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.
The formula for success
The formula for success is the courage to start, the discipline to focus, the confidence to figure it out, the patience to know progress is not always visible, and the persistence to keep going, even on the bad days. The courage to start. The discipline to focus. The...
The formula for success
The formula for success is the courage to start, the discipline to focus, the confidence to figure it out, the patience to know progress is…
Ask your people about #WFA
Thanks to Happy Toast for this tweet, an update on the one featured in an earlier post #WFA (Work From Anywhere) absolutely includes working “at the office” as well as at home, “anywhere” includes those places. The distinction I seek to make is that once employers and...
Small Hours
Small Hours by Graeme Thomson Yesterday my Saturday musing was on Shoshin, of having an innocent or beginner's mind. Today, Sunday morning, I have been slowly reading some more of a recently published biography of John Martyn. I first discovered his music in my late...
Shoshin – Innocent Mind
"Shoshin" is a Zen Buddhist term roughly translating as "Beginner's Mind" or "Innocent Mind". This Saturday morning I am musing on the power of Shoshin I was recently on a mentoring call and the mentee is an accomplished actor looking to grown and learn in a...
Relating the pandemic to being on a long voyage
Living through this pandemic really is like being on a ship for a long voyage. We are not truly stable, we are not grounded. As we move through September, nearly six months into our lives being changed by Covid-19, here in the UK (and many other countries) we have...
Please help me be less stale
"Pale, male and stale" is often how the makeup of senior teams, boards and committees are described. I myself am white, male, nearly 55. Hmm. The photo above was tweeted out by Christine Lagarde when she, as new President of the ECB (European Central Bank) held a...
Your behaviours are a form of communication
A leader’s awareness that their behaviours are a form of communication may seem pedestrian, but it’s often difficult to see ourselves accurately. In yesterday's post, I highlighted how the announcement of a top fund management firm that they will pay for their...
What’s good for the business is good for the individual
This week some firms have offered to pay for London staff to commute by taxi. Really? "What's good for the business is good for the individual, not the other way around" I use this phrase often with business leaders, though the context is vital, as we can look at this...
Thank your Mentors
Ed Percival - My Greatest Mentor in Life This is a PSA. Make a list of your mentors. The people who took chances on you. The people who saw something in you that you didn’t necessarily see in yourself. The people who gave you the big breaks. Call them. Text them....
Stop telling people about yourself. Be Yourself.
Stop telling people about yourself. Be Yourself. Image from my phone wallpaper, (c) Visualise Value My Mentor Ed Percival often reminded me to #BeMoreYou, yet part of who I am is a frequent struggle to find a balance between telling and showing, between doing and...
Angrynomics and seeking to understand
This week I caught up with his interview with the authors of the recently publised Angrynomics, Eric Lonergan and Mark Blyth. One of my favourite podcasts is from David McWilliams, who looks to take economics and make it both understandable and practical for all of...
Let’s get #WFA trending – Work From Anywhere
We heard endlessly during lockdown of #WFH or Work From Home. About a week ago we were threatened by the UK Government (via a national newspaper) to ‘Go back to work or risk losing your job", as if millions of people working from home were not working. This Ad then...
The future is hybrid
What does your hybrid future look like? If you have not thought about it yet, I recommend you start now. I strongly believe in remote working. However, today let me take it a level further. For now let’s call it “WorkAnywhere”, as the idea of remote working still...