I met recently with a young leader. She asked me: “How do you motivate people?” After pretending to scratch my mythical beard, this is what I said to her: “I don’t believe in motivating people. People are naturally motivated to give of their best if they totally dig the values, culture and mission of your […]
A note to young leaders eager for radical reform. Progress is almost always gradual, be patient with it. Revolution is almost always chaotic, don’t pine for it. “The world wasn’t broken in a day and it ain’t gonna stay that way forever. You don’t have to change the whole damn thing, you just gotta leave […]
A note to young leaders. Don’t be distracted by your detractors. Churchill got it right when he said: “You’ll never reach your destination if you stop to throw stones at every dog that barks.” Ask yourself: does fighting and winning this battle bring me closer to my 10-year vision? Only fight those battles that stand […]
To young leaders. Worry does not rob tomorrow of its troubles, it robs today of its strength. But how best to overcome worry? “Don’t worry, be happy” is poor counsel. That’s just blind optimism. “Don’t worry, get ready”, on the other hand, is sound counsel. That’s optimism with eyes wide open. Positive action cuts through […]
A note to university students and graduates. Recently, a university graduate seeking career advice, sheepishly admitted to me that he had no idea what he wanted to do. Here’s what I said to him. “Don’t worry. That’s entirely normal. It’s difficult to be definitive when so much of the critical information you need remains unknown. […]
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Note to self. My business and personal lives thrive in different modes. “Seize the day” is a good attitude to adopt in business. Attack your work, have a bias to action. Don’t wait for the phone to ring, make it happen. But when it comes to my personal life, I’ve found that my life and […]
A note to young professionals. Every project you work on, every email you write, every presentation you deliver either enhances or detracts from your professional brand. Like an artist, you leave your signature on every item you ship. John R Caldon, former Deputy MD of Macquarie Group, once declined an investment proposal: “I like this […]
A note to policy-makers. Current labour shortages are mostly a function of a global immigration freeze. Immigration allows people to go to where they’re most needed. The sooner we can return to pre-Covid immigration levels, the better. Immigration promotes opportunity, diversity and prosperity. We shouldn’t fear it, we should embrace it. […]
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To young professionals. The vast majority of people spend more time planning a 2-week holiday than developing an inspiring 10-year vision for their life and career. If this is you, no worries, get going on your 10-year vision tonight. Formulating your vision is fun and it will change the course of your life for the […]