It's the start of a new decade and what we need from our leadership is different than in the past. At Be Leadership, we describe this emerging style as social leadership. Social leaders are collaborative, networked professionals, who proactively use both technology...
Last week I had the privilege of being part of a team delivering a leadership development experience in Nairobi. As part of the program, we visited many local non profit organisations and met with Kenyan entrepreneurs. In one of the earlier conversations, a local...
For the past couple of days, we've had really strong winds in Southern England. As a runner, I have noticed. As a population, we spend so much time in the protection of our offices, homes or cars, we aren't always aware of the changes in weather. But in the past few...
I recently moved to a new house and, as part of that, moved office premises. Be Leadership is in a better space now, with more room for growth. I have a better desk, more shelving for files, and nicer view. It's not fully set up yet but I already love it and am sure...
Today I had six full hours of virtual meetings. Some were on WebEx, some Skype, some GoToMeeting. Others just used standard telephone conferencing. Whatever the technology, the impact was the same: I spent a lot of time sitting at my desk listening, while I wrote in...
Not many years ago, if someone suggested their privately-held tech start up would be valued at $1 billion, analysts would snicker. Today, they're called “unicorns”—and according to Fortune magazine, there are 174 of them. Most of these companies have sprung up in the...
Next month, my company Be Leadership celebrates its first birthday. In recognition of that, I'm stealing an idea from my former employer. When I was at Microsoft, Bill Gates used to take time out each year for what he called Think Week, to get away from the day-to-day...
Yesterday I had a rare "free" day - one uninterrupted by meetings and appointments where I could spend the day at my desk really getting things done. When the day started, I thought about all the things I'd like to accomplish. The hours stretched out ahead of me, and...
My phone rang while I was in the queue to pay at the supermarket. It was my husband, and I thought I'd just say hi. It would be quick. But maybe not quick enough. When I got to the front I felt the pangs of guilt when I finally looked up and noticed the check-out...
The day the River Thames was flooding my home, I was at a birthday party. Perhaps unsurprisingly I was not my positive, social self. In fact, I believe I was probably pretty miserable. An hour into being terrible company, someone approached to ask what was wrong. "The...
