Have you ever harboured ambitions of a role in TV news broadcast? Learn the ropes in 2 minutes with Charlie Brooker. Structure Always Matters This video is a joke (yes). However, anyone who has attended my communication courses has learnt the importance of good speech structure. It allows your message to reach the audience in … Read more
I just watched Thomas Hyunh speak about his lifetime obsession with Sun-Tzu, the 2,500 year old Chinese General, at Authors@Google (video at the bottom of this post). Sun-Tzu was only 30 years old when he led the smallest region of China to victory over the largest region. This victory made him famous, and made … Read more
I was watching the UK version of the TV show “The Apprentice” a few months ago. This particular week’s challenge was to sell caravan and camping equipment at a trade show. Early on, there was a key decision to make: Which model of caravan would the team try to sell? Now, this was a trade … Read more
Leadership: You Have to Go First. I love this little Dilbert storyline from Scott Adams: Employee: “I find it rather demotivating that you never praise me for a job well done.” Boss: “You’ve never done a job well.” Employee: “That’s because I’m demotivated.” Boss: “You have to go first.” Employee: “Wouldn’t that make me the … Read more
“But, is this normal?” Why am I so fixated by normal? What about optimal? Wouldn’t optimal be a better aim? Is my life normal? Some of it, yes. Some of it, no. But it adds no direction to my journey to the future me. Is my life optimal? Is my running posture optimal? Is my … Read more
At the end of every course I teach at IESE Business School, all participants give extensive feedback on their experience of the course, the facilities… and on my role as a teacher. When the summarized feedback reaches me a couple of weeks later, I open the pdf in a state of nervous tension. I am preparing … Read more
I am in Kona, on the west coast of the big island of the Hawaiian islands. I am in Hawaii for a workshop later this week. 10 entrepreneurs who are part of the global leadership of Entrepreneurs’ Organisation are meeting to pull together our ideas on how we can accelerate and deeper the teaching of … Read more
A person can have the great idea, but if that person cannot convince a number of people: the idea dies. Good ideas do die. Good ideas must have good advocates. Good advocacy and good idea makes an idea live. Ideas need advocates like humans need oxygen. The Leader as Communicator The Leader’s #1 job as … Read more
I have recently finished teaching modules on the Global Executive MBA (GEMBA) and on the Develop Your Communication Skills (DYC) Short Focussed Program here at IESE in Barcelona. The global diversity of participants really struck me. IESE has become a truly global experience – both in the MBA program, and in the variety of Executive … Read more
In 2013, I had an opportunity to give a talk at TEDx University of Navarra in Pamplona. Here is the video and a transcript of my speech. Now over 4.2M views of this talk If you had 1000€ and you could invest that money in someone’s future, who would you bet on? Is it yourself? … Read more