When does change happen and how can you spot the before and after? I was talking this week about with someone about ‘better conversations’, how different all their conversations were. But she couldn’t see the join, she couldn’t identify the point at which something switched and everything changed. What’s going on here and why is it so hard to spot?
Read More“Resilience is fine in theory, but what if I’m an exception and don’t bounce back?” That’s such a common questions, and, ironic also, that it’s common when we’re asking about being the exception. Resilience isn’t a theory, it’s a description of something that’s real about you, and here’s why and why it isn’t possible for you to be an exception. (whether you believe it or not ;-))
Read MoreA simple question can open up many new roads for us. “Who’s in the room?” is one such question, asked as part of a strategy review. The answer was surprising, and even knowing there are questions that go unasked, assumptions that go unseen and, therefore, unquestioned, can be highly impactful for many of us and the work we do.
Read MoreCan I really change the world in my one small human life? I don’t know, none of us do, but this is a question I discussed with a colleague recently and here’s what we came up with as a way of looking at the question of life purpose, drive, direction and living a good life…
Read MoreWhat is a collective narrative, what’s real and what’s merely mythical? How do we know the difference, and when we spot them, what do we do about it?
Read MoreDo we see the world as it is, or as we are? We see these kinds of statements and we kinda know them to be true, but do we really? Do we really see that the world that we see out there is not at all a perception of reality, but a reflection of what’s on our mind. Here’s how it looks to me…
Read MoreCounter-insurgency strategy may be an unusual place to look for leadership lessons, and I didn’t exactly go looking, I was pulled in. What I found there surprised me and challenged me. I should be surprised by this (it happens so often!), but I was. It was a highly relevant and fascinating journey. Read more here...
Read MoreDeep time… It’s so easy to get caught in the immediacy of our lives and let the short-term fill our awareness. But what’s beyond that? And beyond that? And how do we stay reminded of the idea of ‘deep time’? How does that impact how we live as humans and how we live as humanity?
Read MoreWhat do you do when you don’t know what to do? I bet you have a great answer, everyone does—or at least they do when they are in a calm and settled state. However, the times we really need an answer is when we are not so settled. What to do then…?
Read MoreIf 'strategy' is a single output the moment we publish or produce it, or even think it, then strategic thinking is the capacity to practice and attune to what allows us to create and adapt that 'strategy' whenever we need to. That sounds like a much more useful capacity to focus on than simply the ‘strategy’ that emerges.
Read MoreIf a company makes what they call ‘a full version change’ in their policies and practices, then it seems worthy of at least a cursory exploration of what’s going on from a leadership perspective, and it’s at least an opportunity to ask the question ‘what would I do?’ Well, here’s what happened when we took a look…
Read MoreWe love to create patterns and make sense of what we see so that we can plan, strategise, hold our perspective of world a certain way. But what if we sit a little with that uncertainty? What might we see? What is the risk of making sense too quickly?
Read MoreWhat does it really take to change, not only what someone says about an issue, but what they actually think and therefore what they do? No matter what we have been told before, there is only really one way that we change, and it’s easier and also more frustratingly nebulous than we think. Read on to find out what it is and how to facilitate it.
Read MoreIf we only have one tool in our leadership toolkit, we can become blinded to its effectiveness or otherwise. Versus having a good understanding of what we’re aiming for, that ‘feeling’ in a relationship for example. And that, combined with the freedom of mind to pull anything from our infinite toolkit is more likely a winning approach.
Read MoreIt can be super-helpful to have a label—how could I navigate my kitchen without it? But then again…so many disadvantages, assumptions and judgements. What is there to see when we look beyond the label and how do we utilise to be useful but not limiting? These three levels provide a great way to navigate…
Read MoreHow do you think about your leadership role compared to pre-pandemic, pre-homeworking, pre-the shifts and changes that have happened for you and your colleagues and staff? I wonder if this question is being asked, and, even if that's a yes, is enough space being allowed for deep reflection?
Read MoreDoes our identity entrap us? Or free us? Because I wonder what it would be like to just up and do things differently. Not to decide, or even give it a second thought, but to be truly free of any attachment to who we think we are--our idea of identity--and just do what occurred to us in the moment?
Read MoreFor some reason, after many years of seeing this word bandied around as if it is a fixed state with a rigid meaning, I took issue and decided to share my opinion. And, I emphasise, it’s my opinion.
Read MorePractical questions on leading with kindness, arising from sitting with a group and finding our way in this landscape. We looked at questions like, 'how do I be the person I want to be and not contaminated by my organisation's culture?' 'how do I maintain kindness when I'm met with anger?' I hope they provide some light on your path.
Read MoreWhat if we didn’t really own the things that we think we do? How would that change our behaviour and approach to 'stuff'? This may be a mind game but playing with perspectives can help us see what is not not fixed and nothing that the mind perceives is ever fixed. Perhaps it could even change our approach to consumerism?
Read More
