Why isn’t my message getting through? Why aren’t they opening my emails, especially when they asked for it? Why isn’t my presentation resonating?
Here’s a few ideas to consider:
All in Leadership
What Is 'Enough'?
At what point is what we do ever enough?
I don’t mean this from the standpoint of others not being satisfied with what we’ve done or them questioning our ability to do things for them. I'm not asking it from the standpoint of exasperation we have with others in specific situations ("Gosh, when is it ever enough for him/her?").
Ground Rules For Innovation
I was listening to a podcast the other day in which the main subject of the show - a storied entrepreneur - made a very interesting comment.
If you have to create an “innovation center”, then you’ve already failed.
Help, Especially When It Isn’t Obvious
I saw this sign on the seatback of a British Rail train. An appropriate message - some would say pretty obvious even - but it’s the line close to the end that’s the most interesting:
Arsène Wenger: Legend
Last Friday, I woke up and flipped open my email to a thunderbolt of a message from my colleague and fellow Gooner, Gavin:
BREAKING NEWS: WENGER LEAVING AT END OF SEASON
Is Pure Growth The Right Metric?
There's certainly a value to be placed on growth. On the continual pursuit of expansion.
It drives us to look for development opportunities, to rethink how things are done, to change what we think is 'conventional' i.e. "the way it's always been".
Growth is a tremendous value creator.
Control Your Time
I've spoken before about 'meeting madness' and how consistently stacking day after day with meeting after meeting is a practice that should be outlawed in the modern business world. A similar, related issue is our compulsive need to fill out and block our schedules with "essential activities" every minute of the day.
"Don't Think You Are. Know You Are."
In the movie, "The Matrix", Neo's (Keanu Reeves' character) education - his understanding, acceptance of, as well as his ability to fulfill his true potential - is centered around belief. Belief that the world as he has known it has been defined by someone else's rules. Belief that these rules are there for a specific purpose, and that this purpose is not only serving someone else's goals, they are limiting his true potential.
Fear Isn't Good or Bad, It's Necessary
When I was 16, I decided to move from Hong Kong to Karachi to study for a business degree. It was a decision borne of economics more than anything else, but it seemed to make sense at the time, given the reputation of the school and my family ties there.
Tell Yourself A Story
"When I let go of what I am, I become what I might be." (Lao Tzu)
We love stories. We love telling them. We love listening to them. We love creating them. We love being part of them. Stories define our lives and our experiences. They remind us of who we have been and help make us who we are. They also shape who we want to be.
Dealing With Change
"The art of life is a constant readjustment to our surroundings." (Kakuzo Okakaura)
"A wise man adapts himself to circumstances, as water shapes itself to the vessel that contains it." (Chinese proverb)
Too often, when there is a change in our surroundings, our environment, our organization, or our personal lives - one that impacts the status quo in a material way, we can be at a loss as to how to react.
Keep The Cannibals In The Family
It's natural to fall in love with your product. We spend a lot of time developing and nurturing them, cultivating them to the point where we are ready to put them in the market. And when customers are receptive to what we have to offer, once the uptake is there and the product is generating profitable margins, we double down.
This is Freedom
This is freedom. This is love for what you do. This is where your work is your art.
Thom Yorke’s performance is open and honest. He’s immersed in his art, his work. He’s not afraid of being vulnerable.
The Thing About Midlife
My friend, Jane, shared a fantastic quote from Brené Brown on Facebook recently:
''I think midlife is when the universe gently places her hands upon your shoulders, pulls you close, and whispers in your ear: I’m not screwing around. It’s time...
The Thing About Confidence
So, as anyone who follows English football knows, my team, Arsenal, is going through a pretty bad patch right now. There are a host of contributing factors to this, which I won't get into, but they've all culminated in a lack of belief within the team when they're on the field.
It's About What You Do Well, Not About What You Don't
I came across this video on Quartz, about a question posed by Mark Zuckerberg to Bill and Melinda Gates during the launch event of Bill and Melinda Gates’ 2018 Annual Letter, back in February.
"Why Should We Waste Time on Kabuki?"
There's a great scene in the TV show, Mad Men, where Don Draper stands his ground with a client who is stuck in his old ways, clinging to a set of ideas that may have once made his company successful but now leaves them trailing the competition.
"No Risk Baseball is Second Division Baseball"
In sport, as in life, the safe play won't make you a champion.
It might help you avoid a loss, maybe even get you the odd win here or there, but it won't propel you to the top of the league.
Protest Is About Making You Feel Uncomfortable
The point of protest is to make you uncomfortable. It's about upsetting the status quo. About changing the (perceived) complacency, inadequacy, inappropriateness of the current situation. It isn't meant to be pleasant. It isn't meant to be accommodating. It sure as fuck isn't meant to be polite.
Karma or Free Will? What Defines You?
Nature or Nurture?
Karma or Free Will?
Which do you believe in?