sketch Guy" (his NY Times column for a decade and more), he wrote...
Managing Energy – today’s lesson
Yesterday's post on: "The Power of Subtlety" made points that I come back to over and over on this site, fundamentally that a core aspect of leadership is how you show up, the energy you bring to any conversation. Managing your energy is therefore key. Part of this is...
The power of subtlety
Subtlety in leadership is in your presence and your being. It is in how you make people feel, at least as much as what you say or you do. still from the movie 1917 I write often in my daily posts about topics such as Presence and on "being" a leader, not "doing"...
Brave Transformation isn’t easy in a basement
Over the years sometimes I've been asked to lead client meetings in hotel conference rooms in basements with no natural light. Sometimes "needs must", but when a group is looking at brave and transformative ideas, always find a venue away from the office that has lots...
Pause to be Grateful
On Thursday afternoon last week in Cayman, I had two hours to sit and prepare my notes for facilitating a full-day meeting on that Friday for a client leadership team. I've had a great week in Cayman on so many levels and at the same time by Thursday afternoon I'd had...
Are you embracing being an Elder?
Last Sunday I was Refereeing a swim meet in Cayman at this pool. As one heat was ready to start and the ten-year-old girls were in the pool ready to start their Backstroke race, the starter made an error and announced the race as a Breastroke event. Fast as you like,...
How to change group behaviour
What does it take to make major changes in group behaviour, whether it be a shift in what is societally acceptable, or perhaps for a company introducing a new product to a market when customers are rooted in using the old and established offerings? ..in the 1970s,...
Find someone to listen to you
Often when we are in conversation with someone it is a two-way thing, we share thoughts, ideas with each other and bounce things around. In short, both people are looking to share what is on their mind, they are there to both listen and talk. However, sometimes we...
Know what energises you
Writing this at 10pm on Monday, my first working day on this one week trip to Cayman. I've just finished 10 meetings/calls/catchups spread over 14 hours. By midafternoon and meeting number 7, I was asked: "doesn't that tire you?" My answer was that no, it energises...
Tell people you believe in them
Today a story about the power of not simply believing in people, but actually telling people you believe in them. I constantly am in awe at the difference this can make. People can grow so much in their confidence to act once you have first checked in on their...