At first I thought 'I've got a problem'. Then I thought 'No; I have an adventure'. Instead of resisting what's going

“There’s a lot worse out there.” E – a long-standing friend – was wondering whether he had one more career move in him. “Coming up to 20 years with the company, albeit under four different owners. “A lot of change, and there’s more to come. I wonder if I should get out before the new owners make that decision for me? “But while it isn’t perfect, there’s a lot worse out there.” E’s comments sent me on a flashback, to my first full-time job after graduation. The company owner g

"I'd like to talk about the tree between our houses." J - a coachee on a development program - was open about the problem with his neighbour: "The tree might be on his side of the fence, but the branches are equally on my side. It blanks out light, even on sunny days." I asked how long it had been a problem for him. "Years. Maybe ten." So why haven't you spoken about it? "Because we're both good neighbours. We have a good relationship, and I don't want to be the person who p

Alfa Aid is an Alfa Romeo sales and post-sales garage based less than ten minutes from where I live. Adrian, the owner, started the business in 1993. Now, after more than two decades, he’s ready for his biggest step. Alfa Aid's first General Manager starts today. After years of riding the ups and downs of a commercial roller coaster - of sometimes taking lesser rewards to keep his people on board - Adrian is finally letting go. He has been through multiple cycles in the motor

There's no obvious label for Tape Face's entertainment. Mime, perhaps? Silent comedy? Both conjour up former practitioners (Marcel Marceau, Buster Keaton), but neither accurately capture what he does. Actually, it's not what he does that's most important. It's what he doesn't. In a world drowned in management speak and leadership oration, Tape Face is a timely reminder of Albert Mehrabian's "7-38-55 Rule" - the percentage weighting of words, tone of voice, and non-verbal sign

(It was early 1980s: I had my marketing degree, and a new job at an agency. Not long after my first day, I met Larry - a new client who was adding a security hardware business to his growing portfolio. I asked him how he started…) Larry’s first venture was selling carpets. His office was a back bedroom at home, his logistics operation was a white van. He gave the impression that he ran a big company because his wife answered calls by saying “this is reception”, and he had t

Robert Rauschenberg’s best-known work is ‘Monogram’ - a.k.a. the goat in the tyre. The artist and the artwork are caught in the same relationship as Leonardo Da Vinci = ‘Mona Lisa’, John Constable = ‘The Hay Wain’, and Damian Hirst = ‘The Physical Impossibility of Death in the Mind of Someone Living’ (a.k.a the shark in formaldehyde). You can bring to mind at least one of these right now, perhaps all of them. Although it may not be a memory of the artefact itself; instead,

"Every man, every woman who has to take up the service of government, must ask themselves two questions: 'Do I love my people in order to serve them better? Am I humble and do I listen to everybody, to diverse opinions in order to choose the best path?' If you don't ask those questions, your governance will not be good." Pope Francis "I like to listen. I have learned a great deal from listening carefully. Most people never listen." Ernest Hemingway “An appreciative listener i

1984: the year when I learned that I knew nothing.

It's that time of year, when that level of stress is felt on both sides of the sales counter. Trudging from shop to shop, the only thing that keeps me sane is reflecting on interpersonal behaviour - mine, the Shop Assistants', and everyone else. Hence I've been testing Mehrabian's theory about verbal and non-verbal communication. Scene 1 - The Bookshop. The Assistant stands in front of doors, opened under the stairs. It might be the entrance to Narnia. I've been a customer h

(A belated 're-print' of lessons from one of the greatest physical achievements of the past sixty years - by one of the most modest men. RIP Sir Roger Bannister.) After Olympic and Paralymic over-achievement for team GB, the British public will have an embarrassment of riches to choose from for BBC Sports Personality of the Year. This annual sports shindig has become more glitz than game, yet despite the showbiz presentation, at heart it’s a celebration of what we still need