#220: Love &
Hello friends I am back. I’d paused the letter for two weeks to get on top of all I’d read. Although not as productive as I’d hoped, I was partially successful. My research assistants corralled nine recently read books’ highlights into…
Tag Musicians
#219: Music Lessons for Leaders (thank you Sean Jones & NYO Jazz)
Dear Friends Today’s letter is a little different. Over the past few months, I’ve seen some spectacular musicians perform. I thought we’d reflect on the leadership lessons they teach us. Before we get started, there are a few things worth noting.…
#153: Live in a way that allows you to create
“The beauty around us … is an end in itself.” – Rick Rubin Two weeks ago I wrote about the power of a librarian’s mindset; that by being both curious and curatorial we give ourselves the possibility of seeing…
A Night With Gregory Porter
Would it be unfair to claim that Kirstenbosch’s Botanical Gardens is the world’s most beautiful concert venue? I don’t think so. I can’t think of a better one. The Gardens are one of Cape Town’s gems. Cape Town is…
#130: Spark And Fire: Some Lessons From The Best
The Spark and Fire podcast profiles some of the world’s great creatives. Host, June Cohen, is also a creative pioneer. She is the CEO and co-founder of the award-winning media company, Wait What. I look forward to the day that someone interviews…
#124: Unlocking Excellence
Good morning You’ll remember that earlier this year I dived into the basics of running effective organisations. I did so because we are all confronting profound uncertainty. And, in uncertainty, the most powerful strategy is to build resilience, to ensure that…
Invisible Women
Good morning friends Thank you for the messages checking on my recovery. Like Covid itself, it is filled with unpleasant surprises. I feel strong and positive, only to be hit by an unexpected fit of coughing that feels like I…
Being You In Business
I am convinced that aeons ago the deities of the Kalahari and Antarctica came to a grudging agreement regarding Cape Town. The summer months would be time for the spirits of heat to dance through our streets. Some days it…
A Pan-African Imagination
This Tuesday is Africa Day and so I have turned to a Pan African Pantheon to inspire our imagination, for in the Pan-African tradition an inspired imagination is the precursor to expanded freedom. / STRATEGY Marcus Garvey stated, “A people…
Skin: It Takes Blood And Guts
Good morning everyone I am in a celebratory mood today. If you aren’t, I hope that you will be by the time you’ve finished reading. Rémy Ngamije, the Rwandan-born Nambian author, whose debut novel I told you about in Behaviour Design,…
How we limit ourselves
Good morning In Coaching to the Human Soul Alan Sieler cites psychiatrist R.D. Laing’s observation, that “The range of what we think and do is limited by what we fail to notice. And because we fail to notice that we fail to…
Hello. Please Open Me. We’re Back.
Good morning friends I’ve missed you. I’ve missed the ritual of sitting down each week to write to you, to communicate with you. I’ve missed the conversations that follow. It is good to be back. Well, strictly speaking, we’re not…