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.
Presence and a London Pause
A moment for presence, a "London Pause". The photo above was taken from Camberwell Green two days ago as I walked to a meeting. Yesterday morning my daily post was called "One more secret to success", that secret being the power of focussing on love in business and...
Presence and a London Pause
I had taken a moment for presence, a “London Pause”. I sense this will become a theme for me and I love that.
22 years is a long time
22 years is a long time. When I was 8 years old, I watched Scotland compete in the 1974 football World Cup. They then qualified for every world cup after that, seven in a row, until, on June 23, 1998, aged 32, and the day before my oldest son's 4th birthday, I stood...
Attention, defined
Attention /əˈtɛnʃ(ə)n/ the appropriate amount of mental energy to solve a particular taskStephen Hick's definition of attention In the most recent latest WhatComesNextLive conversation, it was a pleasure to talk with Stephen Hicks. As a way of introducing his work and...
When bravery is easy
A quote used by Viktor Frankl in my favourite book: "Man's Search for Meaning" One recurring theme in my conversations with clients and other leaders is bravery and, specifically to my thoughts today, around when people are seen by others as being brave, but to them...
How fast do you walk?
Yesterday I shifted a planned client meeting from Zoom to a walk. I also anticipated we would walk longer than the appointed one hour, so cleared my diary. The weather cleared and we ended up walking well over two hours in glorious scenery and autumn weather. Now,...
Bike rides, Democracy, Wellbeing
Two thoughts to start your week around physical and mental wellbeing. In London, we are now on day four of our second lockdown. Yes, the official announcement is that it is for 28 days, but few people believe that will hold, it will be a long winter. So, today, two...
Making better
A commission created for me by Hugh McLeod of Gaping Void My purpose in life is #MakingPotentialPossible, I seek to do this through my work. I do my work with love and I love my work. So what do I do? Occasionally I explain it through reference to a brilliant series...
Don’t shout at your children
Don't shout at your children. Parents who look after their stress levels won't be so likely to ever shout at their children. As a parent, one of the things I regret the most is occasions where I yelled at them for something. On occasions when that happened it was...
Turning the (USA) Ship Around
It is time to "turn the ship around" for the good ship United States of America. What role will you play in the crew? Will you take responsibility? As I write this on the morning (USA time) on Thursday November 5th, the final result of the Presidential election is...
Fashion is Fleeting but Style is Permanent
Fashion is fleeting, style is permanent. Linked In post from Mark Hogarth, 4th November 2020 Fashion is fleeting, style is permanent. I love this LI post from Mark Hogarth. Times change, quality endures. Much of my family heritage is from the Isle of Lewis, home of...
Only love can drive out hate
Only love can drive out hate “Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.” This morning I wake up to the US Election news. Whatever the final result my heart sinks to be reminded that around half of...
The only real shortcut in life
The only real shortcut in life is to understand it backwards. It's easier to solve a maze backwards and the same holds true with life. Volkswagen IDR smashes the Goodwood Hill record Each year since 1993, the Goodwood Festival of Speed has attracted a sold out crowd...
Settling in for the Winter
So, the U.K. is going back into lockdown on 5th November. Regular readers will know I predicted this on 20th September and a recurring theme since then has been to encourage preparation, “Proactive Resilience”. On Sunday I made the most of being able to visit stores...