My 100th newsletter
Today is our 100th newsletter. At school, I had fantasies of scoring a hundred runs in cricket. I never got past twenty-seven. Today though, I think I can claim that century. Thank you for being a part of this journey.…
Tag Leadership Fundamentals
To Trust or Not To Trust
“You must trust and believe in people or life becomes impossible.” Chekhov’s words have always resonated with me. And yet, I often encounter leaders whose mantra is that trust must be earned. In the cut-and-thrust of corporate life my turning…
A Strategy, Soul, & Self Toolbox
Hello friends Today’s letter is coming to you from Schuilhoek Cottage. Thank you to Defijn founder, Eckardt Kasselman, for introducing me to this place of quiet beauty. I am staying mostly offline, so will share some pictures with you next…
Hamdi Ulukaya: The Billionaire Shepherd
It’s been a week! I hope that you’re well. If you’re feeling like you need a wry smile, you’ll love Reza Farazmand’s dry sense of humour. While parts of the world were being weird about South Africa’s scientific excellence, the…
2021’s Last Letter
Good morning friends Today is the fiftieth and final letter of this year. In my first letter of the year, I wrote “This will not be an easy year.” In the second, a week later, I said “This year will…
Leadership lessons from Siya Kolisi
I hope that January has treated you well. It’s over tomorrow. That feels ridiculous to say, but it is. At some point, I will write to you about time, but that’s not today’s journey. As you may know, I live…
Love The People You Lead
This delicate sculpture by Atang Tshikare will make your heart smile. He created it in the heart of lockdown. It speaks of life, of growth, of the possibility of renewal. I thought we all need to be reminded of that possibility.…
How toxic leaders destroy people and organisations
Good morning friends In Good to Great, leading business thinker Jim Collins developed the concept of the flywheel. In an accompanying monograph he writes, “No matter how dramatic the end result, good-to-great transformations never happen in one fell swoop. In…
Who is your coach?
Good morning everyone In last week’s letter, I included quotations about love from Thomas Moore’s Care of the Soul. Thank you to Maryse Barack who shared this quotation from Chilean biologist, Humberto Maturana, “Love, allowing the other to be a…
Leadership Basics: Are you a creator or a reactor?
Happy February Everyone Thank you to everyone who has reached out in the past week to send me suggestions for this letter. I have been moved by the generosity with which you have taken time to share your knowledge with…