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.
What does it mean to be a Coach?
"The Empowerment Dynamic" is a wonderful positive "flip" on the Karpman Drama Triangle (see "not my circus, not my monkey"). I also love their definition of coaching on this page of their site, clipped here: A Coach sees the Creator essence in those they support and...
What does it mean to be a Coach?
A Coach sees the Creator essence in those they support and holds them as ultimately resourceful and resilient.
Be Kind, Be Kind, Be Kind
Three things in human life are important: The first is to be kind. The second is to be kind. And the third is to be kind. - Henry James I write this for the last day of 2020. In the UK, I forecast that we will be mostly, if not fully locked down now for the next three...
Allow your customers to cancel easily
It is difficult it is to cancel a newspaper subscription, hence increasingly people choose to sign up via Apple Store.
Watching humans unfold their wings
“I want to teach because I love watching humans unfold their wings”. Wow, Carlos Santana, what a purpose you have.
Wisdom at Work – three years on
Wisdom at Work At this time of year, giving, sharing and gratitude are top of mind for all of us, so today I want to give thanks to Chip Conley (watch/listen to his appearance on #WhatComesNextLive) and to all those I have met through him since... since when and what...
Getting things done by not doing them
the nine precepts of Lichtenbergianism So I'm sitting here on 23rd December, having put the out of office on (as per my post on 24th December), and this post goes out on 26th December. Yes, am in a weird time loop, or, more simply, am "banking" a bunch of posts so...
The gift of Time
This reminds me of my late grandfathers old watch. One of my greatest treasures was the gift of time we spent together. What will you choose to do with the gift of time this holiday season? For many of us our Christmas holiday celebrations will be much simple, much...
This time Christmas Day is (no) different
The great Bill Nighy massacring Wet Wet Wet's "Love is all around" in Love Actually Today is Christmas Day, and we may all be thinking: "this time it's different", but please allow me to muse for a while on (of all things on Christmas Day) overheated stock market...
Email is for information, not communication
A Cayman Islands aerogramme. I wrote and sent many of these after moving to Cayman in 1989! Email is for information, not communication I've found myself using this phrase more and more in 2020, and yes, I'm always learning, I used to be "that guy" who sent really...
What opportunities do you see in your challenges?
My favourite all time quote by the author of Man's Search for Meaning Today in London it is cold, wet, dark. The sun has disappeared and, when the grey light appears, it does so for only a fleeting part of the day at this time of least daylight. We are also, as we...
Today is a gift. That is why it’s called the present.
Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, but today is a gift. That is why it's called the present. Wisdom from Kung Fu Panda 2 As I write this, living in the London area, times are tough indeed. We are seeing a new variant of Covid that is thought to be 70% more...
Visionaries focus on the formation of the question
JFK was a visionary, so he set out a question that would focus and align the American people, the question being "how do we get to the Moon by 1969?" On May 25, 1961, JFK announced the goal of landing a man on the Moon by the end of the decade before a joint session...
Collective sacrifice trumps individual liberty
In 1940 hundeds of private boats answered the call to evacuate soldiers from Dunkirk. Read more in Professor Galloway's blog below about this and our generation's call to action {In early 2020} the virus attacked. Like an invading army, it evaded nearly every defense...