Inwards, onwards & upwards
A journal of invitations, ideas & inspiration to keep you moving from where you are to where you want to be
To truly prepare for leadership in the cultural sector, there's one crucial shift you must make.
If you're gearing up for leadership, it's likely because you excel in your current role.
You've mastered your craft and gained valuable management experience along the way. But these roles focus you on execution.
And the essence of leadership lies not in doing.
Bring back the video shop.
It’s 1991, I’m 10 and it’s Friday night. That means only one thing: Blockbuster Video.
My mum takes me and my best mate Paul to choose a film. We have around 100 to pick from but we’re only interested in the new releases. In the era of Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, Bruce Willis dying hard and Val Kilmer’s Batman, this is a 10-year-old boy’s weekly highlight.
Reinvent your ‘to do’ list.
Take a look at today’s ‘To Do’ list.
There’s a chance it’s mainly made up of three things:
Stuff other people could and probably should be doing.
Stuff you intended to do last week/month and has been on the list ever since.
Stuff that’s quick and easy to do that you’ll probably do by the end of today giving you the illusion of productivity but that doesn’t actually get you any closer to your most important goals.
Am I right?
It comes down to either skill, attitude or decision-making.
It comes down to either skill, attitude or decision-making.
You can work on your skill. This is 15% instruction and 85% practice.
You can improve your attitude. This is the power of mind over matter.
But getting better at decision-making?
That’s really difficult.
Here’s why you need a ‘to not do’ list
Ever feel like you’re not quite doing any one thing well?
Work, parenting, friendship, partnership, diet, sleep, exercise.
As though, in an attempt to do it all, you’re not really doing any of it?
Standing still can be the most active choice.
Standing still can be the most active choice.
Top corner finishes are thrilling. Slide-rule through-balls are awe-inspiring. Tricksy skills are great fun. Crunching tackles are invigorating. Finger-tip saves are gasp-inducing.
But one of the most impressive techniques involves doing nothing at all.
‘The dummy’ is the ancient footballing art of standing still.
CATEGORIES
About Coaching | Newsletters | Aspiring Artistic Directors | How to Begin | The Power of Perception | Unleashing Creative Thinking | Working with Other People | Better Decision-Making | How to be More Resilient | The Importance of Attention | Be More Present | Learning From The Past | Thinking Long-Term | Navigating Change | How to Persevere