Why do I read books on a Kindle? I read books, quite a lot of books when measured against normal standards. And I read most of them on my Kindle device, a version of which I’ve owned for more than 6 years. The simple answer to the question is that originally it was because a) I’d seen other people using a digital device to read on a holiday to America and b) convenience. So I’d seen other people using a Kindle on the plane from Manchester, UK to San Francisco, USA and I’ll admit I looked at the 3 books I brought along and thought to myself, wow I wish I had one of those. So when I got back I b ..read more

Sustainability & the Triple Bottom Line The “triple bottom line” approach has largely been shown to be able to outrun periodic business disruptions. Read with interest what Novo Nordisk CEO Lars Fruergaard Jorgensen said in 2019; “We have a clear ambition to be a sustainable business, and our actions in 2018 have significantly strengthened our platform for sustainable growth. We are simplifying our way of working to become more robust and agile in the face of new challenges. And we continue to create long-term value for patients and shareholders by driving innovation in-house and, notably ..read more

At the back end of 2019 little did I know what was in store for most of us in the coming year or two. Self-directed learning became a refuge and a looming necessity. Its fair to say that when in isolation the idea of being self-motivated enough to engage in self-directed learning for most people this just equals anxiety, and at some level a bit of self-loathing for not getting to grips with it. And yet it seems a commonly held view that those who can take charge of their own learning thrive. And more than just thrive they’re happier and more creative too. Self-Directed Learning might just be c ..read more

A Review of the Best Bits of 2020 2020 for many was a year of isolation, Covid-19 and BREXIT or more accurately the EU – UK Free-trade deal, (The UK left the EU 31-Jan-2020). But it wasn’t all bad and I’m offering you my look back on what grabbed my interest in 2020. I’m a reader and a listener so I’m going to give you my top 5 books from 2020 and the top 5 podcast’s from 2020. 2020 Books, the Best Books are my go-to for when I’m not able to access help and guidance in the form of coaching or mentoring or just plain advice. I read both hard copy and soft copy depending on what I’m trying to ge ..read more

The Intention of a Leadership Agenda Here’s where we are today, and where we aspire to be in the future. This is how we live, practice and develop our leadership. Every single day! When I’m talking about leadership I’ll often hear people say that leadership isn’t something that can be taught or learned. My response after I’ve taken a moment to judge the situation is to say that leadership is something that is to be developed. This speaks to the idea that leadership is an intentional act or set of actions. When I’m in a coaching setting either with an individual or group I encourage those poten ..read more

Race affects how far along the Leadership journey you can go I’m not going to lie here, I as a white middle aged man who you wouldn’t describe as poor had to think about if I really wanted to write this post. Who am I to comment? What could I possibly contribute? Will I just make an Ass of myself in the process? The answer to all of these questions is basically, sure its a risk and yes I’d love to be able to say people of colour don’t need support and backing of people like me. But that I believe so much in the opportunity that diversity and equality offer its impossible not to address the sit ..read more

Metathesiophobia This is a long and hard to pronounce word that means “the persistent, abnormal and unwarranted fear of change“. The transformation of any organisation is normally a journey of many small steps rather than revolutionary redirection. The role of the leader therefore in tackling the fear of change is to; Spot the symptoms of the fear of change Understand the role that fear of change plays and embrace inclusivity Recognise the importance of consciously re-learning new behaviours and skills New Technologies So where is the source or impetus for change to happen? The answer is alm ..read more

There’s plenty of research that shows that diverse teams are generally speaking smarter than homogenous teams. But don’t get me wrong here, diversity brings the potential for conflict and friction within the team. That said however, diversity also brings a wider range of perspectives, diversity of experiences and diversity of ideas too. Diversity may feel uncomfortable but it’s almost without question more creative and innovative when it comes to pushing the boundries. This presents a challenge for leaders who must try their best to help people feel like they fit in, you can see the paradox al ..read more

The value of freedom Freedom is all about having options so you can leverage happiness to get the most out of life. So, if you’re reading this the questions are do you feel truly free right now? Are you able to take a 6-month vacation? Can you afford not to worry about being let-go at work? Could you start a new job at the entry level? In most cases people will be answering NO to the questions above, and that’s not unusual. So the real question behind these surface level questions is; who put you in this position in the first place? The answer, I’m sure you’ve guessed that in all but a tiny mi ..read more

This post askes the most basic question, are you happy? And then goes some way in trying to help you figure out; (1) if you’re enjoying life, (2) when to take a corrective action (3) what it’ll take for you to enjoy life. #1 Are you enjoying life? Some people instinctively know immediately the answer. For others, its a lot less clear so have at look through the quiz below. Just answer a simple YES or NO: When you wake up, do you look forward to the day? Do you love your job? Would most people who know you describe you as a happy person? Do you smile more than you frown? Can you look back at t ..read more