Blog
Living in the present
Years ago, I had a phone call to say that one division of our business was in crisis and that in ten minutes the general manager of the market where it had taken place would brief us. It had serious implications for my boss. It looked likely that, as a result of this issue, a programme he had been working on for over a year would not see the light of day. I went over to tell him. He listened carefully, took in everything I was telling him. As soon as I had finished telling him about the issue a…
Creating freedom for others
I have a friend, let’s call her Ann, whose view of the world is that it is a very hard place to be, that life is difficult. Her conversations are full of phrases like, ‘life’s not meant to be easy’, ‘you just have to make do with what you have’ and ‘it’s a tough world’. Even when things are going really well, she is looking ahead to a time when it could all be taken away.
I have another friend, let’s call her Beattie, who’s view is the polar opposite. She believes that life is a miraculous advent…
I have another friend, let’s call her Beattie, who’s view is the polar opposite. She believes that life is a miraculous advent…
What is that meant to mean?
The person I admire most was born with an incurable disease. Her life expectancy was 18 years, her only hope of surviving was a heart and lung transplant. Throughout her childhood and teenage years she became increasingly ill, missing school, unable to go out with friends, gradually becoming confined to bed, fighting for breath with the help of an oxygen machine.
It was my enormous privilege to see at first hand how someone can simultaneously accept and fight and the amazing outcome that can have…
It was my enormous privilege to see at first hand how someone can simultaneously accept and fight and the amazing outcome that can have…
To buy or not to buy
Several years ago I worked in the luxury brand industry, developing marketing campaigns for Johnnie Walker Blue and Gold Label. I went to a seminar on luxury marketing in London and got chatting to a Italian luxury shoe designer. We played a game to test his knowledge. He could tell the brand of shoe that every woman was wearing just from the quickest glance. He worked out that every single woman in that room was wearing a pair of shoes that would have cost over £300. Apart from me.
I started to …
I started to …
Choosing to be where we are
Choosing to be where we are
At one time, the Guinness brand was in trouble, sales in its biggest markets of Ireland and the UK were down, its owner, Diageo, was under increasing pressure from its shareholders to divest the brand. In the midst of this unrest, the director of the Guinness business, John Potter opened the annual conference with the question: “Why am I here?” and after a pause in which the audience was undoubtedly thinking to themselves, ‘yes – indeed. I wouldn’t want to be here if I…
At one time, the Guinness brand was in trouble, sales in its biggest markets of Ireland and the UK were down, its owner, Diageo, was under increasing pressure from its shareholders to divest the brand. In the midst of this unrest, the director of the Guinness business, John Potter opened the annual conference with the question: “Why am I here?” and after a pause in which the audience was undoubtedly thinking to themselves, ‘yes – indeed. I wouldn’t want to be here if I…
beware of the Trojan horses
For ten long years the Greeks had been trying to conquer the city of Troy but they could find no way through the high, thick walls. One day, the Greek General, Odysseus, had a clever idea. ‘Let’s pretend that we admit defeat and that we are sailing away. we will leave a gift to announce the end of the war. It will be a magnificent, fantastic horse. A work of art which the Trojans will accept into their city. But inside the horse we will hide 30 men’. The Greeks thought it was a brilliant idea. T…
Actor or director?
When I worked in PR and marketing I used to see what I did in terms of ‘me’ and ‘them’ where ‘them’ could be the client or the public or the media. I was a character in the world interacting with other characters and depending on the effectiveness of my communications I either caused a reaction or not. I had no more influence than that.
But how about if I completely change the perspective from which I view my reality and my role. If I truly see myself as the creator of my reality then I change fr…
But how about if I completely change the perspective from which I view my reality and my role. If I truly see myself as the creator of my reality then I change fr…
Who are you?
Jo, a facilitator was working with a group of people on a team-training day. The individuals had worked together for over a year so they knew each other fairly well. To start off the day, Jo asked each person to write down three words to describe each of the other people in the room. She gave them 30 minutes to do this and sat and watched them as they scribbled notes. When the time was up she invited each individual to take turns standing at the front of the room while their colleagues read out …
Reclaim your body
Just north of Copenhagen I cycle past a plastic surgery, in the windows are ‘before’ and ‘after’ pictures of noses, breasts and thighs. There is even a full length mirror in the window, presumably so that you can look in it and think of all the changes that you should be making to your appearance. I look at all the people, children, teenagers who are walking past this clinic... what is the message they are taking from this? And while I am wondering about this, a bus goes past with an enormous pi…
Why didn’t Luke say hello?
One day when I picked up my then four year old daughter from school, she shouted ‘There’s Luke!’ and ran off in his direction. He was a slightly older boy who used to be in her pre-school class and who had recently gone up to the next year. He was talking to some friends, she tapped him on the back beaming. He carried on talking. She kept tapping, saying ‘Luke’. He turned around. She smiled and said ‘hello!’, he shrugged and turned back to his friend. I wondered how she would handle this, expect…