The StoryBank

Send a text When people ask me about my success mantras, my answer is simple: luck, discipline, hard work and attention to detail. Attention to detail is a strength I have always been proud of. But early in my career, a boss gave me a piece of advice that stayed with me. During an annual feedback session he said, “I really admire your attention to detail. But I want you to develop another skill.” He called it “hand in the mud and head in the clouds.” The image instantly made me smile. But o...

Send a text Sometimes hidden behind the cloak of ambition is something we rarely name, and that is greed. A goalpost that keeps shifting. Because if we can achieve more, then why not? That's when the team stops celebrating wins and starts dreading anything less than the last record they broke. And somewhere in that cycle of achievement, a quiet question stops getting asked: Is this still worth it? Not "can we do it?" because that's never been the problem. The problem is forgetting to ask wh...

Send a text Have you been in a situation where after tirelessly trying to address a crisis you realised that you were addressing the symptoms rather than the problem itself? In today’s episode I will move away from my usual approach of sharing a real story to sharing a parable that has a significant lesson for both business and life. I first read this story in the book ‘Upstream’ by Dan Heath. Dan Heath along with his brother Chip wrote my all-time favourite book on communication - ‘Made to ...

Send a text What if you're too incompetent to realise your incompetence? We explore this in today's story. We now live in a world where crafting a question takes much longer than getting an answer. You type a prompt and get a polished answer. If it all ended there then all would be good. But it doesn't. You often walk away feeling like you have learnt something, you are now more knowledgable. But have you really? Or are we borrowing someone else's fluency and calling it your own. I often ...

Send a text Have you ever been under so much pressure that time available seemed to be inadequate? What was your solution? For many people, the answer will be to work longer and harder. But is that always the right answer. Isn’t that mistaking effort for result. Listen on…… For more #storiesatwork do subscribe to our YouTube channel which has two playlists - #StoryBank https://bit.ly/WStoryB and #LeaderSpeak https://bit.ly/WLeaderS You can also join our WhatsApp group to get a copy of thi...