Rob Campbell's piece on stuff this week, supported the important role of business in making changes to address climate change.  As the Chairman of some of the country's highest profile companies, the fact that he is making the case for action and leadership on climate change is encouraging. It's also interesting to see him encouraging … Continue reading Climate Change Response and Leadership

I was intrigued to find an alternative rich list published by Škoda. While it’s clearly a nice piece of brand marketing, the profiles - rich-listers in terms of family, health and community - were a good read, and the concept of how we measure riches and success was interesting to think about. The profile of … Continue reading Riches by Another Measure

Set at the time when USA seemed to be losing the space race to Russia, Hidden Figures tells the story of 3 African-American women who made significant contributions to America’s space programme. It’s an enjoyable watch, with some great lessons too. Aside from the basic wrongness of the practice, the film made me think about … Continue reading Hidden Figures

No surprises. This has been a common theme I've experienced with several bosses, and Boards I've reported to, and one in particular who even warned me against planning a surprise birthday! The only bad news is late news, or worse, a surprise. If there's a problem, or if it looks like a problem is looming, … Continue reading More on Boss Lesson #10

Listen. This boss asked me to read the first part of a book called 'More Time to Think' by Nancy Kline. What he taught me was the power of intent, deliberate listening. Not listening to respond, but listening to give the speaker the time to shine. Trust me. This is worth spending some time on. … Continue reading More on Boss Lesson #9

People first. I'm not sure this person, if they read this, would know I learned it from them. I think that's because they do this naturally, and they do it so well it can't help be a lesson to others, even if not intended that way. Every phone call, every meeting, every personal interaction started … Continue reading More on Boss Lesson #8

She'll never be right. The owner of a company I headed is one of the most stimulating and interesting people you could hope to meet. He's world famous and highly respected in his craft but shuns the limelight (he much prefers shadow - sorry, 'in' joke). He also has high expectations, sometimes unreasonably high. I'm … Continue reading More on Boss Lesson #7

I'll work on my strengths. You help me with my weaknesses. This boss was truly inspiring. Truly frustrating. Once we understood each other though, we were a great team. He identified and generated lots of opportunities, leaving chaos in his wake. My team sifted through the opportunities, finding the gems. I turned the chaos into … Continue reading More on Boss Lesson #6

Preparing is caring. A Chairman I reported to was (in)famous for his written correspondence. I emailed him. He faxed back pages of handwritten notes in reply. When he had a thought about an issue we had been discussing, I'd receive faxed pages of notes. When he had a strategic initiative to discuss or propose, I'd … Continue reading More on Boss Lesson #5