Blog

  I was adamant that we would only be doing Little Shops, 2 this time around. I told my kids that, I repeated it. I extolled the virtue of how unnecessary it was to be doing Little Shops and Ooshies….   I lost.   Big time.   In some form of justification, we’re buying groceries in any case, right? And … [Read more...]

  In a recent conversation with a very competent client she mentioned her time off and what a joy it was, only to follow it up with “It was a bit selfish….”   No it wasn’t. It was really really really smart.   Self care is NOT selfish. And on the whole I’m questioning how good we are at … [Read more...]

  You have to collect the dots before you connect the dots.   Miles Adcox said this on an IG Story I watched recently. He was talking about it in the context of mental health and living a healthy narrative of your future. As I understand it, Miles was making the point that we make sense of our place and purpose in the context of … [Read more...]

  I entered my fiftieth lap round the sun last week. Even now it doesn’t seem quite real that, “that number” will come up in less than 365 days. It seems so far away from when I was thirty-five and I sat down and thought long and hard about what my life was going to count for at forty-five. That’s now both history in the sense of my age, … [Read more...]

  It’s time to reframe your story of leadership from just the execution of the inbox to the development of a deeper, more substantial frame around who you ARE and what you DO. You cannot and will not lead past your level of maturity and formation. You can’t sustain leadership for any length of time without growing, transforming and … [Read more...]

  Leaders have an insatiable appetite to make something that ACTUALLY helps. That drive towards an ideal and a higher purpose is much of what creates the resilience and the grit that leadership requires from us.   And then there is the new HBO Theranos documentary “The Inventor”. It is brutal from so many angles. The very fact … [Read more...]

  True and lasting leadership transformation takes time.   There, I said it.   As I sat with two clients recently one who has made significant changes in their career prospects and the other right at the pointy end of a potential promotion. We discussed what it takes to become the person most likely to succeed. The leader … [Read more...]

  In every area of your life and leadership, margin creates peace. Without fail, if you violate this principle, you will pay for it in some obvious way. You’ll be late for something important. You will miss a deadline. You will lose the confidence of your customers or stakeholders. You’ll damage the trust your partner and kids have in … [Read more...]

  Practice does not make perfect. Practice makes permanent.   I’m told a golfer has to hit a ball 20,000 times for it to become second nature. They hit on average less than 70 shots a round. The practice V actual ratio for one round is 285.71 shots they attempt for one round of seventy. The investment into getting it right in … [Read more...]

  I’m not good at incompetence. Not in me nor in anyone else. It’s useful in the sense that it leads me to have high standards for me and others, and allows me to go after the outcome with passion and conviction. It’s entirely unhelpful when it tips over into driving, striving and judgement of those on my team. Henry Ford said, that … [Read more...]

  When Hamish Blake held up the coveted “Golden Brick” in the hit new TV Lego Masters he described the power of the yellow brick as something that all the contestants would be aspiring to because it would give them special powers and privileges, in particular immunity. Blake then, with his classic comedic grin looks straight at … [Read more...]

  The CEO of Costco was responding to a series of closed session questions from its senior leadership a few years ago and as Brene Brown recounts her concern at the atmosphere in the room at the time was antagonistic and angry. The questions were tough and Craig Jelinek’s responses were equally tough and often tougher. As the question … [Read more...]