When I worked for a consulting company, we went through a spell of leadership change within a short period. We had good leaders and other forms of leaders. But one leader stood out for the team. As is a norm with new leaders, they will have group meetings followed by one-on-one meetings with each team…

Every day that you begin with a colleague, a partner, a customer… it might as well be a fresh start. There is little upside in two strikes, a grudge, probation. When we give people the benefit of the doubt, we have a chance to engage with their best selves. If someone can't earn that fresh…

Everybody deserves a second chance, and maybe even a third chance, because life is too complicated to get it right the first time. But here is a thing about second [or third] chances: If you do not intend to change, then it is not a second chance to you, it is a missed opportunity. Second…

When I had an accident while a baby, an accident that could have easily killed me, but instead I survived, I knew that God has given me a second chance. When you look at your physical or emotional scars that could have destroyed you but instead you survived, you realise that somehow, miraculously, you have…

Successful people do not wait for proof that their idea will work. They learn to trust their gut and go. Do you know where will your next big idea come from? Analyzing hard data? A corporate brainstorming session? Or customer focus groups? In Hunch, Bernadette Jiwa demonstrates that successful people don’t wait for proof that their…

You and one other person. What does this look like? Writing a song and fully producing it for one other person and only letting them hear it. Hand making a Christmas card and handwriting the message for one particular friend. Writing a poem for that one person, sharing it with that person only, and not…

When things get good the temptation is to get lazy, undisciplined or take a break and stop walking. Celebrate and get back to work. Isn’t the hope that as good as it is right now will become the new normal? Incremental breakthroughs come from consistent work. Don't get comfortable, don't take things for granted, don't…

We have been learning by trial and error since we were six months old when we first noticed the effect of our actions on objects. As children we developed skills by learning from our mistakes, paying attention to what didn’t work as well as to what did. As adults, we are not so keen to…

I have come to realise through the work I do with organizations and entrepreneurs that what keeps the vision of an organization alive is its values. What values do we embrace, cherish and protect at all times around here. This is how we do things around here: We are about collaboration, we don't compete to…

What carries your business is values. What carries what you do in life is reflected in your values. The answer to why you do what you are doing lies in your values. In 1997 Steve Jobs was unhappy about how much Apple was spending on marketing and about the message the company was communicating. He…

Is it good enough yet? [“it” being your song, your book, your art, your poem, album, video, poster, marketing strategy, etc, etc] That can be a tough question depending on who you are, what your value system is, what the “more time/work vs. how much better it actually gets” looks like for the thing. But…

Have you ever filled in one of those, ‘we value your feedback’ customer satisfaction surveys after you left a hotel you stayed at or asked to complete at the end of service call? Perhaps you have used them to ask customers to rate your service? The theory being that satisfied customers are the end game.…