Worth a special mention
Here is a photo from our recent trip to France, with one little detail we found perplexing. You may see Bec, Amie and I in the reflection of the menu. But then look closely at the Michelin plaque. We couldn’t help but smile seeing the Michelin Man logo. It just seemed so out of place […]
What is the problem?
Too often when we try to diagnose why things go wrong, we think we’re identifying the problem, but we’re actually identifying the symptoms of the problem. Let’s say you’re feeling tired, and you think the problem is you went to bed late last night. That’s not the problem, it’s a symptom of the problem. Or […]
What’s age got to do with it?
A lot of the value I provide for people in their 20s and 30s is challenging their assumptions about what’s possible in their current career. Unfortunately, the expectations we hold around our opportunity set can be rigidly defined by our age and not by the value we can deliver. Many in society share views about […]
Stopping at 90%
During your career, be very mindful of when the expected benefits of your endeavours will be realised. There are some endeavours where the benefit will be realised alongside the work you do. But there are some endeavours where you won’t realise any benefit unless all the work is completed. When you commit to writing a […]
Comfort in, dump out
“Life is Tough (but So are You)” is a fantastic book by Briony Benjamin that provides guidance for navigating difficult times. One practical example from the book that Bec and I have found helpful is the ‘Ring Theory’, created by Susan Silk and Barry Goldman. The Ring Theory is a great framework to support someone […]
Calm is not complacent
This has taken me a long time to learn (and I’m still learning it). You can care deeply about the outcome of an initiative and still maintain an air of calm. This runs counter to my natural default, where I tend to worry unduly about how things are progressing. If I wasn’t worrying, then surely […]
False positives
When Kobe Bryant was playing professional basketball, he only slept 3-4 hours per night. People inspired by Kobe may have equated this lack of sleep to success and tried to emulate this quality in their own lives. Yet when Kobe retired, he acknowledged that his sleep routine was horrendous and it may have worked against […]
This nor that
When there is only one option to choose, we naturally frame our decision-making around whether we want it or we don’t want it. Though when there are two options to choose between, our decision-making can become a relative exercise – Do I want this one or that one? When we do this, we exclude one […]
It’s raining!
This morning it is raining, which makes me think about this Calvin and Hobbes comic strip that I used to have as my desktop wallpaper. Whatever the weather is where you are, I hope you make the most of it and have a glorious day. .
A powerful yet confronting question
I was going to put the question as the title, but I feel like a warning is necessary. Because if you ask yourself this question, you may have to come to terms with the answer. You may know the answer right away. You may suspect you know the answer, but grapple with addressing it. You […]