Mastery and Wisdom are closely linked. You cannot ‘know’ wisdom. You can only practice it.
Elite Lessons
Distilling four thousand words into no more than four
A key element of my role is to coach the client in distilling those four thousand words on what and how into no more than…
Never let schooling interfere with education
How focussed are you on learning and where do you seek to gain your education at your own stage of life and career?
Sometimes it feels hard to slow down
I often remind clients in senior leadership positions that “the less you do the more valuable you are to your business.”
Elite Lessons: Be running your own Inner Game
Choose your own inner game to run, particularly in environments where you are not being stretched in what you are doing.
Be willing to appear foolish
So much advantage in life comes from being willing to look foolish in the short term.
I’ve decided to stop being self-aware
I’ve decided to stop being self-aware, what I do is none of my business
Yes, and…
Where could “Yes, and” take you today?
Take a stand
Use your platform, whether CEO or athlete, to take a stand for what you believe is right.
Elite Mindset: Transformative change takes time
Transformative change takes time. Accept this, then consider the long-term value of investing in it.
Elite Lessons: Leaders, flip the Pyramid
I was given the idea of “Flipping the Pyramid” for leaders some years ago when I interviewed my friend and mentor Peter Lederer for a…
Who mentors the mentors?
If you are already mentoring others formally or informally, who mentors or coaches you? A good mentor will allow you to see the hope inside…
Do you glance or do you catch a glimpse?
The opposite of a glance…is a glimpse: because in a glance, we see only for a second, and in a glimpse, the object shows itself…
What Enlivens You?
I know that talking to people also really enlivens me. I often begin by listening, and then seek to have a conversation that connects dots…
Leadership and how you show up
“Calm is Contagious.” This is a maxim of the Navy Seals and makes instinctive sense.
Be Curious, Not Judgmental
Open leaders are both Brave and Hungry and also Open and Humble. Open and Humble leaders are also deeply curious.
Be interested in people then connect the dots
Be interested in people before focussing on doing business with them. Then connect the dots and see where that leads.
Let us ask of others what they can do
Let us ask of others what they can do and ask of them to be brilliant at those thing.
We need to become more comfortable with being uncomfortable
Inspiration around growth, stretching, as well as getting comfortable being uncomfortable.
Elite Lessons: Anthony Bourdain – Be Open
Anthony Bourdain absolutely felt that eating and drinking with people, and sitting down to “break bread” was one of our key reasons for being.
Heart of a Charity, Mindset of a Business
For Croydon Vision, then, they absolutely have the heart of a charity, their focus now is to have more and more of that mindset of…
Elite Mindset – Curiosity and Billy Connolly
Billy Connolly, now aged 81 and retired from stand-up comedy, is one of the greatest comedians ever, a masterful of what is called “observational comedy”.
Elite Mindset – Leading with Belief
Belief influences our feelings, behaviours and actions. They guide our decisions. In this way, they determine our effectiveness as leaders.
Elite Mindset – Be as curious as a Dog
Be as curious as a dog. To a dog every moment is confusing, every moment is like “I don’t know what is going on here,…
Elevating Leaders – launch day!
Today marks the launch of the new podcast series: "Elevating Leaders". As the page on the site notes in the intro: This short series of interviews aspires to inspire women leaders of today and tomorrow as you seek to elevate your own leadership.My name is Tom...
The Plateau of Latent Potential
My Purpose is making potential possible. This means I live in this in my work for my clients. Beyond that, similarly minded people are those I connect to most. In "Always be Batman", I wrote: “The two most important days of your life are the day you were born and the...
What I learned from a master practitioner
Lessons learned from working with a master Feldenkrais practitioner . Yoda, a quintessential Master Over a year ago I injured my Achilles badly. No specific event, I simply was walking a lot that summer and it became injured and wouldn't heal. Months later, frustrated...
The more you care for your people, the better your business will perform
"...the more we care for our colleagues, the better the Timpson key-cutting and shoe-repair business seems to perform. Over the past five years, we have opened 1,000 new shops, sales and profits have doubled" James Timpson of Timpson, in the Sunday Times August 25,...
Being vulnerable is more than saying you are
the Open Leadership model Saying you are vulnerable is not the same as being vulnerable. The four core qualities of #OpenLeadership are: Be HungryBe HumbleBe BraveBe Open Linked to that is Chip Conley's idea of being a "vulnerable visionary" a leader who expresses...
Simplicity is harder work than complexity
Helping customers find simplicity in a complex world. Inspiration Yesterday I had the privilege of watching an audience with the author Matt Haig at the Edinburgh Book Festival. His writing style is often simple and concise. When asked about this, he noted...
The power of streaks
Streaks are their own reward. On September 20, 1998, Cal Ripken walked into the office of his boss, the manager of the Baltimore Orioles, and told him he wanted to be out of the line up for that evening's game. That night he chose, himself, to end "the streak"....
How to enjoy and have productive disagreements
Do you dread getting into disagreements? What if I told you that the highest performing teams have the most disagreements? What would it take for you to want to have more disagreements? What if I told you that you could actually look forward to disagreements, even...
Don’t send emails after 5:30 pm
Do you send emails after 5:30 pm? Suggestions on business email from "It Doesn't Have to be Crazy at Work". "It doesn't have to be crazy at work" is a book full of nuggets of wisdom that can change your life and that of those who work with you. Seriously, every single...
Your mind is like a parachute: If it isn’t open, it doesn’t work
"Your mind is like a parachute: If it isn't open, it doesn't work." Buzz Aldrin, Apollo 11 astronaut Today we celebrate the 50th anniversary of the first moon landing, July 20th, 1969. It all began with the open mind and huge vision of one man. On May 25, 1961,...
You are only as good as your people
"You are only as good as your people and you are the greatest asset we have. You are our high performance system." - Chelsea Warr Recently I had a check-in call with a long-time contact who is a shooting star rising up in one of the world's top financial institutions....
Want to magically increase your performance? Sleep
"Sleep is a natural performance enhancing drug. Tragic how many people think they can get by on 7 hours or less." @DHH My two oldest sons were elite swimmers. As teenagers then university students, it may have seemed to outside observers that they were...