“How we walk with the broken speaks louder than how we sit with the great” (Bill Bennot) Force majeure is a common clause in contracts which essentially frees both parties from liability or obligation when an extraordinary event or circumstance beyond the control of the parties, such as a war, strike, riot, crime, epidemic or…
“Truly empathic leaders can even listen to what is being said in the silence” Recognising, empathising with and showing compassion to those experiencing pain sets some leaders apart from others. Being aware of the feelings of others and how their situation affects their perceptions, these empathic leaders are willing and able to appreciate what others…
“Today is one of those days when I could restore myself to the default factory settings” (Anon) It is easy to feel negative, anxious and disgruntled, especially at a time when worldwide the COVID-19 virus is on the rampage again. The pandemic has pulled the rug out from under our feet, disrupted life as we…
My daughter started a pre-school a number of years ago to provide quality education for children in the inner Cape Town city bowl – an exciting and worthy project. The school has grown progressively, adding a new grade every year, I guess eventually to form a junior school. The staff complement, too, has increased to…
“If serving is beneath you, then leadership is beyond you” (Anon) The team members that know that their leader is there for them, cares for them, checks in to see how each one is coping and, furthermore, develops the skills they need to advance their careers are team members who will be loyal no matter…
“Why are we here? What’s life all about? Is God really real, or is there some doubt? Well, tonight, we’re going to sort it all out, For, tonight, it’s ‘The Meaning of Life’“ (Monty Python) Those were the opening lines of the first song in The Meaning of Life, a film made by the British…
Typically, managers get to their respective leadership positions due to one or more of the following reasons: Subject matter experts – they know and can apply what they have studied and learned Experience – they have been working in and on the relevant processes and systems for some time and have gained considerable knowledge related…
I have recently done some work for a non-governmental organisation – their strategy had changed (what was previously an organisation who themselves implemented projects within communities had now moved to a strategy of influencing partner organisations and government departments to implement projects). During the workshop, there was a sudden realisation that the requisite skills for…
To have a manager and ‘to be managed’ are not the same things. To have a manager means having a coach, a leader and a guide. It implies collaboration with a colleague, achieving alignment around the things that matter most to the organisation and ensuring combined focus and energy are placed on key organisational imperatives….
When my children were very young, there were certain environments where my wife and I “let them loose” to play to their heart’s content. They were free to run around and use their pent-up energy in the most creative ways, playing hide-and-seek, jumping up and down, kicking a ball or being innovative with their toys….
I have travelled on but a few of the great and sometimes famous rivers of our world – the Zambezi (near the Victoria Falls) and the Orange Rivers in Africa, the Colorado and Mississippi in the USA and the Thames in the UK. I still need to get to the Amazon, Nile, Volga, Danube, Yangtze…
