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.
Life needs more Art
I saw this quote while visiting the stunning Centre Pompidou-Metz while on holiday recently. Sometimes art simply stops me in my tracks and I must pause and take it in. That art can be visual, audio, or it can be the power of words. As our life becomes ever more...
Life needs more Art
Sometimes art simply stops me in my tracks and I must pause and take it in. That art can be visual, audio, or it can…
Why do people set “out of office” emails?
One of my favourite funny out of office emails, this one must truly torture some senders! I've always found the idea of an "out of office" email pretty absurd, particularly since around fifteen years ago when it seemed by then everyone had, first, a blackberry, then...
Distinguish between Hope and Expectation
Disappointment = Expectation - Reality: the disappointments many are facing in this pandemic as our reality doesn't match up to our expectation. Many years ago, as a young Accountant taking up a new job, the chief executive guided me to, in my forecasting, to be...
Thinking fast.. or (very) slow
"Thinking Fast and Slow" is one of the bestselling books on behaviour, capturing the essence of the work that won Daniel Kahneman his Nobel prize for Economics (for more on his work on heuristics and biases, this long read has some depth on it: "You cannot eliminate...
August when you can’t unplug
How can you unplug? In the Northern Hemisphere typically August is a month for slowing down at work, taking vacations, generally recharging the batteries, even "unplugging" completely. Of course, this year in a pandemic so much is not as before, yet I am finding most...
Saudade – what do you long for?
Saudade is defined as a nostalgic longing to be near again to something or someone that is distant, or that has been loved and then lost. The love that remains. Writing this on a quiet Sunday, happy in the knowledge that my three sons in Cayman are safe and well in a...
Be aware of how your environment shapes you
Our environment does shape us, whether that is weather or people. Be aware of how your environment shapes you. The parched common near me in another heatwave, summer 2018, from : Petrichor – How our environment can impact us As I write this, it is a grey and cool day...
Being in Flow
MJ's expression after an inexplicable "flow moment" Today I share with you one of the ultimate flow moments in my life so far, one, where I was so deep in "the zone" for hours that astonishing things happened. Through this, I hope this helps you reflect on when and...
Innovation and Inspiration
(c) Gaping Void "Innovation is simply doing things differently and doing different things" Today a story about an artist and a simple innovation inspired by us all being on Zoom in lockdown. Oh, and some reflections on setting up an office back in 2013 that was, in...
Say yes to less
A learning from another writer, around "Say Yes to Less" "Are you busy?" seems to be one of the most common questions people ask socially and around work. "I'm active" is my answer, as I talked about with my friend Kay Scorah on yesterday's weekly WhatComesNext.Live...
How do you go from great to elite?
I work with people who have already moved from "good to great" and are hungry to move from great to elite so that they can make an even greater impact. Josh Waitzkin, image (c) Creativity Post You are already “successful”, making a difference through your leadership...
A divine bacon roll
No, not a weighty post on leadership, but today I will continue to share around my lifelong quest for the ultimate bacon roll. A divine bacon roll, from LeSwine I am currently learning about Josh Waitzkin, author of "The Art of Learning", and this quote around one of...
The power of a single sentence
Courtesy of White Owl on Twitter I saw this quote on Twitter the other day and replied: "That is beautiful and has so many layers. Thank you." White Owl then replied: "You’re welcome Tom. I think its beautiful too. The power of a single sentence." I love brevity. In...