People | Joe Redston

Learning ‘from’ and learning ‘about’

21 August 2023

“When I learn about you, I learn about me.” Kewulay Kamara I danced with mountains yesterday [metaphorically, at least], on a wonderful webinar organised by Ijeruka. It featured multiple Elders from around the world, each sharing some of their wisdom. I’m a firm believer in the ‘self’ part of self-development [heck, I wrote a book about it] … and this involves learning from other people. But as my thinking evolves, more and more I realise

How Do I Know The Ocean?

10 August 2023

Imagine growing up inland. People have talked about the ocean – you’ve seen photos, watched videos, read books. But you’ve never seen it in real life. Do you know the ocean yet? You take a trip … for the first time, you stand on a golden sandy beach, gazing out over an expanse of blue that reaches as far as you can see. Do you know the ocean yet? You walk towards the water, and

Boundaries and Horizons

2 August 2023

Boundaries have come up in a lot of my conversations recently. They need to be defined and understood – both by ourselves and the people around us, whether that’s at work or at home or at play. Clear communication is crucial. [As usual]. Some boundaries will be ‘hard red lines’, rarely crossed [“I don’t work weekends”] – while others will be more flexible [“On Fridays, I aim to finish work at 1pm”]. Either way, boundaries

You and I and We

7 July 2023

When I first read Stephen Covey’s ‘7 Habits’, one of the many concepts that jumped out was his ‘Maturity Continuum’. The core idea is that our emotional maturity is a progression, from You to I to We. ‘You’ is where we are dependent on others, thinking they control what happen to us. ‘They’ might include our boss, parents, partner, the government, ‘that idiot on social media’, or whoever. ‘I’ is where we are independent, and

Education as Intergenerational Transmission

23 June 2023

“Education is a process of intergenerational transmission.” Zak Stein Much of our learning happens at school – and if we agree with Zak Stein [a co-founder of The Consilience Project], it doesn’t end there: our education is a continuous, ongoing process. Teaching is a crucial part of that transmission. When teaching beginners to play drums, I was very much ‘telling them what to do’ – “hold the sticks like this” – “your feet go here”

“I’m at low tide.”

17 May 2023

“I’m at low tide,” said a friend today. Even though I walk my dog along the beach every day, I hadn’t previously thought much about the tides as a metaphor. I like it … low tides are distant and calm, the ocean seems warm and inviting … and it’s also full of potential – the energy is still there, and you know a high tide is coming … How we talk about things shows how

Find Your Tribe

19 April 2023

It doesn’t matter if some people don’t get it – whatever ‘it’ is for you. Focus instead on finding the ones who do get ‘it’. As you search, be patient and open – both with yourself and the people around you. Celebrate the similarities rather than dwelling on the differences. It will likely take some time, and it’s unlikely that every member of the tribe sees everything the same way … [This is a good

Why One Person Matters

21 March 2023

Short answer: Because they do, and that’s enough. Long answer: The power in a group lies with the majority. Consider a group of 100 people – 60 is a majority. Within that 60, 35 can dominate the 25. Of 35, 20 could cooperate … and so on. The maths is dull, so I’ll skip some steps – but as the total numbers get smaller, so does the number needed for a majority. Eventually we get

Who’s On Your List?

17 February 2023

There’s an old idea that we become the average of the five people we spend the most time with. If we think about the people who make up our personal ‘List of Five’, they probably aren’t that different to us. They are likely to have a similar background and experience, similar lifestyle and income, similar attitudes and beliefs. In itself, this is not a bad thing – generally, we spend time with people because we

Am I Being A Good Ancestor?

10 February 2023

Am I being a good ancestor? This question was put to us at yesterday’s session of the Regenerators leadership journey … And I found myself wondering … ancestor to whom? My niece?My community?Humanity?Our planet? Are there things I could do that would benefit one of these, but harm another? What behaviours might there be that would make me a good ancestor in all of these areas? These are big questions, and I love that Laura

Category: People