A central theme at Christmas time is belief – from our favourite festive movies (Elf, anyone?) to Christian faith in the coming of Jesus. When we feel a sense of purpose and hold on to a belief in something bigger than ourselves or a better future, we can achieve great things. As Daniel Pink recognised in his book Drive, purpose …
Unplugged Part 2: Using Cool Thinking
Unplugged Part 2: Using Cool Thinking In today’s always connected world, so many of our interactions appear to demand an immediate response, with an implied suggestion that if you cannot respond immediately, you are simply not up to the challenge! In our second ‘Unplugged’ article, we pose the question: is this environment overwhelming us and starting to degrade our decision-making …
The Importance of Storytelling
The Importance of Storytelling “‘Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house…” “Marley was dead, to begin with. There was no doubt whatever about that.” “Whenever I get gloomy with the state of the world, I think about the arrivals gate at Heathrow Airport.” We all love a good story. A tale that tugs on the heartstrings and …
Living with the Ghosts of Past, Present and Future
Living with the Ghosts of Past, Present and Future Christmas time is often one of reflection and consideration, as we look back at the year gone by and look forward to the year ahead, as was so masterfully captured in Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol and as Scrooge discovered, there is value in considering each part of our lives… The …
The Gift of Letting Go
A friend of my mum’s used to have a ‘one in, one out’ approach to her wardrobe, which meant if she bought anything new, she had to throw something else out. An impressive piece of discipline that allowed her to constantly be aware of what she had, what she needed, and what no longer made the cut. Each Christmas, when …
Traditions and Stories
Traditions and Stories: From business to Bouche de Noel The model we most often use to describe culture in organisations, which nicely demonstrates its complexity (and its resistance to being changed) is Johnson and Scholes’ Cultural Web. It describes the various elements of the organisation that support its central ‘way of being’ (i.e. the culture). As well as the visible …