Tag: Values

Are you cutting corners to save time?

During an afternoon coffee with a friend today we talked about a significant event that had impacted on both of us over a period of time.  My friend had initially been somewhat on the peripheral of what was going on and I had assumed that the details of the events were not necessarily of great importance to him.

How wrong I was.

During our discussion it became apparent that what I had seen as unnecessary explanation or detail was in fact rightly perceived as non-disclosure.  My friend was not judgemental in this regard but was honest in seeking to understand why it appeared that I had made selected and timely disclosures of information as it suited me.

I believed I was simply saving time.  I know that I was also avoiding potentially difficult conversations which I had not been ready for.  I was cutting corners.  Not only was that wrong,  I shouldn’t have even been on the road.  I wasn’t ready.

Not everyone needs every detail.  But when you are dealing with your trust bank, there really is no short cut.

Don’t get on the road, if you’re thinking of taking short cuts! People will notice. I was fortunate this time to have a friend who believed in me enough to tell me.


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Who do you admire?

I was asked on Friday “which leader to you admire the most?”.

Responses to this question generally can often include Churchill, Christ, Mother Theresa, the Dalai Lama, Nelson Mandella and more recently, Barak Obama. What is it about these people what we can admire, and what can we take from them for our own leadership journey?

Sometimes, and I admit to enjoying these moments, we hear stories of a very personal nature where someone describes a tireless worker, sometimes in a low-paid or voluntary position who led others to achieve great things, but never really got noticed. It’s always my hope that the Queens honours find these people for some recognition.

I confess to being a bit of a leader-resister. Continue reading “Who do you admire?” →

Are you for real?

Earlier this week I had some meetings with some great people talking about leadership. Getting ready for work that morning I decided to go full-blown shirt and tie. Yep, I’ve got dozens of ties, lots of suits, but frankly, that’s just not me. But my expectation was that other’s expectations were that I should wear a shirt and tie. Even writing this now seems absurd. But it’s what I did and I admit to having done it in the past.

My first appointment was smartly dressed with an open neck shirt. “so, where does your programme fit in? what’s different to others he asked”. “Well I said, it’s about authenticity, we want people to develop the real leader inside them – not like a copy of someone they think is a great leader – take Barak Obama, most people would say he’s so natural, himself.” Then it hit me and I confessed! Continue reading “Are you for real?” →

Open the curtains to stop your valuables being stolen

The burglar operates best under cover of dark, stealing your most precious valuables. So, nothing is more likely to deflect the burglar than a well-lit shop front.

For the last year or so a friend has been attempting to have a quasi-government agency look into a matter of some significance. For reasons that remain obscure the agency did nothing for six months. When the lack of attention to her matter was brought to the agency’s attention, the initial response was to apologise and a promise to deal with my friend. These promises came to nothing and my friend wrote and questioned the agency’s conduct. Continue reading “Open the curtains to stop your valuables being stolen” →