So this past weekend a friend had asked me to join him for a charity ride in the countryside. "140km", he said, "it'll be no problem", he said, "not too many hills", he said. The longest ride I'd done in several years was less than 45km, but hey, I go to spin class...
Canada is welcoming immigration. Nav Bhatia, "Superfan" of the NBA winning Toronto Raptors Recently I was in Canada, including visiting Toronto and eating dinner on King Street the evening after the Raptors won the NBA Title. I've always been fond of Toronto and of...
Managing your energy is as important as managing your time and money. So, I sit here at 7pm on Thursday to write the daily blog for Friday at 8am, feeling quite tired after a really active day full of a variety of meetings. As I am about to write, I get an email reply...
This week I met with someone leading a fast-growing network designed to connect scaling companies to people internationally who can help them with introductions, mentoring and more. They have a huge demand from people looking to pay to be in their network to both meet...
Ikigai is a Japanese concept meaning "a reason for being". This concept is illustrated with overlapping circles of "what you love" and "what the world needs". A few days ago in "Can you do what you love?", I talked about how we can look to do more of the "what you...
When we communicate, 93% of communication is voice, tone and body language, with only 7% actual words. "We live in an online world" So we are told, but I don't feel it is that simple. Sometimes it is key to communicate offline (ie face to face!). The trick is to...
I work one on one with leaders around the world to create alignment for groups and individuals. On the #BeMoreYou page of this site, the "How I Work" section of that page outlines how I work 1:1 with leaders around the world. What that page doesn't mention is that I...
"Do what you love" The kind of internet meme that can drive working folk mad, their response often being: "I can't do what I love, I have to do work I have to do to get paid". Well, this week I flew overseas to support a client with an annual leadership team meeting....
Helping organizations become purposeful companies through leadership, story and culture What’s the ROI of Purpose? 6 Steps to Take Toward Better Business: Why Purposeful Companies Create Value for All They Serve #BtheChange via @ConsciousCoMag — B Corporation...
Purpose should be your first priority in your triple bottom line. Many will be familiar with the "three Ps" of the concept of the triple bottom line: Profit, People, Planet My career dates back over thirty years, focussed very much on growing businesses, which does...
How much is too much? Musings on Florence and the Machine "Too Much is Never Enough" as applies to businesses and wealth. So recently I met a highly successful businessperson in their late 40s. As they told their story as an entrepreneur, they had earned amazing...
Your company's mission should be coupled with a vision - the reason for taking the mission. Today a simple reminder from Hugh McLeod of Gaping Void. I write daily to share what I learn so as to, in any way I can, support others in #MakingPotentialPossible. That phrase...
If we plan to be bored, we allow our minds freedom for creativity and diversity of thought. For the seven weekends starting at the beginning of June I have full plans for every single weekend except one. This weekend I have no plans. Well, a regular Sunday morning...
Travel has the power to shift our context, causing us to look at things in different ways. A one hour flight, thirty-five minutes drive, a converted shipping container on a farm overlooking a view for miles and miles...
When a business feels like family, everyone wants to be a part of it. How can you achieve this feeling with your company and make it stronger? This weekend I was in the Scottish Borders visiting family. Craving a curry, I found a restaurant with excellent ratings in a...
Having a clear why for your purpose can guide the way for the what and how to be achieved. "Les pierres du chantier ne sont en vrac qu’en apparence, s’il est, perdu dans le chantier, un homme, serait-il seul, qui pense cathédrale." This is a quote from Antoine...
Yesterday I wrote: "Do you know the hidden assets in your business?" with a focus on the people in your business. Today I'll share a simple tool that has many valuable applications, including unearthing the hidden assets in your people. Ikigai I have been drawn to the...
Knowing the assets and liabilities of your business is important. Some hidden assets do not appear on the balance sheet in the valuation of your business. As a leader, I am sure you know what your Assets and Liabilities are. You know, the component parts of...
Today, some thoughts on the poem "Drawing one voice out of two separate strings" by Rilke, and how it relates to changing paradigms of leadership. Today's post comes from one of my usual wide-ranging conversations with my brilliant friend Bruce Peters. Our general...
Recently I was reminded of the Latin phrase "Solvitur Ambulando", literally: "it is solved by walking". A while ago I wrote an extensive post with lots of thoughts around and linked to this, called "Solving problems by taking a walk". Today some simpler and more...
Leading from Purpose is a golden opportunity to bring out the best in your people. "There is a natural pull for executives, even CEOs, to be managers rather than leaders. They can become so focused on profit that they cannot generate profit because they cannot release...
Musings on being sure. Truth and certainty in politics and life. Recently I posted about "Language, truth and trust", noting the power of language and how we can take very different meanings from it. Today, curating a video from Aeon which features a video that really...
Last week I attended a talk at The RSA in London by Stephen Burt on the power of listening. Stephen is a highly experienced leadership coach, so operating in a similar space to me. I, therefore, invested the time to come to this talk not to expect to learn new core...
Business Growth Tips from a counterintuitive perspective. Today, a post that is a little different and comes from my past experience building and investing in businesses. It is to give two counterintuitive tips for planning to grow a business. These relate...
Introduce Business Associates. Make the introduction strong and clear Hi. My name is Tom. I'm 53, white, male, tall, straight, middle class, university educated, professionally qualified and a native English speaker from the developed world. Every single one of those...
"Learn the rules like a pro, so you can break them like an artist" ~ Pablo Picasso Today a story to illustrate this thought from Picasso. A story of skilled and highly experienced professionals knowing when to throw away the rule book and the script and go with...
"The beginning of wisdom is the definition of terms" ~ Socrates Yesterday I had a wonderful and inspiring two-hour lunch conversation which became an exploration of the definition of wisdom. The quote from Socrates came to mind, as there was much discussion around the...
"I think the best entrepreneurs are Vulnerable Visionaries. Its a combination of being vulnerable and having confidence." ~ Chip Conley I have referenced Chip Conley in my daily posts multiple times, with his concept of "Vulnerable Visionary" one learning I repeatedly...
A wonderful quote from one of my favourite books, "Dune", the 1965 science fiction masterpiece by Frank Herbert focussed around clans and corporations fighting for power, where power means control of a powerful (interesting that choice of descriptor!) drug that is...
Language, truth and trust, as relates to a recent blog by Seth Godin on different types of truth. One of the things I love about London is the ease of attending talks and workshops and learning from amazing intellects. Last week was one such occasion where I went to a...
A wonderful depiction by Gaping Void of the core messages of the book "Remote" 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 implies a paradigm where...
Context is a powerful tool which can be used at both a personal and professional level. In the last few weeks I've started working with a few new clients. At the beginning of any new engagement, I always like to take time with the client to set a Context before we...
There is no definition of time: what clock are you on? Andromeda galaxy - so far away that light takes two million years to reach us. How long is 38 years to you? Is it the same to each of us? If not, why not? Today a story about 38 years, then some thoughts on what...
A recent conversation about Kaizen prompts me to highlight what it truly takes for it to work for you and your business. "Kaizen" is the Japanese word for Improvement. In industry, it is used to mean continuous improvement. It was pioneered by Toyota, but, as business...
Establishing your business and personal identity can be a complicated process. Who are you? Simple question, but identity can have many elements. Imagine you lead a business where lack of collaboration and trust is a constant struggle. "Who are you?" is a great...
Routine + Rhythm + Repetition = Resiliency In collaborating with a client on a project where we are moving from the "WHY" and "WHAT" to the choice of "HOWs" that will be actioned to action the Cascading Leadership model of "Align, Engage, Enrol" for their...