Within the first 18 months of setting up our business, we had an article published in The Age newspaper. It made massive waves, and our phones and inboxes began to overflow with great feedback. The very next day, however, a vicious attack on the article from another consultant appeared in The Age, while online a ‘storytelling expert’ went ballistic with personal …
Do you have any lighter fuel?
‘Do you have any lighter fuel?’ the interviewer asked Chris Darwin, Charles Darwin’s great-great grandson. Once upon a time, Chris had a job where he had to wear a suit. Having tried it though, he decided that it wasn’t for him. It just wasn’t the right fit – and fit, he resolved, was going to be one of his priorities …
Be still my analogue heart!
My godmother was in hospital a few years ago having her right knee reconstructed. On operation day, the surgeon came in and carefully marked her leg with a black texta before she was wheeled into the theatre. He wanted to ensure there was no mistake about which knee was due for operation! Isn’t it funny? Despite all our advancements in technology …
Social norms: your waiter says more than you think
During a recent commute between meetings, I found myself tuned into an interview with a psychology researcher. The discussion focused on how restaurant-goers tend to order more when served by heavy waiting staff. ‘Diners ordered significantly more items when served by heavy waiting staff with high body mass indexes, compared with waiting staff with low body mass indexes,’according to research …
What is the opposite of courage?
When Paul McCartney was in school, he was told he should give up music and get a ‘safe job’ in Liverpool’s then-thriving shipping or manufacturing sectors, just like everyone else. Thank god he didn’t follow that advice! The rest, of course, is history: he launched himself to stardom in the world’s most iconic band.
My love bomb for you
Yes, it’s that time of year again: the tinsel is out, carols are playing, and countdown clocks with the number of days until Christmas are popping up everywhere. As if we could forget! These reminders always make me both reflective and grateful for the year that was. I am grateful to do ‘work I love with people I like’ all …
Defying The F-Word
The hermit crab lives in a salvaged empty shell. As it continues to grow, this shell eventually starts to pinch. The crab must then move into a new shell or die: its price for not changing is the steepest imaginable. So the crab leaves its shell and for a time is naked and vulnerable, an easy target for predators… Until …
Why NOT in my backyard?
A few years ago one of Australia’s leading retailers was preparing to open a flagship warehouse store near where I live in Melbourne. Many local residents were up in arms against the project but it went ahead – and today each of those same locals can be spotted happily shopping there on weekends! Change is a funny thing, isn’t it? While we might …
How to do a Warren Buffett
When Warren Buffet was asked at a conference how he got smarter, he simply held up a stack of papers and said, ‘Read 500 pages like this every day. That’s how knowledge works. It builds up, like compound interest. All of you can do it, but I guarantee not many of you will.’ In last week’s post, we figured out …
Strategically Expanding Your Mind
In the film The Book Thief a young girl named Liesel finds solace through literature amidst the horrors of World War II Nazi Germany. One powerful scene depicts Nazi soldiers destroying books in a giant bonfire. They want to get rid of the words and ideas that books contain. Liesel finds the smouldering remains of three books and carries them …