Category: Purpose
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How not to waste a life. The real responsibility of parents and schools.
This week we decided where my daughter will go to school – potentially for the next 15 years. I have spent a lot of time thinking about what criteria are important in selecting a school and this blog is a summary of 3-4 months of that reflection. To Prepare One for Living How do you…
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The 90 10 rule. How John messed up a perfectly good day.
I have a monthly tradition of meeting for a 9:30am brioche and coffee in the best brioche place in Barcelona (cannot reveal the secret location) with my french-hungarian friend and entrepreneur Andre Vanyi-Robin (of Bestv and Entrepreneurs’Organisation). We met yesterday. The brioche was good. Andre told me a great story about the 90 10 rule. …
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Where does a leader get their energy from? Ken Blanchard says "Begin the day slowly."
I was priviledged to attend a small gathering to listen to Ken Blanchard and then join him for lunch this week thanks to Alberto Cabezas (co-founder of Claction online marketing) and the Entrepreneurs’ Organisation. Ken Blanchard is the author of “The One Minute Manager” a simple but brilliant story about management that has sold over…
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17 Daily personal habits for a fulfilling life
I have been teaching MBAs for 12 years and I am often asked over a coffee a question on the general theme of “what should I do with my life?” or “how can I be a success?” to which I feel hugely under-qualified to provide answers. I have spent time reflecting on my own life…
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Reflections on Nando Parrado, the real hero of the film "Alive"
Last Friday I had the priviledge of hearing Nando Parrado speak to the 350 attendees of the Entrepreneurs’ Organisation Barcelona University. Nando was the highlight of the 4 days of speakers. Survival in Extreme Hardship Nando Parrado survived for 72 days in the Andes, along with 16 members of his Rugby team, after their plane…
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The role of luck in success
As a business owner, you tend to hear a lot of stories about better business, tips and tricks of the trade, and lessons about management. Out of all of them, though, there’s one story that has stuck with me through the years. It’s a story that taught me to enjoy every aspect of business, and…
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The measure of the life that we live
An old traveller has seen the world. He is restless and keeps moving. One day he is in the distant mountains in an area not known to him. On this particular day, after a long walk through a mountain valley, he sees a shady tree and what looks like a good place to rest on…
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The reward for conformity is that everybody likes you except yourself
A monk and his followers live near a river. Each morning they go down to the river. One morning, a scorpion falls into the river. The monk reaches out and picks up the scorpion placing him on dry land. His hand is stung painfully. The next day, the monk and his followers go down to…
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What tracks are you leaving in the sand?
A traveller is lost in the dessert. The sun is beating down. His mouth is parched and dry. He is disoriented. In an effort to survive, he begins walking towards the only sign he can see – some mountains in the far distance. After an hour of struggling through the sand, he comes across the…
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Laying bricks or building cathedrals
6 months ago I had the privilege of a visit to the Sagrada Familia with the head structural architect of the works and a friend of mine who is the owner of the oldest architectural practice in Spain. I will never see the Sagrada Familia the same way again. Sharing in the passion of these…