First Impressions

I am back from three weeks in Italy. Half of this time was in Rome and the other half in Tuscany. Being on holiday is a chance to walk out of my everyday life and have completely new experiences alongside some familiar ones. Taking time out from my own life enables me to reflect and refresh, and to see things from other perspectives. Four impressions have stood out on this holiday: Firstly, every cup of coffee I had in Rome...

A Better Class Of Question

A few years ago, I found I had been chasing my tail. I thought that asking myself questions was likely to be helpful, as I was on a path of discovery. I began asking myself why did that happen? Why do you do that (not so great) thing? I discovered it was impossible to respond adequately to these why questions. I only succeeded in keeping myself on edge. I was creating uncertainty with my sense of self. Children ask, ‘Why...

Spontaneity And Leadership

One of the roles of a leader is to create unity of direction with people who have different views. Ideally, leaders’ decisions produce greater cohesion and direction and less fragmentation. Decisions made when a leader is using coping or defensive behaviour tend to be reactive, have little flexibility, and rarely contribute to social cohesion or progress. When decision-making enhances social cohesion, more often than not, those involved have worked with spontaneity. Spontaneity, a life-giving state of being, is essential for creativity...

This Thing Called Change

Organisational “change” can achieve outstanding results, or it can create chaos with results not reflecting the original purpose. Where a change is well led with a focus on relationships, achieving the desired results is more likely. Only by refreshing and rebuilding relationships between managers and staff, and how business groups relate internally and with customers can the new change be effective. New directions, new expectations, and fresh approaches can be implemented, with people more likely to give their best efforts...