“I write about broken people who need other people in order to go on. But those are the only kind of people I know to exist. We are all broken” (John Green) Kintsugi, or “golden joinery”, also known as kintsukuroi, or “golden repair”, is the Japanese art of repairing broken pottery by mending the areas of breakage with lacquer dusted or…
“It is unfortunate that for some, kindness is an unwarranted expenditure, compassion an avoidable weakness, and love an unnecessary gamble” (Wayne Gerard Trotman) An orthopaedic surgeon, Bill, finally finished his last surgery well into the evening on that Friday and just wanted to get back home to be with his family, possibly go out for…
“An eye for an eye leaves the whole world blind” (Mahatma Gandhi) All over the world, individuals and groups seem to be “at war” with one another. Personal grievances don’t just play out as minor tiffs or arguments, but often develop at best, into litigation, or at worst, into bodily harm or murder. Anger, spite,…
“Income and wealth may impress your friends and increase your vocabulary, but having a servant attitude and compassion for others will cause people to take notice and give purpose to your life” (Germany Kent) The company was ailing. It wasn’t that their chicken was bad or tasteless – indeed, their range of products was good….
“His thoughts were slow, His words were few, and never formed to glisten. But he was a joy to all his friends – You should have heard him listen”. (Anon) Listening is a rare phenomenon amongst human beings. It seems that the tongue is a very powerful and dominant muscle, at times completely overshadowing the…
“Don’t judge each day by the harvest you reap, but by the seeds that you plant” (Robert Louis Stevenson) The world looks for immediacy when it comes to measuring results – in one sense, rightly so, as this is what people, and specifically leaders, are hired to do. There is an expectation of meeting and…
“Never does the human soul appear so strong and noble as when it forgoes revenge and dares to forgive an injury” (E H Chapin) Magnanimity is not a commonly understood concept. Although many people don’t recognise the word, most grasp the meaning when it is explained and recognise it personally as an area of needed…
Businesses, all over the world, are experiencing severe pressures in one form or another. The seeming normality of our world has changed – disruption, international security issues, the COVID pandemic, global warming, the expectation to ‘go green’, pollution issues, inflation, etc., mark the new environment in which production must take place and services must be…
“A clear conscience is a sure sign of a bad memory” (Mark Twain) Conscience is a cognitive process that engenders emotional and rational associations and responses that relate to a person’s moral philosophy or value system. In general terms, conscience is often described as leading to feelings of remorse when a person behaves in contradiction…
“It is unhealthy to marinate in your own press clippings” (Sam Walton) Humility is the hallmark of true leadership. Those in leadership who display humility recognise that they have been put in a position to serve others, create opportunity for others and bring out the best in others. Humility empowers others. It sets an example…
“The world is changed by your example, not by your opinion” (Paulo Coelho) While meaningful words do have positive impact and can indeed encourage, persuade and influence, actions speak louder than words. Though opinions are important, though convictions carry a lot of weight, though what we think and what we say are both important, they…
“Give sorrow words. The grief that does not speak whispers the o’er-fraught heart and bids it break” (William Shakespeare) The world in which we live is hurting currently – not only are there tensions between factions, conflict between other groups and even nations; not only are there real concerns about global warming, pollution of the…
