These days, when I see other swimmers on the beach, it feels like I didn’t get the memo. Years ago, before cold water swimming became popular, a dip in the sea required just two things: a swimsuit and a towel. Not anymore. Social media marketers have turned a simple activity into a complex ritual requiringContinue reading “On keeping things simple”
Category Archives: leadership
Women in leadership
This morning I ran a workshop practicing coaching skills with Women+ in Geospatial mentors. As usual, a fabulous group of people – which makes me wonder: What will the geospatial industry look like when more women are in leadership positions across different sectors? When voices from all backgrounds are represented at every level? Today’s groupContinue reading “Women in leadership”
The surprising superpower of a geospatial leader
This is an abridged version of a blog post I wrote for Réseau, a geospatial network supporting diverse and emerging leaders from the global south. Let’s face it, the world no longer needs heroes. Heroic leaders have had their day. Today even Spiderman or Superwoman – if they were real – would struggle to makeContinue reading “The surprising superpower of a geospatial leader”
Working with the 18%
These photos show spaces where I have witnessed true magic happen. Where people have developed the single most important skill for leadership, changemaking, and impact at work. No slides, no lectures, no role play, no gimmicks. Just a circle of chairs. But it’s not nursery school. Nor is it group therapy. It’s a space whereContinue reading “Working with the 18%”
Downsizing
Pip and I are downsizing. The house is too big. The kids have flown the nest. The cat, who saw them grow up, has died. Life has moved on, and we decided to sell up. In a few weeks’ time, our house will be home to a new family. We are moving only a fewContinue reading “Downsizing”
Giving solutions space to emerge by themselves
I spent this week working with 8 leaders and changemakers in Warwickshire. 9 chairs, 1 flip chart, 0 slides. Purely experiential. Because in a complex world there are no clear-cut solutions. We practiced slowing down, noticing, using feelings as data, giving feedback, coaching each other, and being present in a client-centred way. When you enableContinue reading “Giving solutions space to emerge by themselves”
Learning from different occupations
Do you ever look at people in other professions and feel inspired by how they work? I often do. Especially occupations that are very different from my own – more physical, more artistic, or just completely unrelated. Seeing how different people approach different roles makes me wonder what universal lessons we can learn that areContinue reading “Learning from different occupations”
I asked 50 geospatial leaders about success. Here’s their advice
Over the past few weeks, I’ve been contacting leaders around the geospatial industry to find out what they believe it takes to be successful. This is to help inspire postgraduate students on a business and leadership training programme I’m delivering at two UK universities. So I asked ca. 50 leaders in my network one simpleContinue reading “I asked 50 geospatial leaders about success. Here’s their advice”
The magic of turning off the music
Last year, one of the most moving moments on British TV happened on celebrity talent show, Strictly Come Dancing. It’s not a show I normally watch but, like millions of others, I couldn’t help but feel moved. Rose Ayling-Ellis was the first deaf contestant on the show. How does a deaf person dance to musicContinue reading “The magic of turning off the music”
Age vs. Attitude
Two weeks ago, in Hawaii, Kelly Slater won the Billabong Pro Pipeline contest, one of the world’s top surfing events. He’s 50 years old. As a surfer myself, I can truly appreciate the magnitude of this achievement. It’s as if a pensioner had just won Wimbledon or climbed Everest. For context, Slater’s co-finalist was theContinue reading “Age vs. Attitude”
True Horizon Coaching 