One of the core responsibilities of a leader, if not the core responsibility, is to create a work environment where those who want to grow, and are prepared to commit to it, are able to do so. It doesn’t necessarily need a vast L&D budget (though some is always helpful!). But it does require a […]
People and HR
Have you ever smelled the Sistene Chapel?
There’s this scene in the wonderful film, The Two Popes, when outgoing pope Benedict asks incoming Pope Francis to take his confession. His primary sin was living in his books and not with the humans that his church is supposed to serve. I read a lot. I think it’s important, and it teaches and provokes […]
Greyness is the challenge of leadership
One of the most consistent challenges leaders grapple with as they grow (which is always!) is ambiguity. The continual search for certainty, to define things in a way that is black and white. Whether it’s creating organisational structures, or dealing with performance issues, or promotions, or creating comp plans – the lack of a black […]
If you can’t change the world, change yourself
Do we take offence, or do we change things? Or do we do both? There’s a lovely parable in Buddhist tradition. To walk in a world of thorns, we could remove all the thorns or cover every inch with leather. Or we can wear leather sandals. Many of our current business practices are covering the […]
The hype cycle on remote working
Headlines like to paint an extreme. So remote working is either our saviour, or the start of our demise. And the reporting has followed an accelerated form of Gartner’s hype cycle. The hype told us that working remotely was all good – less commuting, more family time, greener planet. And the valley of despair told […]