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.
Be a Cultural Chameleon
Some thoughts on being a Cultural Chameleon. This week I have two painters working on my house redecorating. The lead painter chats to me in a generic south London accent and I reply in kind, yet when I hear him and his mater talking during the day, they are talking...
Be a Cultural Chameleon
To be a cultural chameleon one begins with a passionate interest in learning about others and about different cultures and experiences.
Profitable, difficult or important
Is being a parent Profitable? No. Is being a parent Difficult? Sometimes, sure. Is being a parent Important? Absolutely. To me, it is the most important and valuable work I've ever or will ever do. As I write this post the last of my three sons has headed out of...
Lukewarm is no good
This week was "Roald Dahl day", celebrating and honouring his unique genius. This quote circulated and moved me. On the #BeMoreYou page on this site, I give an expression of what I offer to clients, to #BeMoreYou, and express that as: Be Hungry Be Humble Be Brave Be...
Don’t be more than one hilltop ahead
What can Don Quixote teach us about leadership? Reflecting that you don’t climb Everest in one go. You have staging camps to acclimatise, assess the conditions before moving on. Same in business. — Sacha Romanovitch (@romanovsun) September 13, 2018 Today I saw this...
Proactive resilience
With the pace and speed of change in the world and in business, resilience is a core attribute at all levels, and this very much includes personal resilience for leaders. All successful leaders have built their own toolkit for their own resilience. My question for you...
Being aligned with who you are
This week I went to the cinema in the UK with my oldest son. During the previews, there was one for the new movie "Bohemian Rhapsody", a biopic about the amazing Freddie Mercury, lead singer of Queen. As a teenager I saw Queen live twice, then along with basically the...
Beautiful words – aestivate
I love the power of language, and of well-chosen words. A little over a month ago, I wrote a post bringing together a number of the words and short phrases I've mused on over time on this site with links to those posts. That post is called "Beautiful words bring...
When will you next recharge…yourself?
Thanks to Monique Valcour for sharing this, with the tagline: Recharge yourself with nature The thing is, here in the Northern Hemisphere, there is a real "back to school" energy which means that for those who were able to slow down over the summer and recharge...
What can I do less of for you?
image credit itsquiz Recently I was on a coaching call with a client in a senior leadership role. On our last call, they told me of two questions they ask whenever they check in with one of their team. Simple, yet brilliant in that simplicity and how they support the...
Beauty, serendipity, music, grace, power
Today I am returning to the theme of beauty, as behind the scenes ideas are marinating with myself and others on transformative leadership programmes. I'm truly enjoying developing these ideas with Alan Moore, who I wrote about earlier in "Is yours, could yours be a...
How to be a Master Mentor in Midlife
{I love the generational symbolism of this image. Thanks Chip !} Today, for the third day in a row, I find myself sharing guest posts. Coming off the summer, the "back to school" energy sees collaborative energy flowing all around me, is it the same for you? I have a...
The compass matters more than the calendar
Image credit : Lewis Howes - Leadership Compass Today a guest post from my friend Jeff Raker of Level Up Leadership. Jeff is a wonderful guy and a top swimming official in the USA. We met a number of years ago through world of international swim officials. When not...
Premium means Premium
**Guest posts welcome at any time, I love to collaborate and to share learnings!** Today a guest post from friend and past colleague, Alan Wick. Alan is a great coach, passionate about empowering entrepreneurs. He listens and talks softly, and at the same time...