Refresh: Four Flavours of Regret
I’ve sat in many postmortems, dissecting meetings or events to learn from what went wrong, and to consider repeating what went right. More recently I have been part of a few pre-mortems, predictive meetings where we answer the question, “if something goes wrong, what is it likely to be, and what should we do now to make sure it doesn’t happen?” I now consider it part of responsible planning – thinking ahead of the likely blockers of desired outcomes. I think a pre-mortem is especially important when it comes to the area of regret. What are we doing now that we...
Read MoreLooking Inward – Listening Outward: The role of feedback, and it not being all about us…
How do you react when someone gives you some negative feedback? Do you swing into self justification? “Well thank you very much, but actually, this is what you don’t understand…” Or perhaps you go in the opposite direction, taking everything said on board, and then amplifying it, making it far more critical than was ever intended. “Oh I know, I’m really terrible at that. I’m sorry about it. I hope I haven’t made things too difficult for you. I feel awful about it.” Or do you sit with it, think it over, taking on board what you decide is...
Read MoreRefresh: Redeeming Work – Job, Career or Calling
As AI gallops forward, many are wondering about the future of work, and there are many unknowns. This Refresh post originally appeared in Aug 2016, and explores the difference between job, career and calling through a biblical lens. I think it remains relevant in the important conversation which is starting to emerge. Refresh: Redeeming Work – Job, Career or Calling A significant portion of our life is engaged in ensuring that we have a roof over our head and food on the table. Some of us are able to work in such a way that life’s basic needs are just taken care of, for others...
Read MoreWhen Life is Like an Egg… and When it Isn’t.
Not all images work. I wasn’t at all sure that this one would. The speaker was likening life to an egg – not a hard boiled one, long dead and simply waiting to be eaten, but one of those with a fledgling chick inside. As the young bird attempts to come out, it pecks away at the shell from the inside. Recognising how tough the task is, you might well be tempted to lend a hand and give the shell a little tap to break it open and hasten the birds release. Apparently that’s a big no no. If you do, you have almost certainly sealed the chicks fate. There is something about it...
Read MoreRefresh: When Faith is Aspirational…
The old quip goes, “When all is said and done, far more is said than done.” It’s true. sometimes it works that way in faith as well. We claim huge things… we are set to change the world. But back at the ranch things are a little different. Sometimes faith is more about our aspirations than the reality. What happens then? This refresh post from August 2022 explores this dilemma. Refresh: When Faith is Aspirational… Have you ever asked if we do what we believe, believe what we do, or sit in an uncomfortable space of a bit of both, with belief and action sometimes...
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