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
This is a guest post by Su Fowler-Johnson. You can find out more about Su here: Gravitas… How do you know if you’ve got it? Answers on a post card please. I’ve been through a really interesting process recently. When I say interesting of course what I really mean is… the kind of process or experience … Read more
This is the second in a series of posts on Mindfulness written by Taravandana (you can read the first one here). For more information about Tarvandana please follow this link: There’s a lot of talk about Mindfulness at the moment, as the answer to stress, leadership capability, maximising engagement and improving performance. But what does … Read more
The picture with this post is a fragment of a huge canvas produced by the team I work with from a project we did with the Manchester Camerata earlier this year. If you key in “Creative Learning” into the search box on this blog you will find a series of posts written over the last 18 months … Read more
It was a business dinner. Senior leaders from across the region had been invited. One of them was standing next to me at the pre-dinner drinks, chatting intently. Then he lowered his voice, “I’m not good at this whole schmoozing thing, Stuart. It makes me feel very out of my depth and uncomfortable.” This was … Read more
This is a guest post by Su Fowler-Johnson – her second post on this site. You can see her first post here. I’ve always been interested in what makes people tick. Why we behave the way we do. What is it that drives us to want to be around some people more than others? What … Read more
Another guest post from June Angela, a Tyke in Exile: An old man stood in the shop doorway sheltering from the thunderstorm and downpour of the heavens. His back was bent forward and his stick supported his weight of seventy years. He hadn’t come to buy, just to shelter from the rain. I joined his … Read more
I have come across the idea of a small group to provide peer support in a number of places. Michael Bungay Stanier, for example, has a Mastermind Group of half a dozen people who he speaks to regularly. They meet up at least once a year for a weekend together. He sees this group as … Read more
It began with a promise from my partner, June. She had been on many retreats. I had only been to one weekend meditation retreat 12 years earlier. She wanted me to do a retreat with Lama Lhakpa Yeshe. I asked him if he would help. He offered a 24 hour retreat one-to-one. It took place … Read more
