June 3, 2009 at 1:31 pm ·
When we create environments that focus on who we are, that allow us to express our values and nourish us, our natural talents and energy are released. The impossible becomes possible, and results exceed expectations.
This is the reason I work in leadership – so that I can help individuals ‘make happy chook noises’ and it is with great pleasure and pride that I present ‘Journey to the Blue Road: Tips for navigating the journey of leadership and life’. For many years I have been drawing on my experience growing up in the Outback and with help from Stephanie and inspiration from the photos taken by Edwina, we have printed the first offering from Blue Road Creations.
This book is something that I have been talking about for years, yet I lacked the motivation to simply ‘get it done’. There were drafts upon drafts in notebooks, computer files, and scraps of paper, yet it never really came into fruition until I sat down with someone and did it!
How many things have you been talking about and never gotten around to doing? Who can assist you in ‘getting it done’?
‘Journey to the Blue Road’ is a little book of Outback Wisdom inspired by life in the Australian Outback and my work in leadership. If you would like to order your copy, email tellmemore@theblueroad.com with your name, address, and contact number. The RRP is $25 however until the end of June we will be selling the book for $20 plus postage.
Filed under Values/p
March 28, 2009 at 12:29 pm ·
Yesterday I attended a lunch held by the Illawarra Women in Business in which I was excited to witness the presentation of the inaugural Illawarra Women In Business Awards, and be part of the launch of Illawarra Leaders, an initiative founded by Wendy Fogarty, from Important and Imperative Business Solutions, Noreen Hay, Member of Parliament, and myself. Working with Wendy and Noreen has been such an energising and inspiring experience, and launching this initiative for the women in the Illawarra community has enabled me to meet a number of talented businesswomen in the region.
Being able to contribute to the community in which I have made my home is a fantastic opportunity, and I look forward to working more with businesses in the Illawarra. Illawarra Leaders provides a unique opportunity for women in the Illawarra to share their resources and knowledge, and to provide role models and mentors for young women aspiring to be successful leaders in their businesses, as well as providing a place for women to share their achievements and seek inspiration.
The launch of such an initiative in the region is affirmation of the need to share and communicate with one another – after all, we cannot have ‘community’ if we do not ‘communicate’. The environments in which we live and work are integral to our own being, and the launch of Illawarra Leaders is an offering to women who seek to be in the right environment.
There is much of what I value in work and community evident in this initiative, yet without the hard work and vision of Wendy, who shared her idea with me, it may have easily been left aside as an ‘idea’, one of many I have not followed through. How many ideas, for ourselves, for our work, for our community, for others, do we ‘put off’ and forget about, or plan to launch ‘one day’? I’m most grateful to Wendy for her passion and drive - she’s a fabulous example of taking an idea from conception to actualisation!
Visit the site at www.illawarraleaders.com
Filed under Leadership, Values/p
November 21, 2008 at 10:55 am ·
In September and October, I’ve had the privilege of working with sixteen visionary leaders from South Australia’s Eyre Peninsula, who met in the remote Gawler Ranges on Mt Ive Station for the first session of a nine month initiative, “Strengthening Eyre Peninsula”, and then in Whyalla for Session 2.
It is a collaborative project between the Eyre Regional Development Board (ERDB) and the Eyre Peninsula Natural Resources Management Board (EPNRM Board), who have also identified leadership succession as a key priority and is supported by the State and Australian Governments.
There is increasing evidence to show that regions that perform best are those with strong, diverse and innovative local leadership. Such leadership is a key ingredient of effective community capacity development, which in turn has been shown to be an important foundation of economic development.
Building the capacity of the community to be involved in leadership roles is critical to the ongoing increase in the regions long term viability and sustainability.
Typically, in regional areas the volunteer workload on community leaders is high and the same individuals are often involved in multiple organisations and networks. Leadership “burnout” and succession amongst industry, business and community groups and networks are important issues and are serious impediments to the process of regional capacity building and therefore sustainable economic development. Hence, Strengthening Eyre Peninsula was conceived!
The enthusiasm, passion and resilience of the sixteen participants is inspirational, and each person has a project that they are responsible for introducing and implementing in their local regions. I invited one of the participants to write about his experiences, and he says:
“In early August 2008, I was successful in gaining a place in a leadership program on Eyre Peninsula, South Australia. 16 participants attended at a remote sheep station in the Gawler Ranges. “Mount Ive,” is the station, and is close to the centre of the geological formation of the “Gawler Craton,” a relatively unexplored mass of land with immense mineral promise. No mobile phone reception, no news papers, no television.
It was an ideal choice of venue. The 16 participants, 2 project coordinators, 2 camp cooks and facilitator Karynne Courts were all captive together.
It was a fascinating 4 days.The participant’s background ranged from farming to fishing to government and to volunteers. All were people who wanted to help their own communities.
The quality of the program, together with vibrant presentation led to openness, to such an extent, that the musician in the group created our own song, “You’ve got to have passion.” How good is that? In addition to the amazing course content, we had the bonus of early morning kangaroos, magnificent colours as the sun set, the endless expanse of Lake Gairdner and the camp oven cooks having a smile at people clipping their own ears as they tried whip cracking.
Mt Ive Station will be remembered with great affection by those who willingly shared part of their lives with complete strangers.
Late in October 2008 a second session was held in an industrial town on Eyre Peninsula. The content was again brilliant, and the passion to lead was rekindled. The leadership program has been mentally stimulating and I will convince others to follow my lead.” - Jack Bourke, Wanilla, Eyre Peninsula
In times where prevailing conversations are about doom and gloom, it is refreshing and encouraging to know that there are passionate leaders who are getting on with building and expanding the capacities of their community, with optimism, humour and bucketloads of encouragement and collaboration. We’ll be posting more about this wonderful project in early 2009.
Filed under Leadership, Communication, Values/p
September 27, 2008 at 4:32 pm ·
What a privilege that it is “my turn at last” to host the magical, practical, life-changing and unable to be categorised book “Life Is A Verb” as it tours the world!
After much anticipation, Patti Digh’s masterpiece began showing up in mailboxes at the end of August and officially launched on 2 September. Since then readers around the world have been called to Action, and this is how we’ll change the world – one intentional day at a time.
Patti didn’t set out to write a bestseller. She wasn’t filled with grand visions for saving the planet, or being famous. She doesn’t pretend that her life is perfect, and that she has the answers to the “big” questions. Patti writes about the detail of her day that for many of us in the hustle and bustle of busy lives goes by unnoticed. She shares her life with her readers from a place of humour, joy and love and invites us to feel into our hearts to discover the richness of our own lives.
Patti’s intention was to write her stories for her daughters so they could live their lives fully – she wanted them to know what to care about, how to treat others, what to stand up for and why they should tell stories and listen to the stories of others. You don’t just read this book – you soak it in, eat it up, drink it deeply. It is designed to move you. It does.
I have been reading Patti’s blog for almost two years, which I discovered at a time in my life where I was needing a huge reminder to Say Yes, to Be Generous, to Speak Up, to Love More, to Trust Myself and to Slow Down. These six practices are the essence of Life Is A Verb, and Patti shows us how to embrace them instantly in the day we are living right now!
With essay titles like “Dance in Your Car”, “Carry a Small Grape”, “Consider the Flea”, “Polish Your Mud Balls”, “Bust your Toast Rules”, “Save a Grocery List” “Go See the Tiny Ninjas”, this unique work can’t be explained in words on this page.
Order your copy today. Order fifty copies and give them to everyone you know.
Start doing this book! You don’t have a minute to waste.
What would you be doing today if you only had 37 days to live?
What will you say Yes to?
Who will you share your time with?
What are you waiting for?
Filed under Communication, Values, Different Thinking, Guest contributors/p
September 3, 2008 at 9:29 am ·
Ah, September. Blogs, books, and other media are filled with references to Spring - metaphors abound, and the seasonal cliches are everywhere! I shall spare you, and instead thank those of you who have enabled me to exceed my fundraising target for The Black Dog Institute two weeks out from “The Big Run”.
Ironically at the time of writing my last blog-post, I had not yet been informed of the death of my cousin – suicide from depression at the age of 48. The third generation of men in my family who ended their lives rather than deal with the vicious black dog every day.
There are some excellent resources from people who are far more informed about this topic than I. Start with these two: “Back from the Brink” and “The Depression Book”.
Since I declared my intention to support this cause, I have been overwhelmed by the outpouring of stories of how depression has impacted the lives of so many people I know. Acknowledging depression and sharpening awareness gave them permission to speak about it without shame or guilt – sometimes for the first time in their lives.
This has encouraged me to renew my commitment to continue my work with values, purpose and visions with increased energy & focus. When I am distracted & disconnected from my purpose, I become despondent, disillusioned and destructive – the D’s of despair and depression. When I reconnect with my core values and deepest purpose, there is energy, enthusiasm, effervescence, enjoyment, effortlessness, elation and empathy – all the E’s of ease. In alphabetical terms, just one single step forward, yet a whole world of difference.
One of my favourite futurists, John Renesch, commences his September newsletter with a quote from Buckminster Fuller, “If the success or failure of this planet, and of human beings, depended on how I am and what I do, how would I be? What would I do?”
Renesch writes:
“One thing about Bucky which is less well- known: he seriously contemplated suicide in mid-life. He had a series of business failures, an experience known all too well by inventive types whose ideas are a bit too far ahead of the crowd, had gone bankrupt and lost his young daughter to polio. He reportedly had an epiphany which caused him to step back from the brink of taking his own life and embark on what he called “an experiment” - to discover what a single individual could contribute to change the world and benefit all humanity. For the next half century, he lived that experiment.
What if we lived that experiment each day? What if we asked ourselves,“What can I do today to benefit humanity?” Instead of wallowing in powerlessness what if we simply did something every day that contributed to the success of the human species? I guarantee you the world would start looking better.”
What if?
Filed under Values, Different Thinking/p
June 16, 2008 at 12:54 pm ·
The World Health Organisation has predicted that by the year 2020, Depression will be the second biggest health problem world wide (the number one being heart disease).
Depression isn’t discerning… it has visited famous writers, artists, composers, performers, sports people, politicians, inventors.
I have registered for the Sydney Blackmore’s Half-Marathon 2008, which is on Sunday 21st September, 2008.
This is a personal goal I set at the beginning of the year before I’d even started running, let alone become addicted as I have in the past few months.I would like my run to “stand for” something and have nominated The Black Dog Institute as my preferred charity.
I’d love your support… and invite you to visit this page to “cheer me on” – every little bit helps! In the last week, when I have been tempted to snuggle back into the doona on these cold and rainy early mornings, just knowing that friends and clients have already sponsored me has made me get up and get running.
Posting my intention on the blog will keep me honest, and encourage me to stick with my training program to achieve this goal! Thanks for your support, and I’m excited about helping to “tame the black dog”.
Filed under Musings/p
June 2, 2008 at 9:53 pm ·
Last Friday, I was in Macau. After eschewing the glitz and empty promises of the many casinos, I chose instead to explore the historic heart of the island, starting with a visit to the Protestant cemetry, housing the souls of the earliest settlers of Macau, with headstones dating back to the early 1700s.
Wandering the cobblestoned streets, open-mouthed and wide-eyed, I paused at the entrance to a little antique shop, “Jimmy’s Treasures”.
An elderly man came to the door, and gestured to the watches with the waving hands of Mao. I smiled a “no thanks” and he invited me into his shop. Surrounded by the ancient pottery horses, chickens and other significant figurines, along with the famous Ming vases and distinctive ceramics that China is famous for, I was captivated by Jimmy’s command of English and extensive knowledge of Australia. He even knew about the dingo fences!
An hour passed like ten minutes as he shared his stories of growing up in Macau. Now eighty years old, he has had his shop for forty of those years, proudly displaying photos of dignitaries and celebrities who have been to his shop and taken home their works of art. He lovingly spoke about his family, his work ethic, his shop, his love of learning and his self-education. His sense of humour was wonderful, and I knew I was in the presence of great wisdom.
We exchanged cards, with Jimmy laughingingly suggesting his last name, Ng, stood for “Jimmy No-Good!” I prefer to think of him as “Jimmy Noble-Gentleman.”
Jimmy spoke of the recent earthquakes in Burma and China, and said “we give to these people, not because we are Chinese, or Macau, or Australian, but because we are HUMAN!”
This precious hour reinforced the unity we have as humans on this magnificent planet. That no matter where we are born, or which language we speak, we share universal values of love, freedom, humour and belonging. Unexpected encounters such as this remind me of why I love to travel. I didn’t need a Ming dynasty vase, or a Tang dynasty horse to remind me of the timeless and priceless nature of connecting with another human heart.
“Jimmy’s Treasures” indeed.
Filed under Communication, Values/p
April 11, 2008 at 3:49 pm ·
Today is my beautiful daughter’s 23rd birthday.
She is well and truly “grown up”- experiencing her first year as a High School English teacher - a capable, talented, vibrant young woman. She has managed to retain the curiosity and enthusiasm of her youth and channel it constructively to integrate it with the responsibilities of adulthood.
It is easy to get caught up in the doom and gloom of the current economic and environmental climate, to lose hope for the future, to despair of humanity if we are to read the daily (de)press reports of murder, incest, fraud and other scary stuff. Yet, as I take time to celebrate the life of this extraordinary woman, it gives me great joy and optimism for the future to know that our youth are in good hands with teachers like Stef inspiring and influencing them. There are many young adults just like Stef – perhaps they are your children, your siblings, or your employees?
Take time to listen to them, to admire them, to learn from them, and trust them. They are wise, they are energetic, and they are our future leaders.
Filed under Values/p
March 5, 2008 at 3:50 pm ·
Today, my friends in South Africa are saying farewell to Guizelle, who succumbed to cancer and left this earth on Saturday 1st March.
My friend Michelle has captured beautifully the essence of this special woman, and allowed me to share it with you.
I’d also love to ask, “How would you like to be remembered?” and invite you to use this as inspiration to stop post-poning the important stuff, to get very clear about who you are and what’s important to you, and get on with living your life on purpose!
“I cannot believe I am standing here today saying farewell to the most wonderful friend anyone could wish for. I feel deeply honoured that you asked me to speak about my friend, who we affectionately called Bokkie. A huge hole has been left by her - no one was the same after being in the presence of Guizelle. She was the eternal mother to everyone who knew her.
When I started thinking of how to describe my friend the first word that popped into my head was passion. Bokkie was deeply passionate about everything she believed in. If she wanted to learn something, she didn’t read one or two books as most mortals would do. She studied every book on the subject that was every written by anyone. She gobbled up knowledge. She was completely fearless and upstream in her thinking and behaviour. She would go where angels fear to tread, and she would not back off if she believed in something strongly enough.
She had a great pioneering spirit, always seeking new ground, new thinking, new ways of working with people, most passionate about helping everyone along their personal journey which changed their lives for the better. She was the kindest and most gentle person, loyal and caring, sometimes covered up by her larger than life persona. In the workshops she ran with us, she shook people’s belief systems, opened their minds and introduced them to a world of self insight and awareness that most had never experienced or thought existed.
She changed the lives of most people she knew and even those she only met briefly were touched and moved by her. Her task was not an easy one because some people resisted her teaching initially, but she persisted in her theories and ultimately everyone loved her, and everyone has been the richer for having met her.
My friend Karynne in Australia (who met Guizelle on her trips here) believes that the greatest gift we can give our friend in her memory is to live our own lives fully. To quote the words of a song called Unwritten, live your life with arms wide open. Guizelle lived her life with arms wide open.
She was the most creative and a wonderful cook always prepared with passion, joy and zest! We had many wonderful dinner parties with delicious food and lots of laughter and fun and always a seriously intellectual discussion and argument as brain food. She surrounded herself with beauty.
She built a beautiful home, surrounded by tall tranquil trees, filled it with beautiful furniture, a piano so she could play beautiful music and planted exquisite smelling lavender all around. Such a tragedy that she was not able to live in it long enough to live her dream.
Guizelle was my soul sister. Unlikely sisters because I am short and she was so tall! We spoke of being gypsies together in a previous life. We both had an affinity for the ‘gypsy’ life which I think represents not being ordinary and being different and irreverent. We understood each other, were so comfortable with in each others company. She never judged me. She always supported and encouraged me. She always stood by me when I needed her.
In the early days of our friendship we were gym partners. I would get up at 4.30 am to get ready to start training with her at 5.30. Unlike the kugels who arrived at the gym, all made up, with their designer gear, we arrived with no make up, in our old gym togs, but ready to work out. We always complained to each other about how we were ‘suffarrinng’, but we had such fun, and of course Bokkie had the correctly worked out training programme, well researched (!), and we trained hard.
We had some wonderful moments at her parent’s home in Plett. She and I drove down to Plett one December. Bokkie on the road was a nail biting experience! She drove like she everything else she did in life, at a pace and close up!! But once we were in Plett, we both became placid beached whales. Lying on the sand, soaking up the sun, and restoring our souls. She would ask if I needed her to talk to me. I said no, and we lay content, at peace.
Bokkie in the movies was an experience on its own! If we saw a scary movie she would scream. American movies were a no, no, and she would behave badly during those. I recall going to see Shall we Dance - Guizelle was hysterical with laughter during the scenes which were intended to be very serious. She was the entertainment!
We started dancing together 3.5 years ago. She joined in the Salsa and Argentine tango classes with me, run by our friends Tony and Marda, and also took private lessons at the studio. Of course she danced with the same sense of purpose with which she tackled everything else. She GOT the steps immediately, where I would take ages. Sadly, soon after she started dancing, cancer struck the first blow, and she gave up, while she started on this long and arduous journey which ended on 1 March. Bokkie - Tony and I will dance a dance in your memory. I know you will be there watching.
Guizelle fought her cancer with a vengeance. With a bravery that was remarkable she researched and chose alternative ways of treating this terrible disease. She tried every avenue she could, not wanting or trusting traditional medicine, but finally giving in to it. She always asked what my intuition was – would she survive. She believed what I said. I always said she could beat this, if she believed. I could never tell her what my real fears were. I truly believed that if anyone on earth could beat this, she could. During her last days on this earth she wanted to go to Plett, and walk on the sand and be in the water. That was her dream. We all encouraged the dream.
The most amazing thing about my friend’s generosity of spirit was that while she was struggling so valiantly, was that she bought me the most beautiful gifts in Paris. She was struggling to breathe and was so exhausted but still found time to find the perfect gift for her friend. I will treasure these gifts forever.
And now my friend has gone. Taken from this earth at far too young an age. I know she felt that her journey here wasn’t over. I am sure she is sad that she has left. I know she felt blessed with all the wonderful people who wanted to see her when she was ill.
I am also sure that she will be sorting out the angels and make sure that they find a cure for cancer, and she will coach them all to be better angels than they already are!
Guizelle you have touched the hearts of countless people. You have changed the lives of many more. Thank you for being a wonderful friend. I miss you dreadfully. In my dreams I’ll always see you soar across the sky. I’ll always a keep a part of you with me.” - Michelle
Filed under Values/p
February 6, 2008 at 8:36 pm ·
Recently I had the pleasure of meeting two inspiring women, Jill Johnson & Barbara Beccari, who have written a fabulous book for children, parents, and teachers called “Salurri and The Way Train”. It is an elegant and powerful message that brings to life seven key values for healthy relationships.
It introduces us to Salurri, a little girl whose name is an acronym of the first letters of Support, Appreciate, Listen, Understand, Respect, Responsibility, & Independence. The story unfolds with her experiences at a Train Station, taking us through very practical examples of how we can be more conscious or each of the Seven Ways to “stay on track”.
We can all be more mindful of these values to enable more satisfying relationships – not just with our children, also with each other – personally and professionally. Jill and Barbara are passionate about their work, and have launched an innovative parent-coaching business, www.parentscope.com.au
The book also comes with a bonus CD, a song to go with the story - a great way to learn and reinforce an essential message. It is thoughtfully written and beautifully illustrated. I’d recommend it for any bookshelf.
Read it aloud at your next team meeting! You can purchase copies here
Filed under Communication, Values/p
Next entries »
This book is something that I have been talking about for years, yet I lacked the motivation to simply ‘get it done’. There were drafts upon drafts in notebooks, computer files, and scraps of paper, yet it never really came into fruition until I sat down with someone and did it! 
