Thoughts

  We rise by lifting others. Robert Ingersoll   At the beginning of a leadership workshop last week, I asked participants this question: “What impact do you intend to have on others today?” Here are some examples of how the majority of participants responded: “I’m going to be curious and ask questions.” “I’m going to […]

There’s a saying: “you’re the average of the five people you spend the most time with.” I really like that as an idea. Yet I think it can go further. What if those five people were all of the same type? Wouldn’t that just be just one person multiplied by five? How useful would that […]

“Priority is a function of context” Steven Covey I used to scuba dive. If you’ve ever done it, you’ll know the peace and tranquillity you feel when you sink beneath the surface into another world. It’s quite amazing.  That underwater world forces you to slow down. Compared to being on dry land, surrounded by air, […]

How can we be more ‘unhurriedly productive?’ That’s a question I’ve been exploring for a couple of years now. Here’s why I think it’s so important: Burnout levels are high, and on the rise. Here in New Zealand, workers work longer hours and for less reward than workers in most other OECD countries. We work harder rather than smarter. […]

  “Don’t change your behaviour. Change what shapes your behaviour, and watch your behaviour change.”   Got a gnarly problem? Most of the time, we try to solve problems by changing what we do. Faced with a challenge, we ask what can we do differently? For simple problems, that’s usually sufficient. Light bulb blown? Replace […]

Lately, I’ve been writing about creating space. I’ve realised that there are two forms of this practice that we need to master: ME space: Getting away. Taking time out. Retreating. Escaping. WE space: Creating space for others to pause, reflect, make sense and decide. Here’s another way of thinking about it: ME space = ‘leaving’, […]

When Naomi Osaka announced that she was not going to attend the post-match press conferences at this year’s French Open, she did me a favour. She shone a light on a status quo that I hadn’t really paid attention to before. That status quo was the requirement for professional tennis players to show up at […]

Last week I was in a session with my counsellor. Yes, I see a counsellor! He’s super-helpful to help me try to make sense of my life in a turbulent world. I was sharing with him how full-on life is right now and how it just feels non-stop. It’s like I’m always ‘on’. I’m on […]

I just watched Seven Years in Tibet. Brad Pitt stars as a headstrong mountaineer who becomes a prisoner-of-war in 1930’s Tibet. After multiple solo attempts, he escapes by teaming up with his fellow prisoners. When he’s out, he says “I’m going it alone” and runs off into the wilderness. Yet another movie upholding individual heroism. […]

You may know that I’ve been learning Wing Foiling lately. It’s kind of like being on those America’s Cup boats but on a smaller scale. You’re riding a kind of surfboard with a hydrofoil attached underneath, flying above the water powered by a ‘wing’, or sail. It’s exhilarating, and the learning curve comes with lots […]