It’s nearly the end of April and I have read 24 books so far this year. That’s double the number I had read by this time last year. No, I haven’t been doing a speed reading course or only reading books that are no more than 20 pages in length! There are a number of … Read more
Recently I have been revisiting some of the concepts developed in my PhD thesis 10 years ago. The text which follows is an extract from an unfinished article I wrote which describes the process I developed, drawn from Carl Jung, to develop archetypal characters. This was a core component of my PhD thesis and formed a key … Read more
A while back I wrote about the usefulness of writing to those who inspire us to ask for advice and guidance. Instead of sending the letter, we then write in the voice of that guide to give ourselves a response. Earlier today I wrote a pair of letters in this form to tackle problems I … Read more
Over the last few days I have been reading the wonderful book by Chris Guillebeau called “The Happiness of Pursuit”. Yes, it’s a fantastic title for a book, and the contents live up to the title. Chris set out on a quest to visit all 193 countries in the world before his 35th birthday. Although … Read more
“In these troubled, uncertain times, we don’t need more command and control; we need better means to engage everyone’s intelligence in solving challenges and crises as they arise.“ From the first time I read the work of Margaret Wheatley back in 2003 when I read her first book, Leadership and the New Science, I was … Read more
I studied for a PhD in the 1990s and early 2000s. It took me seven years to complete it part-time. The host for this PhD was Manchester Business School. Inevitably I came across the work of Tom Peters – I had heard of his work much earlier when I read about the influence that “In … Read more
This is the first of a series on the people who have inspired me which I will be writing over the next few months. I hope you find it useful and look forward to your reactions. I can’t remember where I first came across the work of Michael Bungay Stanier. I suspect it was through … Read more
When I am struggling to get something moving, when the idea is stuck. That’s when it’s a good idea to open my favourite typing space (could be Word, could be Evernote, depends on my mood) and just start to type. I make sure that the typing is informal, almost like a conversation with myself. Using … Read more
I have found a way to get free coaching advice and support from some of the famous people, key influences in my life. I can choose anyone I want to give me that support – and they don’t have to still be alive. If they are alive, I can guarantee that I will get help … Read more
In recent months I have been trying out online learning approaches. I’m guessing most people are familiar with TED talks these days. These are a great way to listen to focused, polished talks by an incredibly diverse range of thinkers – giving the talk of their lives! Then there MOOCs (massive open online courses) which … Read more