“Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid.” — Albert Einstein Al makes kind of an obvious point. (Except if … Continue reading →

I suppose you could call me a mildly interested observer of US politics. I became so because of a much less mild interest in the West Wing (which really did make the whole convoluted system quite accessible to the masses … Continue reading →

I was in a cafe yesterday, just quietly writing a few notes, when the low murmur of conversation and the clinking of teaspoons against crockery was invaded by the penetrating American twang of a customer several metres away. Talking about … Continue reading →

And just like that, the weekly posts stopped. And just like that, the early morning gym sessions stopped. And just like that, the [insert some behaviour modification programme/goal, etc] stopped… Momentum equals mass times velocity. Momentum is a force. Movement … Continue reading →

It’s easy enough to get good people… getting them to play nicely together – that’s the hard part. Team building is any process of getting a group of people out of their normal working roles and taking them through a … Continue reading →

Boss giving you a hard time about stuffing up?  Well, you’re not alone.  A helpful first step is to put it in perspective.  The sight of your boss’s back striding off out of the room following a terse retort might … Continue reading →

I’m interrupting my intended series on individuality with a short note on empathy. Today, at 12.51pm, we will stop what we are doing and spend 2 minutes silently reflecting on the people of Christchurch who have been affected by the … Continue reading →

I went to the Auckland Domain on Sunday afternoon and lay in the sun with some friends listening to jazz.  Kina, led by Chris Mason-Battley and Go Blow, led by Chris Watts, to be precise. It was one of those … Continue reading →

In his book Outliers, Malcolm Gladwell makes the general claim that becoming successful in whatever it is you’re doing, will take about 10,000 hours of hard work. Vidal Sassoon, the man who invented modern hairdressing, says the only place where … Continue reading →

What exactly is it about Christmas shopping that we dislike so much? I say dislike because no one appears to be enjoying themselves so if they are having a good time, they’re doing so deep down inside and wearing a … Continue reading →