How a Crisis Reveals your True Character
When I was a teenager, I moved from a small, community oriented school to a large, bullring of boys. It was a leap into the big, real and rough world. I was joined by a mixed crew of newcomers. There was the worldly expatriate, the Korean, the first black pupils and the religious seminary graduate. […]
The Leadership Blind Spot
The phrase of my week is ‘Impression Management’. Oh and I love it, for how aptly it describes much of the superficiality in our society. It immediately reminded me of a story shared by an accounting executive who was rebuked for nestling his second hand, seven year old car in the Partners dedicated parking. The […]
The two most important questions you must answer!
I love change. I am tickled by technology and the audacious dreams humanity keeps bringing to life. Everything we want to do, seems possible – and likely. I get all gawky geek-like when I imagine a world where mundane and repetitive tasks are performed by a wide brethren of digital proxies. In other ways, I […]
Rituals and what they tell us about your culture
I often hear this question – ‘How do I make my culture better to keep up with theirs, like that company over there (usually a tech giant that they read about in a glitzy magazine)?’ The more nutritious question (and one I rarely hear) however is; ‘How can I define, see and capitalize on the […]
I didn’t know much about culture!
They say ‘Culture eats strategy for breakfast!’ They say it with such conviction, often as a precursor to their own philosophy on leadership and the future. They say it often, almost as much as I have said it. I have sat through countless meetings with senior executives who claim high expertise and command of the […]
We trust behaviours more than intent!
‘Trust me, it will all be OK.’ ‘Trust me, my intentions are good.’ ‘Trust me, just trust me’ Usually all said with a glint in the eye and a warm, nodding smile. It seems trust is preoccupying not only my thoughts but my work too. Trust me, it must be important then (I write that […]