Thanks to Adam Grant for his NYT article, including the suggestion of Flow as an antidote to Languishing. Here some suggestions for finding flow in…
OpenLeadership
What does it mean to be on a 1,289-day streak?
Yesterday, in "Give yourself time to think", I wrote about the design of my work, which naturally includes my practice of posting daily on the Insights page of my site. No sooner had I posted that article than I received the notification above. I then looked at my...
Give yourself time to think
Socrates, one of history's great thinkers. If you feel you do not have enough time to think, look to consciously create time. I promise you it has power when built into your routine and structure. “My working habits are simple: long periods of thinking, short periods...
A vision of a 15-minute Workplace
From 1925: Maximum Distance for Community Facilities. De Chiara & Lee Koppleman Imagine for a moment a “15-minute Workplace” vision where a network is created that allows you to work no more than 15 minutes from home. The idea of a "15-minute city", a new urbanism...
Life. It goes on
The Holstee Manifesto “In three words, I can sum up everything I’ve learned about life. It goes on.”Robert Frost I'm a very positive, energetic, and optimistic person, someone others look to for positivity and leadership. However, yesterday morning I woke up and,...
Pairing Visionary and Operational Leadership
ELM "Nine Drawers" by Shirlaws "Leaders who can provide both operational and visionary leadership are a rare but special breed. When you find one, get on their bus and stay on it for as long as you can. It will be an incredible trip. It is also the case that you can...
Be the thermostat
Thermometers react to their surroundings. A Thermostat reads and regulates its environment. A Thermostat embodies equanimity. Later today my guest on WhatComesNextLive is Scott Perry of Creative on Purpose. As I am fond of saying, "people are my library" and I love to...
How well can you read people?
How well can you read people? How well do you read expressions, and how well can you read people beyond their expressions? Is this expression: Embarrassment? Fear? Sadness? Surprise? So much of our communication goes beyond words to our tone of voice and our...
Everyone is (not) rational
Today, for our Sunday musing, am sharing a brief daily blog from Seth Godin, and one that is resonant to two themes I often write around. Also, with that inspiration, first sharing several prior posts of mine, some with music, some film, some are simply words,...
Are you a Sage Warrior? or perhaps a Visionary Magician?
Today sharing a synopsis of a powerful leadership model, "Seven Leadership Archetypes", which I have evolved over time and share widely with clients and others. I have even put time into developing this into a book, yet, for now, my "why" for writing the book is not...
How to slow down ageing
The three legs to slow down ageing for me are: Intellectual Curiosity, Physical Stretching, and Emotional and Spiritual Development. Sorry, no miracle "elixir of youth" panacea here, simply a though centred on the old leadership idea of the "three-legged stool". That...
Stop selling cheap steaks
for the full story, visit Sketchplanations Today let me talk to you about cobras, selling cheap steaks, and so how to address perverse incentives. The cobra effect First, the cobra effect story as illustrated by Sketchplanations above and for their full story, visit...
Write daily
What would be your best advice in two words? Recently mine was “write daily”
I’m looking to have more skin in the game
“I’m looking for a few good clients”, I’d love you to spread the word. Born of frustration (see the blog), I’m looking for clients where…
Focus on Intrinsic Value
To begin, I write daily and don't edit my posts either as I write or afterwards. Some age well, some may not. Here on April 12, 2021, as we have mania around BTC and NFTs and more, I nail my colours to the mast and recommend you focus on intrinsic value. The other day...
Inspire, be Inspired
I seek to inspire others in life and in my work. Spend more time with those that inspire you. My favourite "virtuous circle" image from Hugh McLeod, a print hangs in my office Last Friday evening, late in the evening (from 8 pm to 10 pm my time), I sat at my desk for...
How old do you intend to feel?
I'm a huge fan of Reformer Pilates work How old do you intend to feel? Last week I half fell out of the loft of my house. Clumsy, I know, but a week later I am almost fully recovered from that fall. When I went to the Osteopath after the incident, they first noted...
Choose, then choose again
from the author of my favourite book, "Man's Search for Meaning", written about here "Everything can be taken away from a man but one thing: the last of the human freedom - to choose one's attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one's own way." - Viktor...
Leaders. Do less, think more
The less you do, the more valuable you are to those you lead.
All truly authentic leadership is improvisation
All truly authentic leadership is improvisation. Come up with the right thing to do in the moment based on experience, training, and insight. ..be a leader with a strong presence not just at conferences, but in every interaction. And if you are such a leader, then...
An enforced pause – the sequel
What do we do when life throws an enforced pause at us? Do we react, or do we respond with equanimity?
Have you cancelled your Uber account yet?
from Techno Window on youtube From today Uber drivers in the UK will be paid holiday time, automatically enrolled into a pension plan, and guaranteed to earn at least the National Living Wage. Drivers are an essential part of our everyday lives and we are proud to be...
When you get clear on the WHY, the HOW is easy
"When you get clear on the WHY, the HOW is easy" is a phrase I have used for many years, including in this post nearly two years ago, which also anchored on the phrase in the image above from the amazing "St Ex". I moved into my new house nearly five months ago today....
Go back to better
Go back to better. An inspiring phrase I heard recently, and one that led me to @HISBE_Food , who seem to be an inspiring business…
When will you be ready to change after the pandemic?
What can the Diffusion of Innovations curve teach you about your readiness and willingness to change post-pandemic?
Are you ready to ride the Monster Waves?
Photo: Luis Ascenso CC BY 2.0 Monster waves birth in the open ocean, but tectonic business waves begin with consumer spending. Are you or will you be ready to ride the Monster Waves? The massive waves of Portugal are a function of the Nazaré Canyon, a submarine...
Liminality and taking or waiting on opportunities
Liminality can mean taking opportunities early, and it can also mean being comfortable waiting to see how things takes shape. What might it mean for…
Spring is sprung
Spring is sprung. When timings are predictable in advance, do you look ahead, plan and act so you can be ready?
Daily-ish and being Flawsome
Flawsome - An individual who embraces their flaws and knows they are awesome regardless. I post every day. Every. Single. Day. Sometimes people will even say to me "Daily, that is awesome!". I accept their acknowledgement, then might say, "thank you for that, and I'd...
Creative Constraints: The fish, the sea and the barrel
Distilling down to "one word" is a "Creative Constraint". Once you land on this, you have space to improvise on that theme. Screenshot of home page of Design Cayman It’s true, at least for now, that there are plenty of fish in the sea. And it’s also true that shooting...
Creative Constraints: Tenner and 10x
On numerous occasions I have written from different directions around the idea of creative constraints. Thoughts on "Tenner", now called the 10x Challenge. Yesterday, in response to a post about the need to and power of accepting difference in the school education...
Create Boundaries, then Improvise
Without clear boundaries, empowerment and the open sharing of thoughts, individuals will not feel safe to improvise and moments will not be seized. Kathryn Chapman, self-portrait(c) Kathryn Chapman Photography I deeply appreciate the amazing people I meet and get to...
Skin in the game and empathy
Create alignment to serve both your customer's needs and those of your business. Make sure both you and they have skin in the game. “Do not pay attention to what people say, only to what they do, and to how much of their necks they are putting on the line”from "Skin...
How do fighter pilots respond rather than react?
When life throws things at you, do you respond, or simply react? Observe, Orient, Decide Act. “Between stimulus and response there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and our freedom.” from "Man's Search for...
The simple things are also the most extraordinary things
“The simple things are also the most extraordinary things, and only the wise can see them.”from "The Alchemist" by Paolo Coelho, absolutely one of my very favourite books Yesterday my riding buddy and I went out exploring for a couple of hours, routing around new...
Values are stronger than fears
The #OpenLeadership model People think fear is a strong motivation but that's because there's typically nothing opposing it. Someone who has strong values will endure astounding fear and discomfort in the service of their goals. Values are stronger than fears.Donald...