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.
Find the Gap
Take time to "Find the Gap" first before proposing solutions. (PS for non-Scots among my readers, as to the picture above, "Mind" in Scots means "Remember"!) This week I was interviewed by a team sponsored to work full time for four weeks as a module related to their...
Find the Gap
Take time to “Find the Gap” first before proposing solutions. Identify the problem areas.
How would you cross the muddy pond?
A story today around one of my favourite leadership phrases: A leader is someone other choose to follow The picture above is of quite the unattractive muddy pond, huh? Now imagine you are a squad of young soldiers on army training. It is cold, wet, you've been out in...
Seeing gaps and learning from others
The view from the Eurostar area at Gare du Nord, and beyond those trains is the Thalys fast train and about 15 more platforms and then 8 mentor lines underground. Loved most of my life in the Americas, European rail infrastructure so different. Impressive....
Ed Percival – my greatest mentor in life
Ed Percival. Yoda, Obi-Wan, #BeMoreYou, Shaman, Discordian Pope. Last week Chip Conley posed a question to our Modern Elder group of: "What are the best qualities of a mentor and who's been your best mentor in life so far?" The second part of that question is easy for...
Elite Lessons – Making failure possible
In order to make failure possible, you first have to try, to commit, to go where it may scare or even terrify you, to be vulnerable, to say "this might not work" and do it anyway. Very recently I was disappointed to witness this first hand in someone. They were...
Inigo Montoya – Masterclass on introducing yourself
Such a fun meme that went viral a while back, and now my post on this theme is by far the most viewed on this daily blog on leadership. Hmm, so now let me try this out, using the example of introducing myself to someone I am being referred to by an existing client,...
Ichi-Go Ichi-E : No ordinary moments
Quite a view, isn't it? In my life, I've travelled to around 70 countries, but still, my favourite city is Edinburgh. This week I was up there from London for an overnight business visit with a friend and collaborator and stayed the night before the meeting with him...
Outdoor Storytelling
Over the last year, as part of the English-based school curriculum in his school in the Cayman Islands, my 14-year-old son has been studying WW2 history, and specifically the D-Day landings. Last week I took him and his brothers there to learn more. I chose a tour...
Elite Lessons – Stretching and Curiosity
Yesterday I wrote about "Consistency over Innovation", learning from Eddy Merckx and the owners of a wonderful spinning studio in Cayman that: "In business and leadership, we laud innovation so much that sometimes we forget the value of consistency. In the right...
Elite Lessons – Consistency over Innovation
This photo of and quote from the great Eddy Merckx hangs in a frame behind the spinning instructor's bike at Revolutions in the Cayman Islands. As I sit writing on a wet Sunday morning nursing a sore Achilles tendon, I'm missing my regular Sunday morning ride and...
Movies with Meaning – Life is Beautiful
Between October 2017 and June 2018, I published weekly posts of three Movies with Meaning. The full list of movies over that time is featured here. Since June 2018 I have chosen to publish a post about movies only as the spirit takes me. As I write this post today, it...
Lessons from Music: Curiosity and Growth
Growth mindset is key to leadership. Curiosity is key to leadership In my youth I learned and played musical instruments, yet somehow got in my mind that I couldn't improve, couldn't grow to a level that would satisfy me. I then lost my curiosity and sense of wonder...
Only enough Structure to allow Flow
"Only enough Structure to allow Flow" This is a personal mantra for me now and is the reason why the two photos above could happen. I used to be known to plan life with great detail, packing the diary days, weeks,...