It is unfortunate, but it is not often that we get to acknowledge and celebrate the work and contribution that someone else has made to our lives. Even less frequent is the opportunity to do so while they are in the room. Often we wait until it is far too late, as epigraph or obituary.
The Power to Impact a Life
I had the privilege of seeing Clayton Christensen speak for the first time a couple of days ago. A professor of Business Administration at Harvard University, he is perhaps best known for his groundbreaking work in the field of innovation. In particular, he advanced the concept of disruptive innovation, of new entrants at the bottom […]
The Challenges Of No; The Temptations Of Yes
“No” is an awfully powerful word. It is a rejection. It is a wall. It is not an entry point. It is not a consultative word. It does not serve as the basis for dialogue or exploration. It is a full stop. Period. End of statement.
Defining What We Do
As a consultant and an entrepreneur, I have been marketing myself virtually my entire professional career. Given that stretches well over two decades now, you would assume that is something I would have become relatively good at. And in certain contexts I arguably have.
Confronting Our ‘Overplayed Strengths’
It has long been asserted that a weakness is an overplayed strength. It is, arguably, how weaknesses actually become weaknesses: we don’t know when to stop, and so we keep on doing what got us there in the first place. Confidence becomes arrogance. Perspective becomes paralysis. Knowledge becomes blinkered. It’s an important concept, even if […]
On Learning: Hurtling off the Cliff
As children, we embrace learning new skills and abilities with a vengeance. In that we start life with no skills, and pretty much everything around us is fascinating and interesting, and we want to be able to do things that others already understand, we eagerly embrace the unknown. What is fascinating at this age, however, […]