A supervisor who attended a workshop that I was facilitating for a plastics company, in an exercise which examined personal vision and passion, admitted that he had always wanted to become a fireman – to be in a position, if possible, to prevent fires from starting or, if not possible, to be able to save…
My son is married now, but when he was a teenager and in high school, he was challenged with respect to managing his dirty washing – somehow, used clothing never seemed to make it to the wash basket and ended up in a pile on his bedroom carpet! As parents, we used to “remind” him,…
I love laughing. I don’t laugh enough unfortunately, as I am often sitting alone in a hotel room or in an airport lounge – boring places. I do try, however, even if it is offering a faint chuckle on account of an unusual event or allowing the makings of a smile produced by an observable…
Some leaders just “have it” – the ability to resonate with how people are feeling and the skill to “work” that emotion in a trustworthy way towards a potential solution and indeed, the possibility of success in the future. Winston Churchill, Martin Luther King, Nelson Mandela and Barak Obama are perhaps some of the “celebrity”…
I so enjoyed the “Connecting the Dots” or “Dot to Dot” game when I was a child. Seeing an image appear before me, as if by magic, when I connected the dots in the correct sequence gave me a sense of satisfaction and accomplishment. It was fascinating to attempt to work out the shapes and…
Having coffee alone at home in the morning or at work when you are focusing on a project is fine, but when did you last have coffee with your boss? I have asked this question many times when in front of delegates at our numerous training interventions. I ask them how often they spend time actually…
What would you do if your 10 year old daughter or son came home from school one day and announced: “I’m not going to school anymore!”? You would be dumbfounded, of course, but then you may do what countless parents do worldwide – try to convince the child to think differently and perhaps decide that…
I have visited many people in hospital before – to encourage friends and family, pray for their speedy recovery and wish them well. I have also had my own personal moments of being a “guest” at a number of such institutions – being pampered, eating special meals and having a plethora of tests with sophisticated…
I am surprised at how many people hate feedback, whether it centres on performance, personality, character or behaviour issues. There seems to be a fear that the one giving the feedback does not have your best interests at heart and that the feedback will be detrimental, rather than uplifting, in terms of your growth and…
I have been doing some work of late for a manufacturer, linked to the automotive industry. The senior management team are really great people – warm, kind and clever. Their outlook on the production personnel, however, is less than favourable – they “make excuses, shirk responsibility and somehow skirt accountability for issues that are less…
Dr Stephen R Covey of 7 Habits of Highly Effective People fame, at an address that I attended in the USA, related a story regarding exceptional client service in a hotel at which he was a guest. He had, through his secretary, made a reservation at the hotel chain that he usually used whilst travelling…
During my mid high school years, my interest in leadership development, growth and effective human interaction had been sparked by a vocational guidance teacher, Gordon (Billy) Bauer. He somehow always managed to stretch minds, challenge hearts and bring out the best in the individual. As one of the students of his more holistic education efforts,…
