“There are more things to do than we ever shall get done; there are more books to read than we can ever look at; there are more avenues to enjoyment than we ever shall find time to travel. Life appeals to us from innumerable directions, crying, ‘Attend to me here!’ In consequence, we litter up…
“If you are a good leader, people will respect and admire you. If you are a great leader, people will respect and admire themselves” (Unknown) Leaders that resonate with their subordinates with respect to the very essence of being human matters more than anything else along the journey into the future. The old model of…
“Throughout the centuries there were men who took first steps down new roads armed with nothing but their own vision. Their goals differed, but they all had this in common: that the step was first, the road new, the vision unborrowed, and the response they received — hatred. The great creators — the thinkers, the…
“Perseverance is the hard work you do after you get tired of doing the hard work you already did” (Newt Gingrich) Failure and fatigue are characteristic of the lives of everyone. Life is not “plain sailing” – yes, there are successes and great moments of joy, satisfaction, and happiness, but these are often fleeting, temporary,…
“One of the problems is that I internalise everything. I can’t express anger; I grow a tumour instead” (Woody Allen) The greatest test of any relationship is what happens when someone lets you down – broken promises, missed deadlines, poor behaviour, less than average performance, negligence, bad attitudes, etc. These disappointments initially may engender surprise,…
“In everyone’s life, at some time, our inner fire goes out. It is then burst into flame by an encounter with another human being. We should all be thankful for those people who rekindle the inner spirit” (Albert Schweitzer) Very few people seem to have “found their voice”. By this I mean: knowing and living…
“She stood in the storm and when the wind did not blow her away, she adjusted her sails” (Elizabeth Edwards) Music is filled with themes…and variations on themes. Most importantly, the variation on the theme still carries the theme. There may have been creative adjustment of some kind, but the basic melody continues to emerge…
“When a culture adopts ‘what’s the next action?’ as a standard operating query, there’s an automatic increase in energy, productivity, clarity, and focus” (David Allen – Getting Things Done) Strategy execution isn’t a module or programme that you add on to an organisation but rather a discipline that you build into the organisation’s culture. Execution…
“Without values there is confusion and chaos. When values disintegrate, everything disintegrates. Health disintegrates, poverty attains dominance over affluence, societies and civilisations crumble. When we pay attention to these values that society has always held sacred, then order emerges out of chaos, and the field of pure potentiality inside us becomes all-powerful, creating anything it…
“For too long managers have seen emotions at work as noise cluttering the rational operation of organisations. But the time for ignoring emotions as irrelevant to business has passed” (Daniel Goleman) Our world has changed irrevocably in the past few decades – not just from continual increases in computing power, the spread of e-commerce, the…
“If you are entrusted with bringing about change, you likely possess the knowledge needed to advance the organisation, and you might have a plan—but knowledge is not enough. You have to bring yourself to each interaction in a deeply authentic way. People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.”…
“We are the competition” (Ferrari) Brands are typically aspirational – they motivate and draw you to the product or service. This is certainly the case with Ferrari, an Italian luxury sports car manufacturer founded in 1939 by Enzo Ferrari from the Alfa Romeo racing division. Throughout its history, the company has been noted for its…
When my son was in his early teenage years, he didn’t really manage to keep his room clean, especially when it came to dirty washing which just formed a pile of clothes in the middle of the floor. No amount of “laying down the law” saw any improvement – the pile just grew daily, so…
The human resources function in companies and other organisations has come a long way in the past two decades – there has been a huge shift from previously “managing” all the issues that go with having employees to navigating, together with others in company leadership, the pressing issues that the world is facing currently. From…
“Don’t be pushed around by the fears in your mind. Be led by the dreams in your heart” (Roy T Bennett) If ever there was a time for contribution, meaningful acts of compassion, and kindness, it is now! The world is intoxicated with fear and despair – often caused by corrupt or inconsequential leadership that…
When presidents play God, one is reminded of Martin Luther King’s words: “Our scientific power has outrun our spiritual power. We have guided missiles and misguided men.” At his recent visit to Westminster Hall, London, President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine purposefully addressed British members of parliament, not only to thank them for their ongoing support…
“One doesn’t have to operate with great malice to do great harm. The absence of empathy and understanding are sufficient” (Charles M Blow) Don’t we all love ‘position’ – a title, a promotion, status? Yes, even neuroscience affirms that status is a need that we all have, not in the sense of greedy ambition, but…
“Nothing kills ‘one team one goal’ thinking like silos” (John G Miller – author of QBQ) A Silo Mentality is defined as “A mind-set present in some companies when certain departments or sectors do not wish to share information with others in the same company. This type of mentality will reduce the efficiency of the…
“Humility does not mean you think less of yourself. It means you think of yourself less” (Kenneth H Blanchard) In the famous tale of Charlie and The Chocolate Factory, the spoilt and over-indulged Veruca Salt, the child of affluent parents, stands in stark contrast to the story’s protagonist, believing she is without fault and entitled…
Industry and other professional stars are not always gods among women and men. Often, they are regular people like everyone else. When they speak to a crowd of their peers, they are not necessarily the brightest minds in the room — which they freely admit. Most are ordinary people, albeit people who have taken their…
“Sticks and stones will break our bones, but words will break our hearts” (Robert Fulghum) The words and/or actions of others can negatively impact our mental health unless we develop mechanisms to protect ourselves. Even though it may be fairly challenging, especially when you are feeling at your weakest, we can manage how someone’s words…
