Something I’ve observed in many leaders is the feeling that they have to have an answer when asked a question. Not so. And not even for the reason a thousand coaches have told you, which is to be vulnerable. There’s a deeper reason. Which is that often it’s not really a question at all. Here […]
The dangers of advice
“I cannot judge what he did, because I did not have his information”. A particularly sage comment from the then 82-year-old Lee Kuan Yew, former Prime Minister of Singapore. Judgement is in many ways the same as advice. When we give advice, it is from our perspective, which is always different from the person receiving […]
Leadership may need you to use soft skills to do hard things
It’s a funny thing I notice about LinkedIn. Posts about vulnerability, authenticity and psychological safety get a lot of interaction. Which is great, as these are important, if nuanced, topics in leadership. However, posts about some of the harder parts of leadership, such as dealing with an underperforming team member, or making challenging commercial decisions […]
Being good isn’t enough
“The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.” What is true of “men” in Edmund Burke’s famous quote is true of any social unit – communities, companies, governments. I believe most humans are good, and the vast majority are not intentionally bad. With a few exceptions (step […]
The killing of ethnic minorities anywhere is the killing of oppressed people everywhere.
The killing of George Floyd is unconscionable not just for its brutality and inhumanity, but for its inevitability. Because in societies whose actions value the lives of some less than others, oppression doesn’t start with a policeman crushing a neck. It takes deeper roots to lead to these kinds of outrages. Sometimes it is blatantly […]