For a long time, my loved ones were telling me that I should consider finding myself a “better” place to live. One that was more reflective of me rather than the smallish place I was living in.  The thing was it worked because it was small – easy upkeep, convenient to all the places that mattered to me including a short drive to the CBD and a brief walk to my favourite, local café!   The café sustained me while I was writing my book.    But they were right in that it precluded doing a number of other simple, joyful things such as sitting around with friends on the patio with sun, colourful pot plants and being able to enjoy the outdoors in a restful way. They called it my working pad.

Well last month – the unexpected happen! (more…)

It’s the time of the year when we are reviewing our lives including the work we do. If you are feeling unfulfilled and wanting to live a life of greater meaning, the following eleven questions will help.

If you are a coach working with clients, these SQ ( spiritually intelligent) questions will help elicit deeper answers from your coachees. 

As Deepak Chopra says, “Everyone has a purpose in life…. a unique gift or special talent to give others. And when we blend this unique talent with service to others, we experience the ecstasy and exultation of our own spirit, which is the ultimate goal of all goals.” (more…)

Christmas holiday is a great time for rest, renewal and reflection. The year-end underlines a natural point for a stock take – how things shaped up and what we are up to in our lives.  With the advent of the New Year and the promise of new beginnings, pausing to take time for reflection and thoughtful intent for the New Year is most natural. 

The seers have repeatedly pronounced – an un-reflected is an unlived life!  This year, I would like to encourage a strengths based approach to your reflections. 

And why not record your answers to the following questions in your journal?  Not only will this give you a sense of achievement and consequent good feelings but it will also provide you with directional clarity for the coming year.

You could ask these questions in relation to your team, business, leadership and personal life as well.

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Whether you are a manager, leader or an employee, having a sense of entitlement can be a dangerous thing. I am not referring to certain entitlements we all have as per legal, contractual or basic moral rights. But more the sense that comes through one’s place in society, organization or political life, where one gets used to a level of position, power, privilege and perks. “Who I am” takes precedence over “what I do” (or how I perform). (more…)

1. Employee engagement is a three-way process and requires responsibility, accountability and ownership from employer, employees and the organization.  We talk about employee engagement including the kinds of things employees need to feel engaged and what the managers and leaders need to provide. The latter certainly have an active role in harnessing the best of their talent and creating a rich culture that people want to be part of and enjoy coming to work.  There is certainly a lot that can be done at the level of leadership engagement behaviours.  However, employees aren’t mere passive receptacles of these initiatives but are also active players who have a role in shaping a great workplace. (more…)