Are we thriving, or growing? It’s possible to do both – but it’s also important to understand the difference. To do that, we need to think about what we are measuring. In a business, ‘growth’ might mean increasing revenue, or the size of a team. Personal growth might mean reading 10 pages a day, or improving your 5k time. All easy to measure. What about ‘thriving’? At work, this could involve the wellbeing of the
Listening to historians Dan and Daniele, I was struck by their discussion of ‘progress’. They both have a wide-boundary view of the human journey: history is not a story of simple linear progress – things don’t always improve over time. There are ups and downs, and perhaps most crucially, our definition of progress very much depends on where we are standing. At school, I was taught about the expansion of the British Empire – from
Using the word ‘solution’ implies we can fix it [whatever ‘it’ might be]. We do something, and then the problem goes away. But what about more complex challenges like our relationships, or a company culture, or the climate? We can’t ‘fix’ any of these – there’s not a simple ‘thing’ we can do that will make the problem go away. Instead, we need a different approach – we need to think about a response, rather
“It is what it is.” This phrase has been uttered many times and by many people over the last couple of years – and it’s easy to understand why. There’s a lot going on. I recently took inspiration from a friend who is facing a challenging situation. At one point, she said “It is what it is” – but it wasn’t passive. She wasn’t feeling meek and helpless. Rather, she was accepting the reality of
The video is me and some friends on the beach this morning. I’ve done this exercise class twice a week for more than five years now – and it’s got nothing to do with being a morning person. [Under normal circumstances, I try not to book a meeting before 11am]. Why is this class one of my most ingrained habits? CONVENIENCEIt starts at 6.30, so there’s never a diary conflict. It’s also about a 2-minute
Where does your clearest thinking get done? Is it ‘at work’ or somewhere else? Does your answer tell you anything about your current situation? And if you’re reading this and thinking “oh, these are interesting questions, and I can see how they might be important – but I don’t have time to answer them” … then perhaps that tells you something too? Taking the time to think might be the most important work you can
I spent some time recently chatting with the wonderfully perceptive Sonia Gonzalez. In our conversation she touched on the difference between – and importance of – having both ‘inputs’ and ‘outputs’. ‘Inputs’ include the experiences we have, the courses we take, the books we read – the time we spend learning and growing. ‘Outputs’ are the chair we make, the logo we design, the customer service we deliver – the value we bring to the
Do I want to:Lead a business? Or be a ‘successful entrepreneur’?Write a book? Or be a ‘famous author’?Run a marathon? Or be a ‘race winner’? In each example, doing the first part is hard. The second is what we might become when we do the first thing. When we chase being the successful-famous-winner without doing the work, we are on a path to disappointment. At the same time, focusing only on doing the leading-writing-running can
Yvon Chouinard, founder of Patagonia, has just given his company away. As he says, “instead of ‘going public’, you could say we’re ‘going purpose’.” Transferring the entire billion-dollar business to a trust “dedicated to fighting the environmental crisis and defending nature” is the latest example of how they are reimagining capitalism. Patagonia are a company I have long admired. They openly confront the tension of both being a clothing company and thereby contributing to the
Recently, I’ve found motivation hard to come by. I’ve been thinking hard about what I do, and why I do it. Should I change direction, or go all in? Stay here, or move on? As part of the figuring out process, I am re-reading Stephen Covey’s ‘7 Habits’. Among all the other brilliant insights is this nugget:“A satisfied need no longer motivates.” Ah. That makes sense. Fundamentally, my ‘needs’ are met. I am in the
Weekly [digital] email to help navigate the [analogue] world …
Weekly [digital] email to help navigate the [analogue] world …
