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.
Go Easy
Today is a reminder to "Go Easy" on myself. In March 2022 I was diagnosed with colon cancer. To support me through this, I chose a context of GRATITUDE. Grateful it had been found early, grateful for the NHS, for the people surrounding me with care and love, for my...
Go Easy
I will go easy on myself, not expect myself to be totally relaxed, not expect myself to feel “fine” all the time.
Pesky Humans and Kilkenomics
In workshops, leadership off-sites, retreats etc, a few themes typically emerge when wrestling with the toughest of issues. One of those is around people. I often lighten the tone when leading these by saying something like: "wouldn't your business be simple if it...
Pendulum Leadership
A pendulum is a favourite device for me as a coach. So often I find people beating themselves up around their behaviour, and, more particularly, how when they choose to change a behaviour they often "overcorrect". Imagine a pendulum that swings to the far end of its...
Ok is not ok
Thank you to Alton Byrd for posting this online. Alton was one of my first sporting heroes, the greatest player I ever saw in British Basketball. He and I were both fortunate enough to be taken under the wing of the late, great Ed Percival, who Alton calls his rabbi,...
Realising Potential
My purpose in life is Making Potential Possible. Like any such intention in life, there is a strong element of service to others, and also a mirroring reference to what we seek for ourselves. Seth Godin recently wrote : My purpose in life is #MakingPotentialPossible....
What a Fool Believes about Bitcoin
It seems everybody is talking about investing in Bitcoin. The current craze to invest in cryptocurrencies is very much an example of the greater fool theory. "But what a fool believes he sees, no wise man has the power to reason away." https://youtu.be/qKYQNtF11eg...
Try something new
Take a chance and step outside your comfort zone. Try something new today. https://youtu.be/F6sV-tvUOHQ Recently I ran a workshop in Edinburgh called UNTHINKABLE. From this, I was inspired to write a series of articles on Linked In on the theme of #Open Leadership,...
Who are you NOT to be ?
In a similar way to feeling inspired (as I wrote here) by the line from Mary Oliver : "Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?" This quote from Marianne Williamson is a touchstone for me in many ways. In my years as a leader and...
Presence…and Vulnerability
The new paradigm of leadership has presence and vulnerability at the core. https://youtu.be/Ks-_Mh1QhMc One of my favourite TED talks of all time is this one from Amy Cuddy. I recalled this as I was going to write about the power of self-awareness of the body,...
Never in the history of calming down…
Never in the history of calming down has anyone ever calmed down by being told to calm down.
Doing from Being
Before I started to really look into the Japanese concept of Ikigai, "A reason for being", I had already discovered this image as a Linked In meme: I love this visual representation, and at the same time, I recognise how many of us focus on the "what you can be paid...
Make Music
Just remember to make the best music you have the ability to make. If you do that, you are a successful musician. It is said that it takes 30 days to make a habit, to engrain something and build neural pathways. From an earlier post, I am committing myself to lead a...
Ikigai, Pleasure and Meaning
In this modern world that we make so complex, what does it teach us to take pleasure and meaning from the perfection of one simple task? I've been drawn to the concept of Ikigai for some time. In September 2017 Ken Mogi published "The Little Book of Ikigai" and...