Another black man was killed by police in the US. His name is George Floyd. The protection and security that I take for granted too often operate against black people. This is not confined to the US. It’s hard to truly hear people when your position and experience is different from their own; from a […]
The outrage economy
There are many ways to attract attention. Most of them require talent. You create something of use, insight or beauty and people come to look. If you lack talent, you can buy attention. If you lack talent and money, one surefire tactic for attention is to cause offence. Offence is perversely attractive. It has parallels […]
Crisis 11: five losses and a recovery curriculum
Barry and Matthew Carpenter argue that, as well as the possibility of bereavement, the lockdown will have inflicted five specific losses in young people…
Working hours
I have a theory. It is based only on anecdote and idealism, not hard evidence. When in control of their work, many people would thrive on about four hours of intense and productive work a day…
Playing to your strengths
Play to your strengths is often sensible advice, but there is no rule in leadership that won’t lead you astray if you follow it blindly…
Political influence for insiders
I’ve seen professionals alienated and politicians infuriated. And public policy has been the worse for it. We need effective influence. Thinking hard about what did and didn’t work, I offer eleven tips for effective political influence…
Humility
I hear a lot about humble leadership, and I don’t really believe it. By all means, avoid bluster and vainglory, avoid the strutting displays of power that mask only a deep insecurity. But humility?
Crisis 10: the surprise of the daily call
Since lockdown began, our senior team starts the day with a half-hour call at 9 am. We do this every day except Monday (on Mondays we have an extended staff meeting later on). Most days, each member of the executive starts a second call with their own managers immediately after. If someone can’t make it […]
Two tips for negotiations
There are plenty of good books on negotiation. There are plenty of bad ones too. I think a president may have written one… I don’t want to tread old ground or give a comprehensive overview, but I do want to share two key insights from my own experience. If you need my credentials: I’ve bargained […]
If something doesn’t work
It is a statement that is stunning both for the fact that it is blatantly true and for the fact that we usually do the complete opposite…
Note to self 