Write down your goals, the more detailed the better and be flexible about the process of achieving them. Always be open and remain sensitive to the possibility of serendipitous events and I think, one should also be open to inspiration and inputs from other people. The best leaders I have encountered share some of the same characteristics, they are good listeners, they ask lots of questions and they take in all the information possible before making up their minds or concluding. When they make a mistake, these leaders also admit failure and cut their losses quickly so that they can move onto bigger and better things.
Silent and listen
Image c/o Adobe stock photos
Maybe you’ll stand up and applaud a speaker you agreed with or just sit staring in silence after listening to a speaker you didn’t like. Now I think you are beginning to understand the complexity of listening and the great potential for errors. Acoustic ecologist, Gordon Hempton defines silence not as the absence of sound, but as the absence of noise from modern life. What do you think?
“The biggest threat to innovation is internal politics and an organisational culture which does not accept failure, and/or does not accept ideas from outside, and/or cannot change.”
A timeless gift
According to logic, the larger the haystack the more difficult it is to find a needle. Imagine a world where everybody could find their needle in a haystack, send me an e-mail to let me know what it looks like.
Moral of the Story: Be thankful for what you have. Be creative. Be innovative. Think differently and positively. When life gives you a hundred reasons to cry, show life that you have a thousand reasons to smile. Face your past without regret. Handle your present with confidence. Prepare for the future without fear. Keep the faith and drop the fear.
““You must be the change you want to see in the world.””
Awakening slowly
Heading into a new year is a great time to take stock of where you've been and where you want to go. Studies show that self-awareness is a foundation for better decision-making, higher performance, and more effective, authentic leadership. As we grow spiritually, raising our consciousness, many of our painful experiences are simply growing pains. Everyone has perception, for example, when I see a tree, I see its beauty, the colours of the leaves, its shape, how it fits into the landscape. Another person frets because the tree is blocking their sea view. Each person’s perception is created from experiences, education, and belief systems. In this sense, we each live in our own world, defined by our perception and as we strive to improve our circumstances, we must strive to improve the world.
““We cannot teach people anything; we can only help them discover it within themselves.””
Saying it and doing it
Almost everything is easier said than done, wanting something is easy and saying something is easy. The challenge and the reward are in the doing, so do it anyway. Be humble enough to embrace the power of small things to make a difference. I think small, simple, and attainable is better than dramatic, complicated and out of reach. Many people confuse activity with action, it’s time to stop making excuses and realise that the power is in the doing, not in the talking. My advice is to do it, don’t make excuses, don’t put it off, just do it.
““And above all, watch with glittering eyes the whole world you because the greatest secrets are always hidden in the most unlikely places. Those who don’t believe in magic will never find it.””
Dreams inspire the soul
Happy New Year, may all your dreams and goals be fulfilled in 2023. When we have a clear, inspiring vision of our desired future, it can unlock energy and creativity to pull you ahead. To achieve our goals, we must know what and how to learn, then actively search for information in a consistent and purposeful way. We call short-term goals confidence builders, these are goals for the immediate future, for example, tomorrow, this week, this month, this year. In contrast, long term goals are our dreams and visions for the next 3 to 5 years.
Where do you want to go?
Where do want to be?
What do you want to see?
Contact me via e-mail for a 1:1 sparring.
Are you ready to be awakened?
I think that life experience and wisdom are born from emotional pain to help people navigate their own situations. I have genuine compassion for people, and have used introspection after setbacks to gain internal self-awareness. Some major things have happened in my life, and I have been blessed to have some amazing teachers to guide me through. I give back through coaching and have a major impact on people in crisis. I love writing and talking, and I just love seeing people break free from their “old story”. And in this process, I get genuine connection with people and the bulk of my clients are people having an existential crisis.
Sometimes happy, sometimes sad
Two of my passions are football and fashion! Yesterday, was my birthday and on the same day we lost the King of football, Pele and the Queen of fashion, Vivienne Westwood.
Birthday love
As a leader, it’s your responsibility to achieve success for the team and develop and empower others to become leaders themselves. Creating a leadership culture and empowering others to lead are crucial for long-term success and sustainability. I think the best leadership qualities are as follows:
L = Loyalty
E = Engagement
A = Authenticity
D = Dedication
E = Empathy
R = Respect
S = Service
H = Humility
I = Integrity
P = Perseverance
““Leadership is not about avoiding struggles, but about facing them with courage, resilience, and determination. The greatest leaders are those who embrace their challenges and use them as opportunities for growth and development.””
Just another day
Marketing isn’t advertising or hype, it’s not shortcutting, it’s not selfish, it’s not pushing people to do things they don’t want to do! I define marketing as work that matters for people who care. It’s the work of making things better, doing things that you are proud of. I think marketing isn't about selling products; it's about solving problems and creating value for your customers.
· Do not brag about how busy you are, instead let your work speak for itself.
· Do not brag about how much you know, instead teach others.
· Do not brag about who you know, instead connect like-minded people.
· Do not brag about the past, instead celebrate the present.
Ideas and imagination
Everyone has great ideas and the better your vocabulary the better you can share ideas that are meaningful. Imagination is the first thing we must cultivate to manifest anything in our life. All ideas start with imagination, and I think all our joy has its origin in the imagination. And when we take the first step, those ideas can become reality with the proper execution strategy.
““Imagination is more important than knowledge. For knowledge is limited to all we now know and understand, while imagination embraces the entire world, and all there ever will be to know and understand.” ”
Managing your emotions
Behave with emotional intelligence by acknowledging your feelings and thoughts, demonstrate healthy optimism, humility, and kindness, and only focus on what you can control. Sometimes we diminish our life experience and success by trusting our mind to solve everything. In reality, our intuition takes in way more information than our intellectual mind can process. This is why I think the wisest leaders rely on their mind, heart and experience.
A gift from me
As you heal, you need to start forgiving yourself for all the times you let yourself stay in situations you weren’t valued but overstayed in order to prove your value. Trying to prove you’re valuable to people who reject you is a trauma response. Being alone at this time of year can be hard. Reach out to me via e-mail if you need help, I’m there if you need it.
Seasonal Greetings
“May your troubles be less and your blessings be more, and nothing but happiness comes through your door. Merry Christmas - Glædelig jul - Joyeux noël 🎄🎄. And for those of you who don’t celebrate Christmas, happy holidays.”
From the fringes
Image c/o The Guardian
Sometimes a pause gives purpose the opportunity to find you as when people have a vested interest it stops them from speaking the truth. Sustainability by using less becomes a tricky conversation as this goes completely against capitalism. Although we might not like the answer, and change is always uncomfortable, it’s tough to argue that there’s even a contest. Great design and a joined-up user experience matters more than ever in our lives today. I think by bringing design thinking to the core by understanding your customer strategy will help you position potential solutions. Contact me via e-mail for 1:1 sparring and coaching sessions in 2023.
Old fashioned and still relevant
I’m in London for the festive season and was thinking how much difference it would make if these three words - “Word of mouth” - were in most 2023 marketing plans. Word of mouth is the process of telling people you know about a particular product or service, usually because you think it is good and want to encourage them to try it. Word of mouth is the oldest form of marketing, and I think you will materially increase your revenue by incorporating these words into your marketing strategy.
““The best form of intelligence is not artificial” ”
Can you answer these three basic marketing questions?
1. Who are you talking to?
2. What do you do that no competitors can?
3. Why should we believe you?
Send me your answers via e-mail and win a one hour consultation with me.
Who am I to judge?
According to Medium truly intelligent people and are naturally curious. They can't get enough of learning; they chase knowledge and genuinely enjoy learning new skills. They often learn new things and new skills just out of curiosity, even when they know they don't need those skills for their career or for any other purpose.
Here’s my concise list of what smart people do:
1. Change their minds often
2. Use simple language
3. Admit when they are wrong
4. Ask for help when they are stuck
5. Ask better questions
6. Are self-aware
7. Are comfortable with uncertainty
8. Value soft skills
9. Talk less and say more
To improve is to change
c/o Getty Images
Knowledge does not come by naturally, you will have to go through a systematic training program as this is vital for ensuring a happy and successful life. In our everyday lives we can change and transform ourselves through training. I think that no matter what activity or practice we are pursuing, there isn’t anything that isn’t made easier through constant familiarity and training. Therefore, we should consider education as a very important factor for ensuring a successful and happy life.
“The world as we have created it is a process of our thinking. It cannot be changed without changing our thinking.”
Focus on one small goal
The concept of Zorro Circles is a metaphor for how we can follow our ambitions and achieve our goals by tackling the challenges we face one by one. Gradually, as we become ready, we can complete what we set out to do. I think the basic idea behind the Zorro Circle is that we should limit the scope of our efforts to a small area and as we gain resources, knowledge, and confidence, we expand our circle of control. And embarrassment is a powerful motivator for improvement and the more public the embarrassment, the greater the motivation.
Do you agree?
If you agree with the Greek philosopher, Aristotle, that all human action is purposeful in some way, and you are only truly happy when you are doing something that is moving you toward something that you want. The big questions then become:
· What are your goals?
· What purposes are you aiming at?
· What do you want at the end of the day?
This year I had the opportunity to work with a global financial services organisation, and they clarified their purpose as ‘enabling positive futures’. In other words, the better able they are to deliver financial services, the more likely they are to enable the positive futures of their customers. The key was that every employee in their organisation was conscious of this purpose and incorporated it into everything they did.