Ideas about leadership, strategy, organisational change, systems thinking and making a difference.
Independent enough to challenge. Respectful enough to listen. Grounded enough to serve. More than ten years ago, when I finished my work with Whanganui Computers in Homes in 2013, I was given a beautiful glass sculpture. Engraved underneath it was one word: Maverick. I loved it. I still do. But I have become increasingly
The Respectful Maverick Read More »
This reflection was prompted in part by a recent LinkedIn post from James Fierro on scarcity, abundance, and the changing economic question. Click here to view It is an odd time to talk about possibility. Perhaps we are asking the wrong economic question for the times we are now living in. The world does not
We May Be Asking the Wrong Economic Question Read More »
Over the weekend I received a reminder email from the Whanganui Tech Network. It was about tomorrow night’s meet-up — the usual mix of conversations, updates, and encouragement that keeps our small but lively tech community ticking along. Buried in that reminder was a detail that stopped me in my tracks: Mark Aue, the CEO
Whanganui, Leadership, and the Fibre Future Read More »
Recently, I have been reflecting deeply on my style of leadership, communication, and engagement in my community mahi around digital inclusion. Throughout my career, people have often commented that I was “too nice”. While I initially took this as gentle criticism, deep inside, I knew it was something different—something subtle, strategic, and deceptively strong. What
Embracing Radical Gentleness: A Personal Ethic for Living, Leading, and Being of Use Read More »
In the late 20th century, Dee Hock, the visionary founder of VISA, introduced a revolutionary concept he termed “chaordic”—a blend of chaos and order that reshaped the possibilities of organisational design, technology deployment, and leadership. Today, his once futuristic ideas have become profoundly relevant, guiding innovative initiatives like Digital Inclusion Whanganui. Who was Dee Hock?
Embracing Chaordic Leadership: Dee Hock’s Vision for Digital Inclusion Whanganui Read More »
When I first came across The E-Myth Revisited by Michael E. Gerber, I thought I was just reading another business book—one of many lining my shelf, full of good advice but often missing the human heart of what I do. But this one was different. This book didn’t just challenge how I work; it reshaped
We don’t have the money, so we have to think. – Ernest Rutherford (1871-1937) on Kiwi ingenuity (Image pottery sculpture by Robin Murdoch) https://www.nzonscreen.com/title/rutherford-of-nelson-1972 Whilst not quite as of earth-shattering importance to the splitting of the atom, nevertheless , attention to quickly fixing the digital divide must be given more priority. Probably Rutherford would not
The Power of Thinking and Starting with Why Read More »
This isn’t going to be easy! According to Jim Collins, the path to upping my game to the next level is by confronting the most brutal facts of my current reality. Crikey, achieving this will test my commitment to honesty, respect, self-discipline, and mindfulness to the limits. This construct is part of creating inputs of
My Plan to Go from Good to Great Read More »
