Busy-ness (on the Wrong Things) is the new Laziness “What’s the best thing you could be working on, and why aren’t you?” Paul Graham Richard Hamming suggests that you ask yourself three questions: What are the most important problems in your field? Are you working on one of them? Why not? Paul Graham suggests that … Read more
This post includes additional detail to support my post at ActiveGarage blog: Origin of Leaders Pt 3: Learning – Growing through the Crucibles in your life. It is worth reading that post first for the background and context for this post. How do we achieve mastery? An entrepreneur friend recently commented to me an early … Read more
Fake it. Yes, pretend. There are three benefits that grow from you “acting” confident: Attitude follows Behavior: Over time, you become more like you act—self-assured, confident, and convinced of the truth of what you are saying. Emotional Contagion: Walk down an airport corridor and smile, and watch people smile back; change your facial expression to … Read more
On 9th August 2010, Ed Stafford arrived at the sea, having walked the length of the Amazon river. Over 860 days of walking, 20,000 mosquito bites, 5,000 leeches, poisonous spiders and snakes. No boss told him to do it. Nobody paid him for it. Why did he do it? How did he keep going for … Read more
“Writing is among the greatest inventions in human history, perhaps the greatest invention, since it made history possible. Yet it is a skill most writers take for granted. As adults we seldom stop to think about the mental-cum-physical process that turns our thoughts into symbols on a piece of paper.” Andrew Robinson, The Story of … Read more
I’m on IESE news with a 3 minute video Leadership Lessons from the Chile Mine rescue: IESE News – The Chile Mine Rescue
I watched the rescue of the Chilean miners yesterday morning. It was an emotional scene. The miners coming one by one hoisted to the surface in a coffin-like metal cage from their cave through 620m of rock. Each miner arrived to a wave of cheers of “Chi-Chi-Chi… Le-Le-Le… Chile!”. Each miner reacted in his own … Read more
I read this over on Terry Starbucker’s blog a while back and wrote it down in my notebook. The 7 most important words in management are: “I don’t know but I will find out” When you are blocked for an answer and under pressure and tempted to guess… remember the seven important words.
I spent a few days of my summer visiting Asheville, North Carolina and spending time with a friend. I got to visit “America’s largest private house” – the Biltmore Estate, built by the grandson of Cornelius Vanderbilt who had made his fortune in railways. My friend, Bill Treasurer has spent his life exploring, living and writing … Read more
I watched the world’s top golfers play in the prestigious PGA tournament over the last 4 days. This is one of the top 4 prizes in world golf and a massive achievement for the overall winner. Winning a “major” is a vital brick in the career of the world’s top golfers. I want golf and … Read more