19 May 2020

tin cans
The current pandemic has suddenly forced many previously co-located people to work remotely, a practice that may continue as a ‘new norm’. In the Global economy, remote and virtual working is not new, but for many leaders of previously co-located teams as well as those more experienced in remote leadership the current context presents a profound challenge. A deep level of human concern ...

06 Feb 2019

Action Learning
‘In the risk-laden predicament of innovation each manager needs support, not of those expert in yesterday’s successes, but of their fellow managers going through the same tricky apprenticeship of facing tomorrow’s confusion.’ (Reg Revans) These days leadership and leadership development are inherently collaborative, social and relational processes. I’ve been facilitating Action Lea...

03 Nov 2016

Leadership
The events surrounding the demise of the charity Kids Company towards the end of last year and subsequent reviews have given me a lot of food for thought. The broader issue for me emerging from this is the blind spots that leaders repeatedly seem to have – in this case an unsustainable operating model and lack of financial reserves. The last few years is littered with other examples...

12 Oct 2015

Multi-coloured hands
In 1970 Arnold Beisser MD published a short article called the Paradoxical Theory of Change. Based on and explaining the Gestalt therapy method of Fritz Perls, he summarises: ‘… that change occurs when one becomes what he is, not when he tries to become what he is not. Change does not take place through a coercive attempt by the individual or by another person to change him, but it...

22 Sep 2015

Organisational development
My previous blog on ‘unfinished business’ highlighted the importance of complete or ‘whole’ experiences to people, a principle that extends to our motivations and emotions. We are bothered by things that are incomplete or unfinished and they may stay with us until resolved and potentially interfere with our working relationships. So what further lessons might we draw from this pheno...