Imagine a time in the future when you've achieved whatever it is you dream of achieving. Then ask yourself, what would that enable you to do? What would you spend more of your time doing? Would you exercise more? Spend more time with friends or family? Or something else? Then, ask yourself, what's stopping you doing more of that today? Perhaps not the dream version on the sunny beach. But a real version, on a park bench. You shouldn't wait to spend your time doing the things you enjoy, just...
1 day ago • 1 min read
If you are new here, you may not know that I wasn't always a beloved, superstar global influencer (tongue in cheek, promise 😗). No I used to have a "proper job" (thanks brother). And so, in the last few years I have been on a bit of an adventure to reinvent myself. This is something that lots of us dream of doing at some point in our lives. It's not easy, but it is worth it. So here are some of the big lessons I have learned that might help you: Your friends and family may not support you to...
3 days ago • 2 min read
One of my favourite short films is called Slomo. You can watch it on YouTube. I must have seen it 30 times in the last few years and even connected with the director on LinkedIn to tell him how much I love it. It's a documentary about Dr John Kitchin who was a physician in the USA until he had an epiphany and changed his life completely. I'd love you to watch it because I think it is full of wisdom. And one of the highlights is an old man saying the secret to a long life is to "do what you...
7 days ago • 2 min read
I'm not at my best this morning. Not at my worst either but closer to that end of the scale. My mood is off, motivation is minimal, energy is low. There are several causes, and none at all, for my malaise. I've travelled a lot for work recently, doing very different things, and that has sapped my mental energy. There are some things happening to friends and family that are worrying me. I've not been able to exercise regularly and my diet hasn't been what it should be. At the same time my...
9 days ago • 1 min read
I have a long background in service and systems improvement. Twelve years or so ago I won an award at the Lean Healthcare Awards for this. That's lean as in the Toyota inspired methodology, not lean as in skinny. Prior to that I'd worked on systems in the software industry. Since then I have studied Improvement Theory at Warwick University Business School, Leadership at Ashridge Business School and Innovation at INSEAD business school. I've also taught "Leading in Complexity" nationally in...
10 days ago • 1 min read
When things get tough in an organisation or company, people don't always behave well. Have you noticed that? Some people can get a bit childish. Maybe they withdraw, or they throw tantrums, or tell tales. Other people can get a bit parental. They start wagging fingers, telling people off and raising their voices. In other words, people stop behaving like adults and they regress into patterns they have known since childhood. And the worse the pressure becomes, the more likely they are to...
16 days ago • 1 min read
The most common frustration I hear from highly capable leaders is expressed in a variety of ways, but it can be summarised as: I can't seem to get anything done anymore! The frustration might be with themselves, for not being able to do the things they need to do. Or it might be frustration with their team, for not finishing things or getting them done right. When this frustration shows up, it is rarely about skill, confidence or motivation. More likely it is because people are being...
17 days ago • 1 min read
When things start to get harder for leaders, it isn't usually because of a lack of skill or effort. It is usually because the system around them has changed. Now systems are always changing and often they balance out, but, at some point they get out of balance and we don't know why. Decisions get harder. Deadlines get missed. Meetings lose their purpose. And the instinct is to wonder, "who is to blame?" But if leaders can take a step back and look at what's changing in the circumstances they...
21 days ago • 1 min read
The word retreat has been on my mind a lot over the last few days, and for two different reasons. There’s retreat in the sense of withdrawing from the day-to-day. Stepping back to reset, recharge or escape circumstances we don’t like. This is the kind of retreat you hear about a lot in the personal development world. Creating calm spaces for people who are tired, stretched or overwhelmed. I have a lot of respect for that work. But it isn’t really how I’m wired. My default response to...
22 days ago • 2 min read