Signposts & Weathercocks

I have a lot of time for Tony Benn. He is a genuine politician, an honest man, and someone always worth listening to. I heard him recently put in refreshingly simple terms the whole essence of leadership. It summed things up for me admirably.

Signposts are reliable. They provide you with a sense of direction. If you wander off and get lost, when you come back to them they are still pointing in the same direction. They stay firm and committed to where they believe they are going. They are not knocked off course easily.

Weathercocks on the other hand change at the whim of the wind. They seek out forums, opinion polls and swing with the tide of popularism. They cannot be relied upon.

Give me a signppost over a weathercock any day.

Change Your Mind More

"Those who cannot change their minds cannot change anything." wrote George Bernard Shaw.

What were you working on before you checked your email?

The question "What were you working on before you checked your email?" struck me between the eyes one morning. It immediately summed up to me all that is wrong with email - or at least the way we allow it run our lives. Don't get me wrong - I love my email. I'm pretty attached to it and wouldn't want to go back to a pre-email, snail mail world. But, how often does your day take on a different course than what you had planned after you start reading your email? How often does an email intrude on your day and take you on a totally different journey. Is your email ruling you, rather than you being in control of it? I received the message from a regular newsletter I receive from David Brownstein, Hollywood Coach. I worked with David a few years ago when I was being trained as a Leadership Coach, and he has some great messages such as this on his blog. I recommend it to you. Click on the title to read David's newsletter.

What is Web 2.0?

It depends which book you read or which guru you listen to. But basically it is a loose and unplanned confederation of functionality on the web, which acts together like some giant organism. Perhaps a coral reef is a better analogy. Beautiful to look at, but what's it for? Under threat from predators, in the shape of the environment and divers. At best, it is a collaboration experiment on a grand scale; collaboration of both creativity and chaos. It is natural selection at work. The fit survive and people vote with their feet. Google, Wikipedia, Facebook, Amazon, YouTube. Today's superspecies. Tomorrow's dinosaurs? What are the small mammals waiting in the trees for their turn to inherit cyberspace? Who are the birds of the air or all-pervasive insects? Twitter? Aptly named perhaps.

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.