“The future is a fantasy that shapes our present” – Stephen Grosz Good morning It was a busy February in Cape Town. There was the Investec Cape Town Art Fair (I loved Ayogu Kingsley’s jubilant portrait of Steve Biko),…
“Leaders are the emotional thermostats of those they lead, and our habits as leaders can spread like a contagion” – Chip Conley Dear Friends At the end of last year, I asked how I could improve this letter. Many of…
Good morning If you’ve been reading for a while, you know that this letter is shaped by my coaching. Every week I meet nine or ten people. We explore the opportunities and challenges that they face in their lives and…
Two weeks ago, I told you that the letter had written itself. Today’s letter most certainly didn’t. I have struggled. There are successes and joy in the world. There is tragedy. There is the additional complication that it is always…
Hello friends There’s a lot to say today, so let’s get to it… / STRATEGY The seeds were planted as I read London Business School Professor Gary Hamel and Michele Zanini’s Humanocracy. They note that 34% of US employees work in…
Good morning everyone Today’s letter is coming to you from The Beach Hut in Paternoster where we are ending off my birthday week. It was a fun week of celebrations that started with tapas at Pinchos, where we reminisced about Barcelona whilst enjoying…
Good morning everyone Like all of us, South African artist Simphiwe Ndzube was forced to improvise during lockdown. Last week, the Stevenson gallery shared 6 new works that emerged from his makeshift studio. They’re an amazing part of what Ndzube calls a “cosmology of…
Good morning good people In this uncertain moment, we must do two seemingly contradictory things. Be completely present in this moment and play the long game. We need to be present in order to build the capabilities and stamina we…
Good morning friends How are you? No, really, how are you? Pause and take a moment to connect to yourself. Sit quietly on this Sunday morning. Close your eyes. Breathe. Scan your body. Where are you holding tension? Are…
Good morning friends When I started this weekly letter, I couldn’t clearly state why I thought it was useful. One impulse was rooted in the Aristotelian position that “We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act…