Achieving effortlessly – the challenge of turning effort into ease

As a lifelong workaholic, a trait that has driven me to become successful in banking and coaching, but at no small personal cost, my aspiration now is to do less, effortlessly. If Malcolm Gladwell was right about the ’10,000 hours’ theory of expertise he put forward in his 2008 book Outliers [arguing that “Practice isn’t […]

When the most audacious question is a ‘stupid’ question

What stops people from asking the most audacious and important questions is often a fear of seeming stupid.But one of the best business lessons I ever received came from a mentor I had during my banking career.He said to me “If you cannot explain an investment in the language that a 7-year-old child would understand, […]

A perfect time to celebrate

A few days ago, my colleague Tatiana started our strategy meeting by offering us to pull a Tarot Card. Mine was 3 of Water. In Tatiana’s deck, this card is all about celebrations!  As I was reflecting on the cards’ message, I thought to myself “what is there to celebrate today? Or even this week?” […]

What differentiates toxic intensity from a healthy one?

After speaking to leaders about their experience with intense leadership and what differentiates toxic intensity from healthy intensity, the answer was invariably: humanity.  So what is humanity?It is awareness of the impact of one’s intensity on others. It is understanding that whatever is your focus, passion and perseverance, you are unlikely to achieve your mission on […]

Do you love yourself?

I mean – really love yourself. Not merely being proud of your achievements; or being able to look well after yourself; or see that you get ahead and get your share of the cake. If you are a high performing leader, chances are that self love is not your greatest strength. You have arrived at […]

Do you lead with Forgiveness?

Most people think that forgiveness is an act of weakness, but what’s really true is that it takes an immense amount of strength to forgive.   Why is forgiving so hard for us? Because we are slow to accept our own failures, setbacks, and disappointments with courage and grace.  Forgiveness is one of the 24-character strengths in […]