The real truth behind values-based change My friend Jane runs a business in which she has a handyman visiting client houses. Time and cost management are critical. One day while I was visiting, the handyman came in from a job. He had to return to the same house with equipment he had forgotten the first [...]
A mason was asked “what are you doing?” He said “can’t you see I am chipping stone” and carried on hammering in a lacklustre way. When asked the same question, another mason replied “I am building a cathedral” and continued hammering joyfully away. I have always been a little sceptical of this story. It sounds [...]
We have all done those strategy workshops when the facilitator says that our core values should not be more than 4 or five. But here are fourteen. And it is interesting that some of the favourites “Passion”, “People” “Service” are not even mentioned but taken for granted. When asked to describe his most important creation, [...]
Last week as I parked at the gym a woman in a smart German 4x4 pulled up next to me. I glanced up to see how close she parked. She fixed me with sullen stare. Each time I looked up, I caught the baleful gaze. It was like something out of a gangster movie. Then [...]
When I left home my mother advised me to get a good job with a big company, letting my boss look after me. This, she promised, would lead to a fulfilled life. As a student she was told she was South Africa’s next great concert pianist. Instead she chose to teach. Growing up, I watched [...]
