Mediocrity. Todd Henry, author of ‘The Accidental Creative’ stated: “Mediocrity doesn’t just happen. It’s chosen over time through small choices made day by day.” My belief is that this applies even more to companies than it does to individuals. My career spans over four decades now, and whilst there have been many incredible advances, most […]

Record Breaking. A very good friend of mine has just celebrated his 70th birthday. He’s incredibly successful in all dimensions (health, wife, family, friends, financial), which makes him one of those difficult people to buy a present for, so I googled “1954 achievements” and was reminded that this is when Roger Bannister broke the four […]

Leadership or Management, Strategy or Tactics? Margaret Thatcher is quoted as saying to a senior civil servant: “I know the what. Don’t tell me the what. Tell me the how.” It distills really well the key difference between leadership and management. Leadership is the What. Management is the How. Leadership is the Strategy. Management is the Tactics. […]

four-i. We call this blog four-i for a reason. Information, Insight, Ideas, Inspiration. My bet is that many of you right now, have an abundance of one, and not enough of the others. Once upon a time, information was scarce. Not now. It’s a martini world – we can all access just about anything, “anytime, […]

Coming second. I can’t recall ever seeing an unhappy gold medallist at the Olympics. Not one. But that’s not true of those receiving silver – and the range of responses from those on the second position of the podium, from complete joy to borderline despair, seems much wider than those who achieved bronze. It got […]

Rules – Conformers, Breakers & Makers. Mary Quant is quoted as saying: “Rules are invented for lazy people who don’t want to think for themselves.” Whilst this might be true, I think there are several different types of people who can be identified by their approach to rules, and it’s worth understanding which ones you […]

Paradigms. There is a traditional or conventional way to see things. Then there’s your personal viewpoint. There’s also a majority point of view. And a minority. But none are right. Paradigms (the way you look at things) are what forms your beliefs. And a paradigm is personal, and therefore from your perspective always right, even […]

Better copy. “Most people are other people. Their thoughts are someone else’s opinions, Their lives a mimicry, Their passions a quotation.” Oscar Wilde (De Profundis 1905) Sadly, nearly 120 years later, this feels even more so the case. Indeed, is anything original today? I don’t believe it is. Originality doesn’t exist any more, well hardly […]

Facts, Fiction, Lies, (or let us suppose). It’s desperately sad how so much that is published, both online and in broadcast media, isn’t true. I’m not just referring to politics, although it’s the cesspit from which much of the practice of lying emanates, but maybe even the majority of communications you and I will receive today will […]