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Category: Leadership

Freedom Inside Constraints

The Legendary Basketball coach John Wooden[1], would begin each new season by sitting down his…

‘Clarity begins with realizing what we do not notice—and don’t notice that we don’t notice’. Sir Alex Ferguson the legendary former coach of football club Manchester United was quite clear in his leadership philosophy and approach to coaching that the ability to notice what was going on, to…

What Do We Remember?

‘…a war begun for no purpose, carried on with a strange mixture of rashness and timidity, brought to a close after suffering and disaster, without much glory attached either to the government which directed, or the great body of troops which waged it. Not one benefit, political or military, was…

Are You Listening Or Just Letting Me Speak?

‘The single biggest problem with communication is the illusion that it has taken place’ George Bernard Shaw We know that good communication depends in good measure on listening but we mostly spend too little time thinking about what that really means. Listening is usually passive, in the sense that it…

Crisis Leadership – Beyond Pants & Pencils

“This is a crisis. A large crisis. In fact, if you’ve got a moment, it’s a twelve-storey crisis with a magnificent entrance hall, carpeting throughout, 24-hour portage, and an enormous sign on the roof, saying ‘This Is a Large Crisis’. A large crisis requires a large plan. Get me two…

Leadership & Belief (Part 1)

Boy on a high dive, Norman Rockwell, 1947 ‘Whether you think you can, or you think you can’t – you’re right’. – Henry Ford My wife should probably have been a vet. As a child it was what she had her heart set on and knowing her as I…

Women Special Forces & The Case For Diversity

A crisis can generate a focus on what really matters. We set aside petty and irrelevant concerns, discard turf wars, prejudice and office politics in the overwhelming concern to save the ship from sinking. Almost exactly 81-years ago, in July 1940, Britain had already had to evacuate her army…