So your manager just called me. He said to inform you today’s zoom calls are all cancelled. All he asks is that you do something today that would be a highly valuable to your business objectives. So what are you going to do? How will you spend the day? Are you on your own orContinue reading “A no Zoom day! Now what?”
Tag Archives: life
Forget the test, love the lesson
you’d bury yourself alive just to prove you could handle a shovel Jill Stagg That quote above was from my mother just before she passed away. We were talking about how proud she was but how concerned she was that I pushed myself too far. She knew her son. But I started at the endContinue reading “Forget the test, love the lesson”
True love is giving
I read an interview this week which was incredibly powerful. I captured my notes for today’s post. It started with a question: Young man, why are you eating that fish?” The young man says “Because I love fish.” The man says “Oh, you love the fish. That’s why you took it out of the waterContinue reading “True love is giving”
Worrying is exhausting
Do you recall the worry that took your time and attention? The one you were consumed with, the worry which distracted you from quality family time. And now? My guess is you are no longer worried, was it worth the concern? Was it as bad as you feared? Have you now replaced that with anotherContinue reading “Worrying is exhausting”
Perspective
Not sure why I remember this today but it just came back to me this morning. I remember travelling to Scotland years ago, we went right up to the Northern most tip of our beautiful island. I had driven for over a day, got a boat /ferry to get to Lochinver, Sutherland in western Scotland.Continue reading “Perspective”
Execution matters most
Discussing ideas, meeting with smart people and bouncing off of each other is engerising. Ideas are the kindling of progress but they are not progress, the most important ingredient is ‘great execution’. It is in doing the work and putting the idea in the world. Making that idea a reality needs industriousness and effort. ExecutionContinue reading “Execution matters most”
The glide; Monday morning
The first part of a swim is the glide. One of the most important things to do in swimming is to learn ‘the glide’. This is the commitment on the wall of the pool as you start your swim training. One moment, you’re standing still, at the side able to breathe freely, and the nextContinue reading “The glide; Monday morning”
Are you a thermometer or a thermostat leader
I was sitting in the living room earlier this year watching reviews of ‘Home Tech’ and it described the evolution of governing the home temperature as technology progressed. I really think there are parallels of how a modern house is now environmentally managed and how we need to manage our organisations. A thermometer; reflects theContinue reading “Are you a thermometer or a thermostat leader”
Parenting; with no instructions
My son Xander was born 25 years ago. I was 20 years old when he was born. My wife Melanie and I arrived home after the most careful drive ever. I put the baby down in his crib and I saw the new computer I had purchased a few days earlier. That computer build wasContinue reading “Parenting; with no instructions”
Marshmallow anyone?
Every so often there is a study, article or report which feels so correct when we read it we trust it without challening the data. It states a truth we believe in and now we have validation. Case in point: The marshmallow test at Stanford University. Small kids sit in a room and offered aContinue reading “Marshmallow anyone?”
Learning from rain
Staying at the beach this weekend and it rained in biblical proportions last night. It caught me by surprise and I was left stranded at the beach hut with a short walk to go to get to our holiday home. Determined to get home as dry as possible I began to run along the seasideContinue reading “Learning from rain”
Got to do, get to do
I had some great questions on my blog this week. Someone asked if posting every day is hard to do or a burden. I considered it for a while and then replied “reflecting on a subject of interest. Writing a thoughtful post that is easy enough to be read and understood in 2 minutes orContinue reading “Got to do, get to do”
Better prepared Zoom meetings
Many of us are on more calls now. Not all calls are as prepared as they can be. The phrase, “You never get a second chance to make a first impression,” is spot on. We can get a huge advantage if we start off on the right foot. When a person is prepared, they thinkContinue reading “Better prepared Zoom meetings”
If Content Is King Then Story Is The Emperor
Writing a brief thoughtful post in this blog everyday is fun. The posts that resonated most all mentioned or contained an element of a story. The best stories have been personal experiences or stories relayed from a point of view. That invites others to share in it with us. I have applied this to myContinue reading “If Content Is King Then Story Is The Emperor”
Social Dilemma
2020 we can all agree is best forgotten but I am pleased with one thing. I have removed myself from social media and now since last month have not visited certain online news sites either. I read the guardian in paper form or iPad and if I go online it would be the BBC. IfContinue reading “Social Dilemma”
Two thieves both called regret
Saturday morning down the beach hut is a day of reflection for me, a day I look back and try and see the week just passed at arms length. It is important to learn and try and improve but also not to beat yourself up too much. Regrets for the week past on events andContinue reading “Two thieves both called regret”
My Podcast Episode; Mentoring
I had the pleasure of appearing on the Grasp.hr Podcast a few weeks ago and the episode just dropped. Click on the link above to listen. I talked about my earliest mentoring experience as a caddy to businessmen at 13, my life at Eli Lilly and my eventual move to Veeva Systems. We discussed theContinue reading “My Podcast Episode; Mentoring”
Knowledge Vs execution
When you push into areas that are totally new for you there is a perfectly natural tendency to to feel like you cannot be effective without the full information or knowledge that you are missing. That something which will help you be effective. Knowledge is great, it is key and you must seek it andContinue reading “Knowledge Vs execution”
Seen it all before
I think we can all agree age is a very high price to pay for maturity, but what maturity teaches you is the feeling so often that you have seen that before, heard that debate before, experienced that moment before. Being married to a historian just cements this assertion. My wife reminds me that weContinue reading “Seen it all before”
Fish and chips by the sea while reading books about the sea
Some weekends the pleasure of being alive is just within reach and the warmness of the moment is understandable also. It’s a gift to be alive. And each moment, each breathe we take is literally the chance of a lifetime.
Sea's The Day 