The old masters used to observe the natural world and discern what lessons could be learned from it. We see this evident in our western tradition of poetry, where many of the great writers of their respective ages had a seeming affinity with the natural world and human nature that led to them creating scenes and images of profound beauty. We see it even more strongly in the martial arts traditions of the east, where individual fighting styles are often named after animals: tiger, monkey, crane, etcetera. I learned one such lesson from the natural world a few decades ago, albeit it was rather less grand and beautiful than the past ones I have cited!
Tag Archives: creativity
Poetry and the Muses Part 2
The Muses we understand from Part 1 of this article are the daughters of the future and the past, and more specifically of memory, light, truth and beauty; they are essential for the ‘good life’, and we understand as well that because they are goddesses, they cannot be summoned by human will, but they canContinue reading “Poetry and the Muses Part 2”
Poetry and the Muses Part 1
We live in a post-modernist world and its values are everywhere around us; and everywhere these values are almost largely unexamined, and because we have little to contrast our present state with we fail to see how lamentable and poor we are. There is a deep materialism running through society which deprives people of theContinue reading “Poetry and the Muses Part 1”
Connecting creativity and leadership
In my last blog, which derived from my recent talk at the Dominion Theatre, we observed three ways in which people were not things, and we discussed why that was important. We concluded that being authentic was important and that one consequence of authenticity was that it enabled one to be creative; creativity and authenticityContinue reading “Connecting creativity and leadership”
Motivational Differences that Make a Difference
Recently one of my colleagues asked me to review a couple of Motivational Maps with them. They were coaching a couple of international European footballers nearing the end of their careers; and the Maps of course are ideal for helping understand the direction in which one might go, for to be satisfied and happy withContinue reading “Motivational Differences that Make a Difference”
Seven Questions to Stimulate Motivation
The issue of motivating staff will not go away; in fact, with the rise of technology and the increasing levels of distance and impersonality, the how-to-manage-them question gets larger and larger. In such a context Motivational Maps are essential since they do supply on-line so much of the information that an effective manager or leaderContinue reading “Seven Questions to Stimulate Motivation”
Get On Top of Time for 2013
One of the most frustrating things in life – consciously or subconsciously – is the sense that we have talent and skills and abilities, but somehow the universe doesn't seem to recognise them. And we know it doesn't recognise them because we lack the rewards that we feel we are entitled to. Haven't we allContinue reading “Get On Top of Time for 2013”
Leadership as theatre
To work in metaphors is the essence not of childishness, but of maturity, and it is fundamental to our appreciation of the world because it enables us to see the invisible relationship between things, ideas and processes. Metaphor is essentially dynamic – precisely what leadership is. If we wish to capture the essence of theContinue reading “Leadership as theatre”
Getting creative
We meet many people, and young people, who are bored. For many this is an affectation, but a dangerous one, that can easily become a full time state of mind. At the weekend I was at an Open Fencing tournament where my son competed. One of the top fencers there confided to me, after heContinue reading “Getting creative”
What’s it all about?
It's that time of year: we approach Christmas and whatever is your religious festival or belief we are led with the imminence of a holiday – holy day – to reflect on what is this being here all about? In the case of Christmas it is pretty clearly about the birth of a baby andContinue reading “What’s it all about?”
The Mapping Motivation Series 