Dear friends It’s good to be back. I hope you’re well. The Pulitzer Prize winners were announced this week. As always, I am reaching for my credit card whilst dreaming of a trust fund which would allow me to spend…
Dear friends Thank you for last week’s birthday wishes. I appreciated them. It was a wonderful weekend with all my favourite things – kayaking, good wine (2017 shiraz from Mullineux and Saronsberg, because I know you want to know), good…
Good morning good people If you’re growing a business (or even a division in a large corporation) you must read Verne Harnish’s Scaling Up. His genius is distilling the world’s best business thinking into clear, actionable frameworks. One day, when…
Dear friends If my current client conversations are anything to go by, you’re probably drowning in meetings and processes, bouncing from one thing to the next, feeling overwhelmed and powerless – two deadly drivers of burnout – to change it.…
Good morning friends A few years ago, a client said, “I wish I didn’t need others’ approval”. I smiled and replied, “We all do. Practically, it helps us know we’re doing something useful. Emotionally, we’re social creatures, we like feedback, especially…
Dear Friends I struggled to write this week’s letter. There is no shortage of material. I have been my diligent self. A dozen books are stacked next to my desk. l have read them, completed my annotations and they’re waiting to…
Good morning good people The Cape’s summer swelter has arrived. In recent days the mercury has nudged 40c, but I remain a red wine lover, so I asked one of my favourite wine shops, Wine Concepts, to give me some lighter…
Dear friends If you’re looking for some December reading, this is the pile I’ve built myself and these are some I have finished over the last two months. /strategyIn my coaching work, I often hear the protest, ‘I don’t…
Dear Friends As you know this letter grows out of my coaching practice. I write it to guarantee that I am always learning and improving my ability to support my clients and their organisations. Those coaching conversations necessarily shape what I…
Dear Friends Today I am writing to a sonorous soundscape provided by a pod of Bryde’s Whales. They’re a few dozen metres offshore, breathing gently. They’ve been there for the last two days, surfacing, glistening, gliding, exhaling, inhaling, delighting; occasionally…
Dear Friends In August, I paused our letter for a fortnight. I spent the time revisiting the letters I’ve written and books I’ve read in my five years of coaching life. I realised I’ve often only shared a snippet from a…
Good morning good friends /strategyStrategy conversations are often dominated by innovation, acquisition and the like. They are important. As important is operational excellence. FT Strategies August newsletter, The Path to Profitability, included this observation, “Based on data from over 400…