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.
Invest in relationships, authentically
Take time to invest in relationships, authentically. One early evening this week in Cayman I was sitting at a bar outdoors with a client team. They had just had a team meeting about business development so were full of ideas on where they could, individually and...
Invest in relationships, authentically
Always be authentic. Invest in relationships. Be curious about others. Look to help them where your abilities and expertise can be of service.
Growing one day at a time
Showing growth one day at a time. How many differences can you see? Take a look at these two weather screens for consecutive days. This isn't really a "spot the difference" quiz, but take a look at the smallest text there and note the difference in the sunrise and...
Nothing is finished
Wabi Sabi: Nothing lasts, nothing is finished, nothing is perfect, and therein lies its beauty. Courtesy Sketchplanations, words from Wabi Sabi Simple An episode from a BBC radio series "The Death of Nuance" starts out with a list of "untranslatable" words, reminding...
What is Wealth?
What is Wealth? With a post title like that I could get really esoteric, but today instead I'd like to concentrate on what Chip Conley would call an Emotional Equation. Focus x Stoicism x Time x Diversification = Wealth This comes courtesy of Professor Scott Galloway...
Walking and listening for inspiration
Yesterday morning, Sunday, I couldn't think of what to write for my next daily post. Normally inspiration flows easily, but sometimes it doesn't. Rather than look to "think my way out of it", I went for a walk. To add to it, I love listening to stories, and currently...
What do we see when we focus?
One of the simplest yet most vital "superpowers" in business and leadership is Focus. Today a reminder of how humans have evolved naturally in order to focus. This past week I have been taking some "Dark Skies"walks. One evening I thought to take a picture of trees...
The Death of Nuance
I recently listened to a short series of radio shows called "The Death of Nuance" The opening programme highlights how much, in our 24/7, social media driven world of "news", we see things in binary, yes/no, either/or terms. I often say I'm a "both/and" person, am not...
How much “work time” do you spend reading?
Yes, I have a red armchair and footstool like this for my "reading spot" Yesterday I spent three hours reading during "working hours". Brought up in Scotland with the pervasive calvinist work ethic, part of me thought "I'm not working, I should be working". I then...
Listen to other leaders
Focus on taking time to meet up with leaders and to listen and also share the experiences. Breasclete, Isle of Lewis, (c) James Smith Photography "Leadership is about people, end of story" and people are people with common human wants, needs, drivers. We can learn a...
Struggling on a Snow Day
Struggling on a snow day in the UK. Yesterday I scraped ice and snow off a car for the first time in many years (which amused me as someone used to Cayman winters!) and the weather forecast is for wind and freezing conditions for several days. This was a week where I...
Always be Fair and Abundant
Do you find that people are generally fair and even generous towards you? Last week I put a bedframe I no longer needed up for sale online. One person quickly expressed interest and asked for current pictures of the item (rather than from the IKEA website, as I had...
Patience and Cricket
Yesterday morning, as I got up and drank my coffee, I checked the news and saw that an English cricketer was playing in India at that moment and closing in on a double century, to scoring 200 runs in an innings. I turned on the TV to watch as Joe Root, captain of...
The only mistakes are not trying and not learning
My first job interview after qualifying as an accountant, almost thirty years ago, was with Kel Thompson, at that time Managing Director of Cayman Airways. Among many lessons that stay with me from that first interaction was him telling me he expected me to make...