Reflection
7 questions you must ask yourself before you say goodbye to 2021
First question: What or who are you grateful for, right now, in this moment? No seriously. Stop what you’re doing. Drop your shoulders. Take a deep breath. Stop reading any further. And answer this question. Got it? Good. Now, I have just a few more questions I want you to answer before you close out…
Read MoreDead calm – How I’ve lost the wind beneath my sails.
For the last four months, I’ve been stuck in a dead calm. It’s as if I’m in in a yacht, rudderless, with no waves or wind to carry me forward. There’s no island in the distance, beckoning me. I keep waiting for a gust of wind to propel me ahead to the next ‘big thing’:…
Read MoreThis week, I’ll finish writing a book. This is what I’ve learned
This week, I will finish writing my book manuscript and send it off to the publishers. This is something I’ve wanted to say since I was 24. I remember one sunny morning, decades ago, sitting with my Dad in his living room over coffee. It was the first time I’d dared to speak out loud…
Read MoreWhat I did when my brother called me self-centred: Or, a better way to deal with feedback
Last week, in one of our regular lockdown phone calls, my older brother Andrew called me self-centred. Not in an angry, bitter or attacking way. Just casually, in passing. Like it was an afterthought at the end of his story about a trip to the supermarket, which had resulted in some good deals on mince.…
Read More3 Simple Steps Leaders Can Take To Improve Their Thinking Skills
When one of the people I respect the most in the leadership world accepts my invitation to do a guest post in The Leader’s Digest, it makes me pretty chuffed. So this is me, pretty chuffed indeed, introducing this week’s guest author, Tanveer Naseer! Tanveer Naseer is an internationally-acclaimed keynote speaker, award-winning leadership writer, author,…
Read MoreWe Can Be Heroes: 4 Unabashed Lessons From David Bowie
There’s nothing like the death of your teenage hero to halt you in your tracks. The moment I heard the news of David Bowie’s death, I was instantly transported back to hormone-fuelled teenage dorm rooms; a vivid picture of my friends and I hollering “Lets Dance!” at the top of our lungs. My oft-kissed, most…
Read MoreThe Haka That Went Viral (and what leaders can learn from it)
Over the past few days, the video below went viral. In it, an entire boys’ secondary school in New Zealand honour their former teacher at his funeral, through a performance of the traditional Māori Haka. Watch it. It only takes a couple of minutes. Seriously, don’t read any further without watching this short clip… I…
Read MoreWhy New Year’s Resolutions Don’t Work (and 2 powerful alternatives)
Here’s a frightening statistic. According to the University of Scranton research, only 8% of people actually achieve their New Year’s goals. Crazy right?! If resolutions or specific goal setting just ain’t your gig, don’t sweat it, you’re doing OK. Instead of the traditional resolution-fest, I’d like to suggest a different approach, which can apply to the beginning of…
Read MoreWhy Stillness Is The Modern Leader’s Secret Weapon
I was away from home for most of last week. It was late on Friday night by the time I finally walked through the doors. The house was quiet, dark and still. As I kicked off my too tight heels and collapsed onto the couch, I began to think about the previous two weeks. I was…
Read More9 Missing Ingredients Of Successful Leadership
What strikes me almost every day in my coaching practice, is how heavily the following traits are valued in organisations: Action Doing Competitive drive Goal focus Intellectual fortitude The logic. The linear. The analytical. And this is a good thing. After all, these activities do contribute to productivity and results. But, I’m starting to get a bit…
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