Leadership sin cera is therefore sincere and authentic above all.
Purpose
Cui Bono?
The great orator Cicero used the phrase “Cui Bono?”, or “Who Benefits?” in his speeches. Try it out on your investment and purchase decisions.
What gives you the right to play small?
We all, in some shape or form, “play small”, and limit our possibilities, as Marianne Williamson challenges us to recognise in her words above.
Here’s to the crazy ones
Here’s to the crazy ones. The misfits. The rebels. The troublemakers. The round pegs in the square holes.The ones who see things differently.
Sharing learnings through mentoring
I have always sought to share what I learn through mentoring.
Do What Matters
I find January a fertile time for considering the impact we wish to have in the world for the year. I enter 2023 with a…
What Comes Next for Me? Speaking events, Facilitating Leadership Teams?
I love what I do and will continue it, so “what comes next?” for me is to take time to look at where I can…
Are you ready to embrace leading change around the S in ESG?
The latest issue of the RSA Journal includes a lead article by Gillian Tett entitled “Making a Good Impression – how cultural shifts are driving…
The power of encouragement
I was introduced to the Encouragement Manifesto, when they commended me on modelling point 6 by being consistent with my daily posts.
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…
Where do you sit on the spectrum of idealism and pragmatism?
On the spectrum, I could be 100% idealist and only work with companies of the utmost purity, but I am somewhat pragmatic.
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…
Time to change what “winning” means in the game we call business
The "scale for impact" model, from the post "Leading from Purpose" ..the game we’re playing is by design failing people. And I am angry. At the person who tells me ‘competition in the market will sort it’. At the person who tells me ‘it’s too risky to serve...
Be a force of nature
To follow one’s purpose and commit to being that force of nature is always a source of inspiration for self, and (one hopes) for others.
What is your Quest?
If you don’t know where you are going, all roads will take you there, so, what is your quest?
Pushing creativity to its practical limits
Operating Principles of the Santa Fé Institute - written by Comac McCarthy In a step by step methodology to build valuation in a company, I use an established model to raise the benchmark multiple for companies that is a seven-step process. This works best, fastest,...
Covid profits plunge a ‘badge of honour’
Take the foundation of focus on Purpose and People and thrive through the pandemic. Profits will follow as an outcome, rather than the primary driver. "Scale for Impact" model, from my core article "Leading from Purpose" As the model above (and the linked article)...
People helping people achieve their dreams
We have a real role in helping our clients along their way, because they do have dreams. They have dreams to grow and build. Scale for Impact model, from the "Leading from Purpose" article The model above is core to my thinking on #OpenLeadership, on the type of brave...
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...
The power of finding meaning when you are younger
I reflect on the immense power it brings to find meaning younger in life. Of all books, this one has had the most impact on my life "Researchers have found that on average we feel that our lives have the most purpose at the age of about 60"from The Times: "You will...
Ubuntu – I am because we are
Ubuntu is an African philosophy captured in the story above as "I am because we are", about valuing community above self-interest. I love this, not least because it is also an easy way for readers to understand my philosophy around business. To add a layer, though,...
Doing Well by Doing Good – Recycling Lives
Recycling Lives is unique - recognised as a UK leader for combining business and charity. I truly believe in Leading from Purpose, "Putting Purpose first truly drives profit to allow you to further scale your impact." For more on the scale for impact model, visit this...
#DoingTheRightThing
Scale for Impact model, from: "Leading from Purpose" I developed the model above from my belief that businesses that put Purpose, People and Planet first can and do thrive. They then make a Profit as an outcome of living their Purpose, which is not at all the same as...
#DoingTheRightThing: Greggs
The new triple bottom line, from "Leading from Purpose", As I said in "Repetition, repetition repetition": "when you feel you are bored to death of repeating your message…….you are probably halfway there”. I am therefore unapologetic at once again repeating my...
Bravery: We had to do it
Read to the end of the post to find out why I believe you can "Say Anything" without it feeling brave, and why it matters in business Yesterday I wrote a short post on the bravery of entrepreneurs, highlighted by the oft-repeated phrase entrepreneurs give when asked...
Purpose-Led – Redemption Roasters
The new triple bottom line - see "Leading from Purpose" In 2020 I will be writing regular posts featuring businesses that are truly Purpose-led and are highly and sustainably successful. This is all part of a mission to build bridges to CEOs, and specifically to...
Can the climate crisis be a catalyst for true change?
I'm a believer in #OpenLeadership and, in particular, Leading from Purpose (see my core post on this here). For 2020 I've also decided to seek out case studies of successful businesses and write around them under the theme "Purpose-Led" with the first one this week:...
Holstee: Life is short. Live your dream, and wear your passion.
Ten years ago, in their first step as a company, Holstee’s founders, Dave, Mike and Fabian, sat together on the steps of Union Square in New York to write down how they define success. The goal was to create something they could reflect back on if they ever felt stuck...
The emergence of the purpose-driven consultant
The new triple bottom line, see the #OpenLeadership article "Leading from Purpose" ..The growing demand for a fairer, more caring form of capitalism has also given rise to a related phenomenon: the emergence of the purpose-driven consultant.Over recent years, a...
Guest post: The Wisdom Within a Minute
There is wisdom in a minute of intensely focused contemplation. Today sharing a post from Ed Duggar, a wise human I had the good fortune of meeting last year through "mi hermana", Rosie von Lila as we all came together in NYC to support one of her "What Comes Now"...
Find a Purpose that has you
Whilst Bravery and Brevity are key, without a strong link to Purpose that everyone in the organisation feels strongly connected to for the long term, all Strategic Plans will lose momentum. Over the years I have been introduced to many leaders and organisations who...
#BeMoreYou – Elevate
“Sometimes it takes darkness and the sweet confinement of your aloneness to learn anything or anyone that does not bring you alive is too small for you.”David Whyte On occasion, I choose to muse here a little with my daily posts. Today I was captivated by this quote...
Is the tide turning on the purpose of the corporation?
In January this year, I wrote a series of articles around rethinking the purpose of the corporation, then moved towards rethinking the "triple bottom line" (that dates from 1994) to the "new triple bottom line", expressed graphically above. The article that...
You are what you measure – so what do you measure?
"..the objective of economic policy should be collective well-being: how happy and healthy a population is, not just how wealthy a population is." ~ Nicola Sturgeon, First Minister of Scotland, TED Summit, Edinburgh, July 2019 As UK government and politics, in...
The connectedness of meaning allows ideas to be scaled
Connect with others to add meaning and purpose, then create and build the impact of scale. A line from Nilofer Merchant's recent LI article: "Don’t Be The Lonely Only" reads: "when connected people can do what once only large organizations could; the connectedness of...
The power of an upwards spiral
A spiral of openness and trust spiral, where both elements feed each other to higher and higher heights. Trust is at the core of all relationships. My underlying theme on this site I call #OpenLeadership, as being Open is at the heart of what I see as the new paradigm...