In exploring beyond boundaries, boundless, there have been many experiences of letting go. To explore a life in Australia, I left my culture, community and family behind in Canada. I let go of the known to seek out the new.
Boundless Leadership has at its core the premise of expansion and growth. It has the energy of seeking, of evolution.
Within that concept there lies another one: expansion is not uni-directional. It has movement backwards and forwards. Boundless Leadership is an oscillation between limitless possibilities, and returning to the core of who you are, and the fabric of your being.
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Read MoreI met with Rob Evans of AllBids last week. He attended the Edge of Leadership Un-Conference last year and had a brilliant time. More than that, he was able to connect with Peter Gordon, the CEO of Hands Across Canberra, a local community Foundation that raises funds for various community organisations in Canberra. Inspired by the stories of business-community collaborations, Rob met with Peter and together they worked out a project where people could sell their unwanted goods and donate the money to Hands Across Canberra. It’s called “Canberra’s Biggest Garage Sale”.
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Read MoreThe Limits to Growth is a 1972 book about the computer simulation that tested exponential economic and population growth on a planet with limited resources. Largely it presented a doomsday scenario where eventually demand outstripped supply and we as species faced catastrophic consequences. It has spurred continued debates in scientific, political, and environmental circles.
Can we have too much? Is there a point we need to say 'enough'?
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Read MoreIt is a well-known fact that an able and intelligent human in possession of singular ambition must be in want of progress.
Hear! Hear! And yet, when it comes to the mechanics of seeking progress, said able and intelligent human tends to retreat to the distracting halls of day to day minutiae and the comfortable gathering spaces of known social circles.
In short, the familiar eats the unknown for breakfast.
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Read MoreIn my Leader’s Edge Mastermind group, and in my weekly team meeting, I always ask, ‘What are you celebrating this week?’ As Boundless Leaders, we are constantly stretching towards new horizons, and it’s important to acknowledge how far we’ve come. It’s the key to building a strong centre that allows the ongoing exploration into the unknown.
Invariably it is a bit of a struggle to find something ‘noteworthy’ to list on the celebrations ledger. We are so locked in to the idea that celebration needs a significant achievement to warrant notice. And so we drag ourselves from week to week, without stopping to take a breath. It’s only when we reach a target that we might experience a passing moment of euphoria, then it’s back to the grindstone.
I think we can do celebration better.
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Read More“Oh crap!” These were the words that spun through my head as I flipped over my skis, landing upside down, smacking my head. It hurt.
We had 1.5 meters (5 feet) of snow in a week. This is highly unusual, and in 20 years of skiing in the Australian Alps, I have not seen the like!
I also had more falls this week than I have had in the last five years. It was a combination of heavy snowfall, poor visibility, and funky, sticky snow.
I hadn’t skied this kind of snow before and I felt like a learner all over again.
New conditions need new ability.
Read MoreSacrifice in leadership comes with the territory. It’s one of the main reasons that not every one should lead others: sacrifice is a concept and action that requires great maturity and self awareness. Not all are ready for this kind of surrender.
What should we sacrifice as leaders?
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Read MoreHis name was Lee. He was a boisterous, arrogant teenage kid. He had a chip on his shoulder and a point to prove. The first day of the ten day Outward Bound outdoor program I was leading, he swaggered up to me and said, “Did you get it on with your boyfriend last night?”
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Read MoreIn Japan, the routine was delightful. Wake to the soft hush of a snowy winterland. A scrumptious breakfast fireside with views to the mountain. A day of adventure and savouring the magnificent vistas. Finishing with a hot bath, ‘onsen’, to soak the tired skin and legs. Then another ridiculously good meal. Slumber happily early in bed.
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Read MoreThis is our sixth trip to Japan. It’s easy to notice the little things that have changed: the new pot belly fireplace, a few more beers on the menu, new towels. We can cope with little tweaks. They keep us interested.
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Read MoreWhat the hell do we make of the US election result? Here in Australia there is a range of emotions from bewilderment to despair. The world will not be the same again.
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Read MoreCrossed arms. Sour faces. Seething silence. You are experiencing a mutiny and this is a defining moment in your leadership journey.
They don’t like the change. They disagree with you. And they aren’t budging.
What do you do?
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