As I wrote in my last post, since turning 50 I’ve found myself wrestling more often with those big, existential questions. It’s a real tension: my mission is to help people connect with information and inspire them to reach their potential, yet sometimes the world stage makes it feel like we're heading in the opposite … Continue reading When the world feels heavy, look closer to home
Category: Thoughts on Life
Navigating faith, doubt, and the second half of life
There’s a phrase that has been knocking around in my thinking for some time now: “the second half of life”. My path toward understanding this transition began, in part, by listening to Fr. Richard Rohr’s book, Falling Upward. The core insight - that wisdom involves embracing doubt and struggle rather than seeking simple answers - … Continue reading Navigating faith, doubt, and the second half of life
Playfulness
Why do we often show up so differently at work than in the rest of our lives? Why do our work selves have to be so different from our everyday selves? Lots of times through my career I've been pleasantly surprised to find out how fun and playful colleagues can be. But you often only … Continue reading Playfulness
Hiut Denim
Last week I visited somewhere I've wanted to go for ages. And I spent more money on a single pair of jeans (again) than I've spent on a whole suit in the past!Why the hell would I do that?1. They are Hiuts. Simply the best quality jeans I have ever owned (this is my second … Continue reading Hiut Denim
Rick Rubin
This is Rick Rubin. One of the greatest record producers of all time. Never heard of him? You'll definitely have heard of some of the bands he's worked with. Red Hot Chili Peppers, Slayer, System of a Down, Adele, Linkin Park, Aerosmith, Jay Z, AC/DC, Run DMC... The llst really does go on and on. … Continue reading Rick Rubin
Culture Eats Strategy For Breakfast – Or Does It?
I had a conversation recently with a fellow consultant in which we discussed that well-known business maxim “culture eats strategy for breakfast”. The rationale behind this phrase seems to be that if you have an outstanding company culture, you don’t need to have a strategy. Or conversely, you can have the best strategy in the … Continue reading Culture Eats Strategy For Breakfast – Or Does It?
Empathy
There's a fact about the human condition which explains a lot about the ways we often interact. When I do something, I understand my reasons for doing it - all of the reasons, emotions and back-story to whatever that act is. When someone else does something though, we have none of that context. All that … Continue reading Empathy
The seaside
I must go down to the seas again, to the lonely sea and the sky, And all I ask is a tall ship and a star to steer her by; And the wheel’s kick and the wind’s song and the white sail’s shaking, And a grey mist on the sea’s face, and a grey dawn … Continue reading The seaside
The lonely path
For many years I dreamed of working for myself. To find my own clients, set my own agenda and tread my own path. Like a Ronin, the masterless samurai in feudal Japan, I wanted to serve no one particular master. Instead I had a vision of using my skills to help many people and, once … Continue reading The lonely path
What if?
"What if...?" is a question of possibilities. Future states which have not yet come to pass. But it's a question that cuts two ways which, depend on your predominant outlook in life. It's sometimes a question of risk and worry: "What if you lose your job?" "What if I get ill?" "What if the car … Continue reading What if?
That Richard Bloke 