The Blogworld of Poppyfish People Development

We've all seen it. It's one of the most famous cinema sequences of all time. Luke Skywalker is hurtling at high speed along the narrow canyon around the Death Star. On his shoulders rests the last hope for a bright future for the galaxy. If he succeeds in targeting his torpedo on the tiny exhaust port target then the explosion will cause a chain reaction that will lead to the destruction of the Empire’s most deadly weapon. Skywalker will be a hero and his friends will live. Should he fail, his friends will suffer a terrible fate and the rebel base will be destroyed, plunging the galaxy into endless torment and suffering at the hands of the evil Emperor and his even more sinister minions. Tough call. Skywalker is piloting a state of the art space ship, crammed with targeting systems and computer guided what-nots designed by experts to maximise the chances of the all important direct hit. Others have tried to hit the exhaust port before him, but all have failed. Now, with t...

In the field of management science and in organisational development in particular we often talk about the differences between managers and leaders. Every now and then I come across great little snippets and insights from outside the field that add to the conversation. And here is one of those from the field of military history, a place to which my reading commonly wanders and where the rich tapestry of leadership is a theme that is commonly discussed. Less common though is for this field of study to throw up a direct comparison between leaders and managers.  The British General William 'Bill' Slim was the master of successful military campaigns against the Japanese in the Far East during the Second World War and the leader of what is often called the "Forgotten 14th" Army. Slim, with excellent credentials of success both in terms of strategy and leadership saw a keen difference between leaders and managers. Slim's comparison runs as follows: "The lea...

In 1969 the American astronaut Neil Armstrong became the first human to walk on the moon. Yesterday, he died. Few things epitomise the power of human aspiration more symbolically than our attempts to explore our galaxy. Driven by a quest for knowledge and to further the development of the human race, achievements such as those that enabled Armstrong to achieve the dream of millions know few parallels. His famous phase " One small step for man, one giant leap for mankind " reflected the age in which he lived. When asked about the purpose of the Apollo 11 mission ahead of the launch from Florida and the subsequent touchdown in the Sea of Tranquility Armstrong said " I think we're going to the moon because it's in the nature of the human being to face challenges...it's in the nature of his deep inner soul ". His passing provokes me to pause for thought amidst a hectic weekend, and reflect on the value of lived experience and personal narrativ...

 Sometimes I learn fast. Swing one punch and you’ll get me, but swing another and I’ll duck. That’s fast learning. But learning just why it was that you wanted to punch me in the first place takes a little longer. For that to happen I need to learn about you, and I need to learn about me, and I need to learn what it is about our relationship that stimulates the Frank Bruno tendencies in you. Learning comes via action, and learning from that action through the act of reflection. Learning isn’t always easy. It is often challenging. Ever heard the phrase “ I learn most when I’m out of my comfort zone ”? Well, it may be true, but life outside the comfort zone (and maybe I’ll revisit just what a comfort zone is in another blog entry one day) comes with lots of other challenges that might actually restrict learning. I am on a learning journey. I say ‘am’ because I don’t suppose it ever stops. Learning starts as soon as a new born baby learns how to breathe in air and stops, ar...