“Without values there is confusion and chaos. When values disintegrate, everything disintegrates. Health disintegrates, poverty attains dominance over affluence, societies and civilisations crumble. When we pay attention to these values that society has always held sacred, then order emerges out of chaos, and the field of pure potentiality inside us becomes all-powerful, creating anything it…
In the early days of the pandemic, even before the World Health Organisation called it such, governments across the world started to be briefed on a potential, but looming, enemy that was approaching country borders – the corona virus, called COVID-19. Many government leaders took the threat very seriously, calling for lockdown, shutting country and…
Have we not just been given a huge window of opportunity? Has God not just opened up a crack in the “what’s possible” door during lockdown? Have we not just been given another chance to rectify all the things that we have been doing badly that will ultimately destroy life as we know it? Many…
Frequently, the word ‘empowerment’ mistakenly conjures up images of authority, control and supremacy. The word seems to have so much emotion and sensitivities attached to its application. In an organisational effectiveness context, however, the word is best understood as dismantling unnecessary bureaucracy, removing barriers and enabling people to give their best through training and the…
“People who live in glass houses can’t pretend they are not at home” (Anon) Leadership “busyness” is frequently used as an excuse for a lack of effective employee engagement – managers attending a plethora of meetings, deadlines that have to be met, targets that have to be reached, issues in the production processes that need…
In consulting with organisations, I sometimes hear the following statements by employees of their respective managers: “One of my colleagues always underperforms, putting pressure on the whole team, but my boss never addresses the issue” “My boss always tells us that there is nothing he can do about a particular decision as it comes from…
“The mirror, a tool by which to ‘know thyself’, invited man to not mistake himself for God, to avoid pride by knowing his limits and to improve himself. His was thus not a passive mirror of imitation, but an active mirror of transformation” (Sabine Melchior-Bonnet) A mirror (or looking glass) is an object that reflects…
“Have you ever noticed? Anybody going slower than you is an idiot and anyone going faster than you is a maniac” (George Carlin) We all seem to have a natural tendency to assume the worst in others. When we are exposed to people who are not doing what they are supposed to be doing, it’s…
I use coloured flipchart markers frequently during my consulting sessions and workshop facilitation for companies, not only to record ideas and other thoughts for the groups, but also to depict concepts graphically and illustrate themes. I was recently introduced to the Neuland suite of products, a range of markers and related products of which is…
A friend of mine had the unfortunate experience of having a heart attack. He told me that it was like having an elephant sitting on his chest – the pain, the helplessness, the debilitation. Upon recovery, the doctor who had been attending him spoke of the new diet he would have to follow. Up to…
“There is nothing noble in being superior to your fellow man, true nobility lies in being superior to your former self” (Ernest Hemingway) Character (or perhaps ‘honour’) is a trait that most would like ascribed to them and yet the standards of its attainment have become somewhat vague in our modern age. It’s certainly not…
I have met many “nice” managers in my travels and frequently at workshops – good people, pleasant demeanours, humorous, caring and loyal. These managers easily fit into the leadership team and are generally liked by all. They go about their tasks faithfully and encourage colleagues and employees, especially when the workload is putting everyone under…
