“Passion is contagious – so is not having it” (Tim McClure) Top leaders care about the world around them. Their sense of “why” the business exists trumps any other issue – the business purpose (why we exist) becomes all-consuming and drives passion and behaviour. This burning belief is different to “making a profit” – making…
“I used to think the worst thing in life is to end up all alone. It’s not. The worst thing in life is to end up with people who make you feel all alone” (Robin Williams, 1951-2014) A UCLA (University of California, Los Angeles) study by Naomi Eisenberger and Matthew Lieberman discovered that the part…
“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…
“Today is one of those days when I could restore myself to the default factory settings” (ANON) Feeling overwhelmed, weighed down by concerns and buffeted by moments of extreme anxiety seem to be a significant part of the experience of life for most people over the past few years. The uncertainty that has been created…
“How we walk with the broken speaks louder than how we sit with the great” (Bill Bennot) In their opening paragraph on the topic of ‘leadership’, Wikipedia notes the following: “Leadership, both as a research area and as a practical skill, encompasses the ability of an individual, group or organisation to “lead”, influence, or guide…
“Set team members free to grow within the organisation” (JNM) We all want them in our respective teams – talented people who make a remarkable impact on our team’s efficacy. These ‘stars’ are innovative, positive, future-oriented, visionary and hard-working. They make us look good. Others start noticing our respective department’s inputs and outputs and hail…
Consultants, particularly those who are proficient in their respective disciplines, can be hugely helpful to their clients and business as a whole if they don’t only focus on the one issue that needs fixing, but also apply their minds to all the people factors that influence the effectiveness of the companies for whom they consult….
“Always be yourself, express yourself, have faith in yourself, do not go out and look for a successful personality and duplicate it” (Bruce Lee) I don’t like categorising people or their personalities – I find this limiting and potentially derogatory. This is particularly true of the “extrovert” or “introvert” categories that we sometimes use to…
I will prepare and someday my chance will come (Abraham Lincoln) I recently heard an interview where teenagers in their final year of high school expressed how they felt about the impact of the COVID pandemic on their respective lives. One young lady said: “I feel like the best years of my life have been…
Nice words are frequently offered to people when they are dead – in obituaries. Very seldom are people acknowledged for their respective contributions when they are alive. This is unfortunate, as many people across the planet are making significant contributions in many fields and these contributions should be recognised. So saying, I would like to…
In Northern Wales, a storm ravaged a woodland area called the Giants of Vyrnwy, lightning destroying the tallest tree in Wales. When he learned that the organisation, Natural Resources Wales, was looking for a sculptor to work on the damaged tree, Simon O’Rourke, a chainsaw artist, proposed a design for the work. His design, depicting…
“A mentally strong person knows how to control their thoughts. Instead of letting them run wild, they observe their thoughts and watch them pass. They understand that their thoughts are not who they are. Instead, it’s the actions they take that form who they are. Mentally strong people will call out their thoughts on certain…
