This past weekend I joined 200 people at a talk by poet and philosopher David Whyte. During his masterful mining of the nooks and crannies of our shared human experience, he recited some of his poems. As I listened, his work “Start Close In” revealed a poetic instruction manual for organisations...
I’m always on the lookout for books to add to my reading list. It’s particularly nice when that reading connects with the enduring question about how to achieve a brand result. One such book is Deep Work by Cal Newport. And while the headline gives away the link between the two things,...
A brand is a result of the promises you keep and you keep those promises through every action and decision across the organisation. So, the processes used to achieve your goals play an integral part in the achievement. People see a process as merely a means to an end, but I...
So you’ve found your purpose. Finished with the workshops, hand-wringing and arguments over words, you can now take a breath. Right? Wrong. Now the actual work begins. Absent in the never-ending clarion call to purpose is the reality of what it takes to use it. Sure there is the occasional plea to...
Once you’ve established the foundation of identity (purpose and values) you’re all good right? Wrong. Now the work begins. Every day something will come up to test how much you care about and believe your purpose and those values. There’s a daily battle for your brand going on inside your organisation. Even the...
The things I read always feed my thinking. In turn, it produces different ways to approach the necessary work to achieve a brand result people will care about. This week I’m reading So Good They Can’t Ignore You by Cal Newport. In the book, Cal delves into what he calls a “craftsman mindset”...
What are some things you can do to encourage your employees to volunteer their engagement? Or if you’re an employee feeling a bit ho-hum about your days, what could urge you to sign up to the cause? An article from Jocelyn Glei offers some good advice: “Making progress in meaningful work is the key...
“Set your goals” is a clarion call organisations faithfully follow. Goals as part of a strategy, goals for projects, goals for meetings and yes, even brand. Yet, the effort to develop goals goes to waste if it is not supported by the right habits. A recent article delved into the under...
In general, I don’t participate in the good values, bad values judgment game. I’m not here to tell you what they should or shouldn’t be. But I do believe it is essential you know what they are. There’s a chapter in the book The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F#@k in which the author...
Earlier this year I was following links from one article to another and found myself on a blog by James Clear where he talks about an idea he calls deliberate practice. In the blog he says: “Deliberate practice refers to a special type of practice that is purposeful and systematic. While regular practice...