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.
Do not turn off your instincts
11 panel discussions in 30 hours at Kilkenomics. So many brilliant speakers. So many ideas. So many dots to connect. One idea for now from Isabella Weber, an economist bringing forward new ideas to a field often sorely lacking in them. She noted that when we are...
Do not turn off your instincts
When we are taught the “rules” of economics we are told to “turn off your instincts” and act as if those rules always apply, always…
How was your trip? Uneventful
Last week I flew to Cayman. When asked “how was your trip”, I answered: “Uneventful”. Sometimes that is a great story, to having no story…
How to never have to fire anybody again
Businesses with a strong culture may never have to fire anybody ever again, they will simply leave. The above highlight is from Allistair McCaw, speaker, author and specialist in leadership and culture, with deep experience around elite athletes and sports teams....
Being together is not like Zoom
Being together is not like Zoom. As so much attention is given to adapting to different working norms, broadly hybrids of working in an office or working online, less than two days into quarantine I feel like sharing some thoughts. Being together is not like Zoom I...
An update to my “Now” page
In November 2020, inspired by Derek Sivers, I set up a "Now" page on my site, then wrote about the idea in: "Tell people what you are focussed on now". The idea is simple: Most websites have a link that says “about”. It goes to a page that tells you something about...
Mentoring addresses privilege gaps
There are many forms of privilege in our world. One that is sometimes less obvious is knowledge gaps. Mentoring can address this. If your parents (and perhaps their peers, neighbours, family members) never went to University, or if they never owned their own home,...
Elevating Leaders – launch day!
Today marks the launch of the new podcast series: "Elevating Leaders". As the page on the site notes in the intro: This short series of interviews aspires to inspire women leaders of today and tomorrow as you seek to elevate your own leadership.My name is Tom...
Babies can teach us about Love versus Fear
This weekend I met my new tiny wee nephew. There is nothing like when a wee baby smiles up at you, nothing at all. The purity of a tiny child is something to behold. It makes me think of love, and fear. Babies cry, sure, but for only three reasons. Cold, wet, hungry....
Our greatest responsibility is to be good ancestors
In 1955, Jonas Salk unveiled a vaccine for poliomyelitis, an infectious disease that can cause paralysis. He did not patent the vaccine, he gave it to the world. When asked by the renowned journalist Edward R. Murrow about the idea of patenting a vaccine, Salk...
The quality of our decisions depends on the quality of the conversations we have
"The quality of our decisions depends on the quality of the conversations we have"Bruce Lloyd, in our recent WhatComesNextLive conversation As I note on the page for our conversation (linked above): "Dr. Bruce Lloyd is Emeritus Professor of Strategic Management at...
Do you have a Digital Will? (and how to create one)
Highlighting the importance of setting up a Digital Will and a few tips on how to do this. I've lost my contacts!" The iPhone became widely used about ten years ago, a few years after Facebook. For several years after that, I can think of one particular friend who...
Pausing to Read
I used to read voraciously, devouring at least a book a week. However, in recent years, particularly since I started posting every day nearly four years ago, I get into the rhythm of reading books far less often. In this, I have had a tendency to judge myself for not...
To play it safe or closer to the edge?
There is no growth without stretching, so if we play it safe all the time, we remain the same, we don't grow. The same applies to our impact on others. Do we want to always play it safe, to have comfortable conversations? Or, on occasion at least, do we want to move...