The question of how to help people get better at their work is front and centre when organisations think about culture, yet many concentrate on the wrong things. In his ground-breaking classic “Now Discover Your Strengths”, Marcus Buckingham calls out how “most organisations take their employees’ strengths for granted and focus on...
During the parade for newly minted United States NBA champions, the New York Knicks, Mayor Mamdani didn’t simply say, ‘Well done, boys.’ He turned his speech into a rally and referendum on the spirit of the city. If you haven’t seen it, spare a minute and watch this short edit. During Game...
On a Thursday evening in April 2020 the sounds of banging pots and pans, claps and cheers echoed around empty streets across the United Kingdom. On doorsteps and leaning out windows people acknowledged the health workers and others on the frontlines of the pandemic. Recognising that by doing their jobs,...
“I have to believe in the place where I work.” Bam. There it was. In a neatly turned nutshell, my client had revealed how to improve a culture. Not motivate me with a world-changing mission. Not inspire me to great feats or pay me a gazillion dollars. Simply show me I...
Early in his career, actor Tom Hanks was interning for a repertory company when the director gifted him 3 rules. He recounts how during morning rehearsal some of the professional cast were missing their cues, slurring their lines and generally messing up, after over-celebrating opening night. Reaching the limits of his patience,...
When did values become divorced from character? In his book “The Algebra of Wealth”, professor and entrepreneur Scott Galloway suggests a timeline. While commenting on a shift in literature between pre-and post-WWII he notes, “older works encouraged readers to build success based on virtues like temperance, industriousness and patience. The...
Tolstoy challenges those of us on a thousand-mile walk to forget our ultimate goal and say to ourselves every morning, ‘Today I’m going to cover twenty-five miles and then rest up and sleep.’ Transpose ‘walk’ for work, and it’s an idea worth considering. We can all use some help with...
There’s a quote from mathematician Jim Simons talking about beauty in work, "You might think 'building a company that's trading bonds, what's so aesthetic about that?' What's aesthetic about it is doing it right. Getting the right kind of people, approaching the problem, and doing it right it's a beautiful...
Seems like every time I open a newsletter email these days someone is touting what I call unheroic work. Which makes me happy. We’re well past time for people to start talking about it. Perhaps the rise is a commentary on our times. When the world feels daunting and dangerous it’s...
The benefits of remote work for individuals are dissected, costed and covered as almost fait accompli. So much, you’d be forgiven for thinking it’s a privilege afforded to everyone. But it’s not. And not because the organisation doesn’t offer the choice. If you’re on the frontlines of teaching children, fixing roads,...