by Richard H Merrick

Don’t get taken Hostage

Sometimes we just hear stuff that resonates, and need to stop and pay attention. I’ve spent years studying what helps people perform and find work that ignites them (or in a “job”, joy). From coaching to education to neuroscience. I have read probably thousands of books, and studied incessantly. I love what I do.

And what I have found is that the more I study, the more I recognise innate talent. I watch early years teachers pick up signals from “difficult” children, and see them transformed. I listen to Ferren Adria, or watch Michel Roux Junior critique people on “Masterchef” and am blown away by their approach, and their unbridled ambition for the people they are talking to.

And this morning, on Saturday Live (BBC Radio 4) I heard Richard Mullender, who immediately became another reference point as he pointed out that effective listening is about gathering intelligence. He was a hostage negotiator, and the thought struck me that we all get taken hostage time to time ( I blogged here)

It resonated entirely for me, and found me another book to read

Listen to the piece on Radio 4, or watch this video. In the end, it’s about personal freedom.

by Richard H Merrick

Stuck is mostly a choice

There are different sorts of stuck. Sometimes, things happen – our car breaks down or the weather closes in at the airport, – something outside our control. In observing many people and businesses though, mostly we get stuck in process. We get trapped in the way we think we should do things. In these cases, getting stuck is a choice.

I was reminded of the elevator ads when I read Seth Godin’s latest book  – What to do when it’s your turn”.  The ad is worth taking time to watch (and the book to read). It’s funny, and vaguely uncomfortable. Is your career like an elevator, and if it’s stuck, what will it take you to get off?

by Richard H Merrick

A moment’s pause

This was sent to me me by a friend and colleague, Glen McCoy As always from Glen, worth watching – particularly if you find yourself reflecting on why you’re doing what you’re doing…….

We are lucky to be here. Enjoy it.

by Richard H Merrick

Where are you working this morning?

If your’e in an open plan office, then this video may well resonate.

There is a huge shift underway not only in how we work, but how we learn, how we relate and how we collaborate.

Although it may not feel like it sometimes, there is a huge power shift underway. We all have unique abilities, worldviews and talents; and an ability to use them to live that matters – to us, and others. Resumes are history. Attitudes, dispositions and networks of purpose are the new currency of careers.

Who you are matters. For most of us, to borrow from Schumpeter, the organisation we work for is crumbling beneath the assumptions it’s built on.

 

by Richard H Merrick

Provocations from Robin Dunbar

For those interested in how we relate in complex environments – here’s a full length ( 1 hour) video of Robin Dunbar. I think it has huge implications for how we organise ourselves in tomorrow’s markets.

by Richard H Merrick

New Games

Rohit Talwar was speaking today NextGen in Derby – appropriately at the Silk Mill – the world’s first factory.  The core of his message is similar to the conversations we have with clients – how to entertain the possibilities that are emerging, and to hold in mind both the need to maximise today’s performance whilst leapfrogging to the new games we can play that make our (and our competitors) current models obsolete..Here’s a presentation from him released earlier this year.  If the one from today is released, i’ll post it.