Where are you headed?

Unless we change direction, we are liable to end up where we are headed.

Inhale Positivity

Check out this quirky little video. A fun way to listen to some great affirming messages......
Inhale Positivity
Take a deep breath. Inhale positivity and exhale negativity. Surround yourself with successful people. Enjoy the little things in life. Smile at a stranger. Don't be hasty in your judgement of people. Some people wait their whole life for the storm and never enjoy the sunshine. Great stuff !!!

How do you replace Consumerism?

I listened to a stimulating key note address at the ICF UK Conference this week given by Sir John Whitmore. He posed a number of challenging questions which cut right to the heart of our western society as it stands today - on the brink of economic meltdown. We are at a crossroads (are we ever not?) in human evolution as well as in the future direction for our planet. The relentless drive of consumerism, which has built up a head of steam since the start of the industrial revolution, and which has reached laser like momentum in the last 20 years of the IT revolution, has reached a defining moment. We have raped and pillaged the energy reserves of our children and grandchildren, and left them with an apocalyptic dilemma. Can Consumerism and Sustainability ever be Compatible? When we emerge from this period of recession and global economic depression, what do we return to? It would be a huge mistake for investment bankers, stockbrokers and short-sellers to pick up as if nothing had changed. Lessons have to be learned. It may well be that a global recession is exactly what we need right now. A huge wake up call that brings us all up short and allows the planet to take an enormous intake of breath. It has been running on empty for too long, and the dial needs re-set. The world has an enormous opportunity to adjust course and embark on a new journey. One that considers the future, that is driven by bright visions of a sustainable future and not by short term hedonistic greed. The new generations, the children and the young adults of the world are our best hope. Those of us who have been seduced for too long by the endless promise of our consumer existence need to listen and learn. We've had our go. We failed. Move over, and let a new world order begin. The Sustainable Economy is about to give birth. Nurture it, care for it, and it may just be able to save the planet.

Autism and I T - a good match?

The attached article on the BCS web pages makes fascinating reading. It raises an often overlooked issue, that of autism, and especially the lure of IT type roles for people with autistic behaviours. It looks like we are missing out greatly by not understanding this phenomenon and, at the same time, we may be doing a huge number of people a disservice by not recognising the value they could bring to the industry. As our use of conference calling and virtual team working increases, the challenges for people who may be on the autism spectrum become magnified. Something that we all need to be more aware of. Have a read and share your views.
Managing the link between IT and autism

The Race, by D.H. Groberg

Whenever I start to hang my head in front of failure's face,
my downward fall is broken by the memory of a race.
A children's race, young boys, young men; how I remember well,
excitement sure, but also fear, it wasn't hard to tell.
They all lined up so full of hope, each thought to win that race
or tie for first, or if not that, at least take second place.
Their parents watched from off the side, each cheering for their son,
and each boy hoped to show his folks that he would be the one.
The whistle blew and off they flew, like chariots of fire,
to win, to be the hero there, was each young boy's desire.
One boy in particular, whose dad was in the crowd,
was running in the lead and thought "My dad will be so proud."
But as he speeded down the field and crossed a shallow dip,
the little boy who thought he'd win, lost his step and slipped.
Trying hard to catch himself, his arms flew everyplace,
and midst the laughter of the crowd he fell flat on his face.
As he fell, his hope fell too; he couldn't win it now.
Humiliated, he just wished to disappear somehow.
But as he fell his dad stood up and showed his anxious face,
which to the boy so clearly said, "Get up and win that race!"
He quickly rose, no damage done, behind a bit that's all,
and ran with all his mind and might to make up for his fall.
So anxious to restore himself, to catch up and to win,
his mind went faster than his legs. He slipped and fell again.
He wished that he had quit before with only one disgrace.
"I'm hopeless as a runner now, I shouldn't try to race."
But through the laughing crowd he searched and found his father's face
with a steady look that said again, "Get up and win that race!"
So he jumped up to try again, ten yards behind the last.
"If I'm to gain those yards," he thought, "I've got to run real fast!"
Exceeding everything he had, he regained eight, then ten...
but trying hard to catch the lead, he slipped and fell again.
Defeat! He lay there silently. A tear dropped from his eye.
"There's no sense running anymore! Three strikes I'm out! Why try?
I've lost, so what's the use?" he thought. "I'll live with my disgrace."
But then he thought about his dad, who soon he'd have to face.
"Get up," an echo sounded low, "you haven't lost at all,
for all you have to do to win is rise each time you fall.
Get up!" the echo urged him on, "Get up and take your place!
You were not meant for failure here! Get up and win that race!"
So, up he rose to run once more, refusing to forfeit,
and he resolved that win or lose, at least he wouldn't quit.
So far behind the others now, the most he'd ever been,
still he gave it all he had and ran like he could win.
Three times he'd fallen stumbling, three times he rose again.
Too far behind to hope to win, he still ran to the end.
They cheered another boy who crossed the line and won first place,
head high and proud and happy -- no falling, no disgrace.
But, when the fallen youngster crossed the line, in last place,
the crowd gave him a greater cheer for finishing the race.
And even though he came in last with head bowed low, unproud,
you would have thought he'd won the race, to listen to the crowd.
And to his dad he sadly said, "I didn't do so well."
"To me, you won," his father said. "You rose each time you fell."
And now when things seem dark and bleak and difficult to face,
the memory of that little boy helps me in my own race.
For all of life is like that race, with ups and downs and all.
And all you have to do to win is rise each time you fall.
And when depression and despair shout loudly in my face,
another voice within me says, "Get up and win that race!"

There's no such thing as LUCK !!

I've often wrestled with this one. I just can't get my head round the concept of luck. One could take a mathematical approach I suppose and talk in terms of probabilities but that also doesn't totally do it for me. No, I prefer to think that there is something in there about making your own luck. It was a great saying in all the time I played football. You had to be in the right place at the right time. That was not down to luck. It was down to being prepared, anticipating situations. For me what it boils down to is a "Juxtaposition between Opportunity and Preparedness". Yep, that does it for me !!!!

Attention is at the heart of everything

Attention is the answer to most things. It seems to have been a common theme that I just keep coming back to. My PhD studies were essentially about attention. I studied the effects of attention and predictive accuracy. Basically, when things were less predictable, subjects attend more to try to work out what is going on so that they can reduce the level of uncertainty they are experiencing. Now, in business and leadership development, I promote the significance of attention in focusing on the 'real work', the issue that needs to be tackled in order to change things.

Now, this week, I was reading through some of the research work being done by my daughter Beth. She studies Sports Psychology (like father like daughter!) and is working on models such as conscious process hypothesis (CPH) and attentional threshold hypothesis (ATH). What I can ascertain is that when people focus in on aspects of a complex task (such as a golf swing, or a high jump technique), their performance can be impaired due to the fact that they have lost the 'flow' of the process. Better to think about things holistically than specifically. So, in golf, it is better to think swing easy, or relax, rather than on specifics like straighten your arm, snap your wrist etc.

I am running my first marathon in 2 weeks time. This is really timely assistance to me. I will try to avoid thinking about my knee, my ankle, my calf, my heart, my lungs or any individual piece of my running action. Instead I will concentrate on the 'Big Picture'. The achievement, the atmosphere, feeling good, the reward at the end and so on. Bring it on !!!!

3 Great Reads - wildthoughts

Probably the 3 best 'thinking' reads I have had in the last year.....Highly recommended.

I'd love to hear your thoughts on these. All quite different, but all truly thought-provoking in a major, global. big-ideas way. When you read these you do feel like you are wrestling with the genuine challenges of the planet today. Brilliant.

Leadership as an Activity - Wildthoughts

Ask people to define leaders or leadership and I'm willing to bet they will think of it in terms of people. Figures of authority. Historical figures who have led countries, movements, armies. There is no doubting that the people they mention will have been leaders (good or bad). But it misses the point about leadership. Leadership is not defined by the position or authority one possesses or has been granted. It is better thought of as an 'activity'. Leadership is evident in the behaviour displayed by people and is measured largely by the extent to which the activity mobilises others to accept responsibility for owning issues, changing conditions and tackling tough challenges. Note, the important point here is about mobilising others. True, leaders can and often do take action and make decisions, but I believe the most significant measure of leadership is the extent to which leaders are able to focus other's attention on the need to take action. That is the mark of true Leadership. That is what causes real change and alters mindsets, and, very importantly, does not encourage dependence.

I recommend a great read on this topic. Ronald Heifetz who wrote Leadership Without Easy Answers.
If you want to hear a review, have a listen to the attached file which I have recorded. It is less than 15 minutes in duration and will give you more insight to the content of this great book.
BookReviewLWEA.wav

What does it mean to vote? - wildthoughts

One of the things that depresses (distresses) me is that there are a growing number of people who reject the right (or the need?) to cast a vote that will help determine the way in which their country is governed, the way society develops, which laws will be passed, how educational policy is shaped and whether we engage in wars.

But we are seeing a simultaneous growth in the volume of the population who give not a second thought to spending 50p or £1 to vote for one singer over another in any number of talent shows. And, if there is even the slightest suggestion that this vote is in any way rigged, and their favourite is beaten into second place, we see a level of passion and anger roused that politicians could only dream about.

Makes you think - doesn't it?