#151: Librarians are superheroes
When I was a child, my parents had a friend who visited most Decembers. Over the years it became customary that I was given time to ask in detail about her year, how she’d spent her budget, and what acquisitions…
Tag Powerful Habits
#116: Take A Starter Step
Good morning friends If this is the first time you’re reading this letter, you can subscribe here and learn more about my coaching practice here. This week The Doc, a documentary about one of the pioneers of rap, D.O.C., was released at the…
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,…
Living A Meaningful Life
Ten days ago, Aqeela Davids did an unusual thing. She posted this. She told the world that she had failed her South African Institute of Chartered Accountants (SAICA) exam. Her post triggered hundreds of comments. In amongst the advice and the encouragement were…
Being a Better Manager
This year will be overwhelming and tiring. In this context, it’s tempting to draw the curtains and hide out until ‘it’s all over.’ Yet, as famous baseball player and coach, ‘Yogi’ Berra, once put it, “If you don’t know where…
Despite the backdrop of our pain, South Africa achieves.
Today’s introduction is longer than normal. It’s December, it feels right to reflect a little. Next week will be our last email for the year. I will resume our conversation on 10 January 2021. This week I shared a photograph of…
The Power of Listening
Last week’s email reflected on how psychologically unsafe environments destroy value by silencing people or, more insidiously, by creating conditions in which people do not feel safe to speak and so silence themselves. In the silence, value is hidden. Amy Edmondson, Professor…
Dancing In Language
Before we get started, if you find today’s email to be useful please forward it to some friends. Also, if you know anyone who has had a particularly tough year (it might be you), please share this offer with them. The warm…
Be Gentle And Ambitious
A few days ago, The New Yorker published this cartoon with the caption, “Remember when we thought the pandemic was only going to last a couple of weeks?” Last week Fortune Magazine published the results of a survey of the CEOs of…
The Best Entrepreneurs? They Let Fires Burn
Happy Sunday Everyone I am starting today on a personal note. Just over a year ago I just changed the headline on my LinkedIn Profile from Chief Operations Officer to Coach. It was the start of a new journey. Since then, I…
Ways To Keep Moving Forward
Good morning good friends As we all know, this is a time of profound change. Plans that were conceptualised just 6 months ago have had to be discarded, and often nothing clear has, or perhaps even can, taken their place.…
Strategy Lesson: Listen To Weak Signals
Dear All Thank you all for your reflections on last week’s letter. The Thabo Mbeki quotation that “no solution to current problems can be found unless we understand their historical origins” resonated with many of you. It took me back to…