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.
Mentality of success, not survival
Mentality of success, not survival Sometimes a line really catches my attention when I listen to a song lyric, watch a movie, or read a book, poem, or article. Last week I was looking into the latest from a company I backed at the seed stage via equity crowdfunding,...
Mentality of success, not survival
Mentality of success, not survival. Sometimes a line really catches my attention when I listen to a song lyric, watch a movie, or read a…
If nobody follows you, you are not a leader
Don Quixote thought he was a leader, but other than the faithful Sancho Panza, nobody was following him. If nobody follows you, you are not a leader. Hat tip to Morgan DaCosta today for nudging me to a post that talks about Followership. My definition of leadership...
Life is about the people you meet
There are indeed no ordinary moments and life carries on in the people you meet. A personal blog today and also one where I wish to share from what I took from a day of shock news. I write this shortly after receiving the unexpected news that someone very close to me...
Why (and how) capitalism needs to be reformed
Ray Dalio of Bridgewater Capital has a personal net worth reported to be over $18bn, sourced from his hugely lucrative hedge fund business. When he wrote a 7,500-word opinion piece this month called "Why (and how) capitalism needs to be reformed", this created a stir...
Innovating with Vitality for Preventative Healthcare
Apologies for being political for a moment, but amidst the constant focus in the UK on Brexit, the country (along with most developed countries) is doing far too little to address one of the greatest social and economic crises of our times, that of preventable illness...
Don’t tell and yell. Ask
Sir Alex Ferguson in customary pose, yelling at his players Sir Alex Ferguson, one of the greatest football coaches, was famous for "giving his players the hairdryer treatment", ie yelling at them. Today a repost of a wonderful interview this week by Kieran Shannon of...
Innovation is simple, so why is it so hard?
Love this quote from the author of one of my favourite books, "The Little Prince" (post about that book here). Often when I work with leaders and their businesses and organisations, they seem to find innovation hard. To me, innovation is simple, so why do we often...
Using Time to create Space
We live in a "go go go" world, where we set ourselves targets and feel we need to achieve them right away, asap, now, now, now! Recently I was talking to a business leader who was feeling pressure to and felt they had no space. No space to think, to rest, to consider...
Writing I Love – Love the questions themselves
“Be patient toward all that is unsolved in your heart and try to love the questions themselves, like locked rooms and like books that are now written in a very foreign tongue. Do not now seek the answers, which cannot be given you because you would not be able to live...
Stop staring at mountains
I saw this photo this week posted on Instagram by my friend Arno de Jong, the amazing founder and lead guide of AlpAdventures. In August 2018 Arno arranged a private trip for me and my three boys to the French Alps, including hiking over multiple mountain passes,...
Price is what you pay. Value is what you get
"Price is what you pay. Value is what you get" A favourite quote of mine from one of the world's great investors, Warren Buffett, a wise elder who I've constantly learned from for well over two decades. Today I'd like you to consider two things. One is the price you...
I’m sorry. What I did was wrong…
We've all experienced and given a "non-apology" apology. You know what that feels like to hear and to give. Incomplete or worse. The least apologetic "non-apology" will both try to justify what was said or done with excuses, then say something like "I'm sorry if you...
Sometimes the question is more important than the answer
The Pontiac Aztek. Still no idea what question this answers. Have you ever faced a situation where you really don't know what to do and this has you feel frustrated, or perhaps even overwhelmed, confused? When that happens, do you feel the need to make a decision...