Changing a Flat While Driving

Changing a flat while still driving the car sounds utterly bonkers, doesn’t it? And yet it is something many of us are doing right now. Let me explain by way of a story.

Mea Culpa

Thanks to your help I have discovered that commenting was not enabled for my recent posts. I have rectified that. It seems the default setting is commenting off and I had assumed it was on. Apologies for that as some of you have contacted me and shared some amazingly resonant stories i hope you will share with others on wonky.com by entering your story or comment in the comment at the bottom of the relevant page. If you are still having difficulties let me know and I shall help.

Lonely Stranger With a Sad Gun

still remnants of that era lying about such as slowly decaying vehicles above ground, and countless mines below. East to west the Qattara depression is about 400 km wide and far enough from any regularly trafficked road as to be dangerous. There is no water there. There are no plants there. There is salt, soil, sand and rocks baked hard by the relentless sun. Flip a rock over and see how the top is burnt black and the underside is sable. The sun transforms everything here -- some faster than others.

1 is the Loneliest Number

Ever since I was old enough to hold my own passport I’ve been of the mind that the best way to travel was solo. No compromising, no catering to the desires of someone else. Travel was a rare, treasured use of time and resources so it was best enjoyed greedily, selfishly. This particular form of self indulgence was deep in my blood by the time I was 18, having already driven solo to and across Death Valley, backpacked solo across Rannoch Moor, and many more places few people have ever heard of.

A Bit More Choke and it Woulda Started…

I 'm quite confident I am not alone when I report that it is becoming difficult to get up to running temperature these days. I am going to blame it on my middling attempts to transition towards an effective, lockdown working rhythm. Like that old car that needs nursing every morning to coax it to life, so too is it with my working life. And from what I hear from friends and clients, I am certainly not alone.

COB: another TLA

Anyone who knows me, knows that there is little I like more than a good TLA, (Three-Letter Acronym). Today's candidate is C.O.B., or Chain of Behaviour. The COB is a simple framework for better understanding why we do the things we do. The COB, is made up of three links -- Cognition, emOtion, and Behaviour. Let's dive into this simple, yet powerful way of examining why we do the things we do.

Succession Planning

Irreplaceable is an unspoken attribute we all wish to possess. We want to be so respected in our work role that we feel not only respected or cherished, but we also feel safe. There is something reassuring in knowing that no one on your team could possibly fill your shoes. It is a kind of job security leverage. But this situation can also be an anchor. You cannot possess the security of having no succession plan and be seen by those above you as an attractive candidate for a new role. You cannot have it both ways. Why? Because the upwardly mobile leader always prepares those who could follow him in his or her rise. Having a quality succession plan is one of the signs of a good leader.

Make the Change, or Be The Change

We've all see or heard the phrase, "be the change," but what does that really mean? On the face of it, the phrase may smack of some kind of new-age platitude commonly seen on inspirational lunch-room wall posters. I'm not sure myself what the anonymous authors meant, but to a change agent such as myself, it has obvious and relevant meaning for both me and my clients.

The ‘Awfulizing’ Leader

As a change-agent coach, it is common for me to come across leaders who report being told they over-react to situations. When asked if they believe the accusation, few admit they do. At first, that is. But when pressed, most admit that they do, but don't see that as a problem. In fact, many say it helps them temper their otherwise possibly more rash impulses. This rationalisation, and what it masks is something that deserves closer scrutiny.

How to Avoid DIY and Anything Else

So now you have some idea of what I mean by life's hammer. More than likely you have already experienced it. To reiterate, it is not just what we might call catastrophic loss (but it could be). It could be any setback in life. But what really defines life's hammer is how you react to the setback. So, it's not the setback itself that gives the hammer its power of impact -- it is how we perceive the setback that gives it the power. let me explain...