Blog
Take a look at recent insights in leadership, strategy and more.
Changing the future
What really is a priority? It so often seems urgent things are the priority and sometimes they undoubtedly are. The trouble is if we keep doing the urgent at the expense of what will make a...
Welcoming feedback?
We know we need feedback: We need other people to let us know how we are doing; to challenge our ideas; and to shake our assumptions (especially if they are out of date). That doesn’t mean we...
Leadership is contagious
Unlike management, which doesn't really spread from person to person, leadership is contagious. If one person is an effective and energetic leader, those around them are likely to pick up some of...
How thorough do we need to be?
Ok, we probably need to stop before getting on to the gold plating, but how thorough do we really need to be, in practice? Perfectionism probably isn't the ideal trait, in most situations. We need...
How’s your own “brand” doing?
We perhaps tend to think of "brand" from the purely business point of view of supporting a premium price for a product or attracting customers. But the concept is also very relevant to relationships...
The fine tuning of big change
We tend to think that big change requires brute force and large, broad strokes. Maybe not... Sometimes, the bigger the change required, the more delicate the approach needs to be—the more finely...
A more distracting environment than there’s ever been?
Is this true? Watching my early teenage years children struggle at times to focus on their homework in the face of diverse and increasing electronic distractions, I wonder whether their generation...
Feeling included (or not)
How is it that it makes such a difference if we make sure people feel included? I understand the explanation to be a deep-seated part of our nature—the need to belong to a group to...
What’s the difference between espoused theories and theories in use?
The short answer is ego. Organisations, teams, and individuals (including ourselves) have a habit of claiming to operate according to a set of theories that apply to our work. With the best of...
When you’ve got going, should you keep going?
One thing writing teaches you is, when you get going, keep going. When you've overcome your own inertia, keep that boulder moving. Lots of other things are like that too. But what about planning and...
We don’t challenge what we say ourselves
We don't challenge what we say ourselves. (Not unless we're like Gollum in The Lord of the Rings anyway.) OK, we might be conflicted about some subject of concern to us, and have some inner tension...
The danger of creeping mediocrity
In owning and operating something complex, like a house, for instance, it's easy to let small flaws grow into big ones. If we don't deal with minor issues in a relentless way, eventually the whole...
The talent that comes from clarity
Sometimes it seems that other people have special talents—talents we can't match. There may be some truth in that in some cases. More often... The difference is just that they've developed...
Overcoming ego
We all have an ego. We couldn't function properly without one. We need our sense of separateness. On the other hand... Our ego can blind us to the feedback we need to receive in order to grow and to...
Are you associated with the problem?
I don't mean are you causing the problem: I mean are you engaged with it; or engaged with the people who are dealing with it? If not, you probably won't have much impact. If you're dissociated from...