“If the deck is stacked against you, reshuffle the cards” (Anon) There’s a part of me that wishes that the above quote could represent life and that managing everything that life throws at you was that easy. It’s not! Life is not a board or card game where, if you are losing, you can just…
“Occasionally the world witnesses a heroic feat or discovers a person with rare talent…but most people know there is another type of greatness that tends to be more quiet by nature, one that generally escapes the headlines. Yet, it is a greatness that, in my opinion, is deserving of higher honour, even more respect. I…
“It is unhealthy to marinate in your own press clippings” (Sam Walton) Humility is the hallmark of true leadership. Those in leadership who display humility recognise that they have been put in a position to serve others, create opportunity for others and bring out the best in others. Humility empowers others. It sets an example…
“Success is never owned. It’s rented and rent is due every day” (Anon) In 1947, the transistor was invented by Bell Laboratories, the research arm of AT&T. Almost immediately, it could be seen that the transistor would replace the bulkier, more expensive and less reliable vacuum tubes that, at that time, were the key components…
“The greatest good you can do for another is not just to share your riches, but to reveal to him his own” (Benjamin Disraeli) When we treat people with respect, we help them gain confidence and reveal inner potential that otherwise might go untapped. Few things help an individual more than to place responsibility upon him or…
The “sweet spot”, a term used typically in relation to the best point of ball impact on clubs used in the sport of golf, is often misused by club manufacturers when they boast that their clubs have “a larger sweet spot” – suggesting that amateurs have less chance of messing up the shot when they…
Roads? Where we’re going, we don’t need roads (Back to the Future – 1985) The world is quite different now – the very concept of “team” has been challenged, revised and reconstructed. On the one hand, globalisation has accelerated the employ of diverse and remote teams, where team members operate from many different countries in…
“Give sorrow words. The grief that does not speak whispers the o’er-fraught heart and bids it break” (William Shakespeare) The world in which we live is hurting currently – not only are there tensions between factions, conflict between other groups and even nations; not only are there real concerns about global warming, pollution of the…
“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…
“Don’t be pushed around by the fears in your mind. Be led by the dreams in your heart” (Roy T Bennett) Being a leader is stressful – the constant pressure of being in the public eye and the overwhelming need to be successful. Too often, leaders feel unsafe, as if they are under a microscope,…
Jean Henri Fabre, famed naturalist and explorer of the insect world, was born into a peasant family in France, raising ducklings to make some money. While tending the little birds in a nearby pond, he discovered other smaller creatures that dived, swam or wriggled – beetles, tadpoles, worms, mosquito larvae, newts and many insects. His…
“Becoming the best kind of leader isn’t about emulating a role model or a historic figure. Rather, your leadership must be rooted in who you are and what matters most to you” (Harry M Jansen Kraemer Jr) In the continuing, increasingly complex and changing challenges that our world is experiencing, many of which have potentially…
