Blog
Imperceptible Growth
When our kids were young my husband and I charted their growth on a door frame. Every few months they’d stand next to the wall, and we’d mark their height with a pencil. Some months it looked like they hadn’t grown at all. Other times it seemed like they’d shot up overnight. The truth was…
How To Save A Story
I had so much fun talking about how to save a story, with my friend and colleague Michael Bungay Stanier on his new podcast. Some of the things we talked about were: The anatomy of a great story Building resilience, trust, and connection through everyday storytelling Why storytelling allows you to n
On Failure
I don’t know, are three of the hardest words for fallible human beings to say. We avoid them at all costs and at every turn. Because in our eyes, giving the wrong answer is worse than having none at all. But mistakes are not failings, they are data we can learn from. Every failure inches…
Building A Reputation
When you and I were at school, many students had a reputation. We can recall the smart and funny ones. The artistic or athletic ones. The introverts and the extroverts. Those reputations were not bestowed—they were built. People’s opinions about you are based not just on what you say, but on what yo
The Way To Lead
A few years back, my son was leaving the train station in Perth when someone asked him for directions. He began to explain the route but stopped halfway. ‘I’m going that direction, why don’t I take you there,’ he said, leading the way. One of the best definitions of leadership I’ve read, explains th
The Unremarkable
Lately, we have come to recognise the remarkable contribution of the people many considered unremarkable. The people who stack our food on the supermarket shelves through the night. The truck drivers who get behind the wheel every day ensuring deliveries reach us. Those who wake early to clean our h
On Helping
We like to be helpful. We’re physiologically wired for it. The *science shows that helping others helps us to help ourselves. Helping makes us happy. So when people ask for advice or an opinion, we gladly offer it. But before we can help, there’s a question we need to answer. How exactly am I helpin
The Act Of Possibility
We associate the word possibility with abundance. Naturally, we think about anything being possible when we’re in a good place. Of course, right now many things are not possible. But something is. We may not always be able to choose what happens but we can choose how we respond. What’s the smallest
Ideas Worth Keeping
Sometimes our best ideas come to us when we’re working with constraints. We’ve all seen hundreds of brilliant ideas and initiatives come into being as a result of communities being in isolation around the globe. Local councils in London are calling at-risk elderly to ask if they need groceries or me
One Way Or Another
When I got my first job, I cycled to work and back every day. On a fine summer day in Dublin, cycling is a joy, it’s a different story in winter. The worst part was always that last hill on the way home. I’d try to stay on the bike for as long as possible,…
In Answer To Your Question
We like to ask for advice. It’s human to investigate all the angles—to seek the opinions of others. And yet in doing so, we can forget to reflect on our insights and assumptions. We often forget to check in with our beliefs before considering what someone else thinks. What if before sought advice, w
Helpful Conversations
Over the past few weeks, my inbox has filled with emails from organisations I’d forgotten I’d ever had contact with. I must have signed up to an email list or bought something from them many years ago, but it’s so far back, I can’t remember why. We’re all still trying to work out how to…
Lessons From A Low-Touch World
Technology presents opportunities for efficiency and scale. And for the last century, conventional wisdom equated progress with efficiency—doing more with less friction. We’ve worked hard to build systems that scale. Frictionless innovations for a low-touch world. Now, we’re beginning to realise tha
Take What You Need
Not far from my house, outside an apartment building, next to the vegetable boxes, where residents are normally busy tending their gardens, there is a little library. You know, one of those where you can leave a book and take a book. Now, someone has built a little pantry next to it. It’s stocked wi
Two Questions For Days Like These
Will we wake up in a few months and lament that we haven’t made more of this time in isolation? The direct impact of current events is largely beyond our control. And yet it affects us indirectly, often in imperceptible ways. There are many things going on in the world that we can’t influence, but…
If I Were You
If I were you. Four words it’s tempting to use when someone shares a problem. Four words I’m trying to avoid using—because I am not you. I don’t know what it’s like to sit with what you’re experiencing or feeling at this moment. You have the wisdom of past experiences to draw on. Ideas you…
Balancing Wants And Needs
On a normal day, our local supermarket stocks fifty different kinds of pasta. Right now they’re stocking two. On a normal day, customers would complain bitterly about the lack of choice. Today they’re grateful to leave the shop with two boxes of a brand of penne they’ve never tried. What we’re witne
What Can You Do Now?
Julie has been running her local florist business for five years. She’s built up a reputation with the people in her suburb, who regularly pop in when they’re walking past to buy flowers and plants that brighten their homes and their lives. While new single bunch, online flower delivery services blo
What Did You Do?
A walk down my local café strip shows just how resourceful we can be when we’re in a tough spot. Because of world events and government guidelines around group gatherings, restaurants and cafes can no longer welcome diners into their premises. But they are quickly adapting. Every café has come up wi
On Resourcefulness
When things don’t go according to plan. Remember this isn’t the first time you’ve had to change course. Make a list of all the other times you pushed through. Remind yourself of the skills and strengths you previously called on in challenging times. Tell yourself those stories today. They will stand
