Blog
Take a look at recent insights in leadership, strategy and more.
Clarity doesn’t make good radio
At the level of the system - how things work - it's actually very simple: The UK is not in the Euro and should not be part of stronger arrangements to protect that currency. The necessary rigour is yet to be achieved among the Euro members but when it is it will be...
Is leading revolutionary change always unpaid work?
In closing, the host feels it necessary to say that he does "real work" too and not all his time can be spent leading on the issue of the meeting - one of the really big challenges of our time. Doesn't that strike you as curious? How come we don't pay ourselves to...
Sometimes words get in the way
We're in almost complete silence. The background noise level is very low. We hear a little noise from outside, but not much. The winter sun streams in from the large windows. Everyone is aware of everyone else. Nothing is said. Nothing needs to be said. Connections...
Think twice before you reject a connection
How do you feel when someone says they don't want to accept your connection or friend request? Kind of upset, I reckon. Even as an adult, rejection is a little tough. And that's even if they give a genuine enough reason, such as they only connect with people they've...
Who to talk to – those like us or those unlike us?
Frank isn’t interested in speaking to the man on my right. He’s not Frank’s type. He doesn’t seem relevant; he has a very different life. It doesn’t seem like he has anything that Frank needs; and Frank’s resources may not be relevant to him either. Don’t we so often...
Is trust an all or nothing thing?
One idea leads to another. Quickly the project takes shape. It’s all quite unexpected and the end result is way beyond the initial starting point. Why? Because the individuals involved trust each other absolutely, not so much about money though that is important, but...
Do you know you understand embedded commands?
...and respond to them too, including the ones you say to yourself. This might seem like an arcane linguistic curiosity. The truth is it’s both highly practical and a very big deal. Loosely speaking, an “embedded command” is a part of a sentence which if taken on its...
How many tips does it take to change your life?
“Send us your top ten tips,” they say, following the ever-popular way to introduce someone’s work. This presents a dilemma... Just go along with the request and supply a list of useful, but rather shallow ideas, and be complicit in a state of impatient ignorance? Or...
Feedback is not a negotiation
The protestors have achieved a great deal of publicity. Some of them, without intending to, have caused a religious institution (St Paul’s Cathedral in London) to lose its balance (about whose side it's on), with senior figures resigning. The protestors are unclear...
Relief from information overload
The email Inbox just gets bigger. The paper in-tray still stacks up dauntingly too. And that’s not to mention all the other channels: LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, Skype text chat, SMS messages on mobile/cell phones, and StumbleUpon to mention only some. Oh I nearly...
When you go into “dialogue,” are you ready for change?
One inevitably leads to the other, or should... Mark is fighting his corner well. Back and forth goes the debate. Mark concedes little. He comes away with most of what he wants. All are tired out and the other side have doubts about engaging with him again. Even now,...
What’s the social function of competitive sport?
How do we benefit from playing or watching competitive sport? Clearly there are health and fitness benefits from active participation, but what about the social benefits of a game? The behavior of some of the followers of some sports might seem to preclude any social...
What do you see in others, what’s it telling you about yourself?
“O wad some Power the giftie gie us To see oursels as ithers see us!” as Robert Burns implored. Well that Power did give us the gift. The question is whether we choose to use it. The gift can be expressed in various ways: Carl Jung talked about “projection” meaning we...
What a shocker: Trader acts in accordance with what he values
As do we all. Did you hear the surprise? If the world wide web could gasp, you would have heard it from mid-ocean. A city trader said candidly that he hoped for another recession because he could make a lot of money from one. Various commentators then rather missed...
Bullying in the workplace – often due to weak relationship skills?
The onlookers hold their breath... Frank has worked in the organization for years. He’s just queried the young, new manager’s request to undertake a task in a particular way. Frank doesn’t think it’s the most effective approach. In fact, he doubts it’ll work at all....