Blog

Connect. Connect. Connect.
Point 3) Strong and supportive relationships are the number one predictor of wellbeing, across the lifespan.  Maintaining...
Back to Happiness Again
For a while now we’ve been spending time in our Peak Performance Leadership sessions on The Happiness...
The Singing Mailman
One of my heroes passed today – Covid-19 complications – the great singer/songwriter John Prine. As Bruce...
Go Kate
As I watch the US Presidential race come down to a couple of near octogenarians I’m heartened...
The Easter Bunny is an Essential Service
New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has responded to children asking about visits from the Easter Bunny...
Ten Positive Emotions
Ten positive emotions to consider and practice during these difficult times: ·       Love ·       Joy ·       Gratitude...
Murder Most Foul
Bob Dylan’s epic – out now – on YouTube, Spotify etc.  A 17 minute masterpiece I’ve been...
Dealing to Coronavirus
The New Zealand Institute of Wellbeing & ResilienceTM is dedicated to increasing Wellbeing for communities and companies...
Living Life Slow
Trudy and I have been in semi-isolation in Carefree, Arizona  now for 14 days and we’ve been...
Confessions of a Marketer
Here’s an interview I did recently with Mark Reed-Edwards on his website – Confessions of a Marketer...
The Earth Began to Heal
Dawood Gustave, good man, good friend and Reluctantly Brave, sent this poem to me. Check out the...
Keeping in Touch
A great idea from a couple of old P&G friends – John and Jeannie O’Keeffe. Hi Friends...
Test Yourself
Robin sent me this https://www.pandemic-footprint.com/.  From Germany, via Vancouver Island. It’s worth doing – and worth sharing....
It helps to pass the time
As we settle in to an unfamiliar time of working from home, minimal social contact and isolation...
Covid-19 (part II)
Just watched the amazing Jojo Rabbit… starring the brilliant Kiwi filmmaker, actor, director, writer Taika Waititi.  What...
Ageing (part 3 or 4 … I...
Dinner last week at one of Chicago’s finest restaurants – Spiaggia – one Michelin star, modern Italian...
Foodie Friday – Brown Food is back
I’m up to here with avocado, pomegranates, kale, quinoa and all that politically correct Instagram whole food....
Coronavirus – Covid-19
We have decided to Keep Calm and Carry On. We’ll review our plans every week but right...
Dads. (For Ben, Dan, Mark and Heath.)
Robin just showed me 16 of his musings from Maui.  Not quite finished or just finished –...
Losing My Memory – Again
In October 2011 I lost my memory – for around 12 hours – had no idea where...
Framing John DeLorean
One of my heroes back in the day. With feet of clay. A telling story of the...
What Are You Watching?
Some TV/movies from the road. Western Stars – Bruce Springsteen.  I recommended the album a while back. ...
From the Mouse House to the All...
I read three books around Winning, Leadership, Values, Beliefs and Success over the Christmas break in our...
True Grit
I wrote this article for Cumbria Business three years ago.  It struck me as being even more...
Wisdom from Nicaragua
I met a smart young man last week in Grand Cayman.  A Nicaraguan – called Fred (really)!!! ...
Foodie Friday. A Nod to Blue.
Éric Ripert is one of the best seafood chefs on the planet.  His NYC flagship is a...
What, Me Worry?
A new study on international happiness found that people are most miserable at 47 years of age....
Let Happiness Flow – Colombia Style
A couple of months ago I met Sylvia Ramirez when we were speaking together at a WOBI...
Ageing (2) – For Robin
Never mind the joints that ache the bones more brittle than they were at twenty. The memory...
Getting From There to Here
A couple of verses from an ageing poet who wrote this 20 years ago sprung to mind...
Making Britain Great Again
I read a great article by Natalie Ceeney the other day, making the case that in the...
Sound Advice from Mr Hemingway
KR
Foodie Friday – Summer with Simon.
                                                                                      Photo Credit - Vanessa Lewis. I’ve been mates with Simon Gault since 1989 – when...
Leadership Lessons from the Mouse House
Here’s a list of Disney CEO Bob Iger’s leadership lessons from his new book – The Ride...
The Team of the Decade
By Joe Bernstein for The Mail on Sunday ·       After 34 years without a trophy, Manchester City...
Thanks Sparky …
Happy New Year. KR
Keep It Simple (from The Times)
Four Royal Marines have planned to row across the Pacific in 2020.  They asked Rowing great Matthew...
Danger. Danger.
What’s the most dangerous place over Christmas / New Year? An aeroplane.  Any aeroplane. How many of...
Foodie Friday – Nothing beats a good...
Back in The City of Light, catching up with old friends – couldn’t resist going back to...
Raise the Glorious Flags
On this critical Election Day in the UK, I was given this paragraph from Winston Churchill’s autobiography...
The Boys are Back in Town
Just out.  Scorsese has done it again.  He’s brought back the Big Three – De Niro, Pesci...
Foodie Friday – The man who brought...
I was at The Bazaar in South Beach, Miami last week, revelling in José Andrés’ Caviar Cones,...
Inspiring Business Brilliance
Three years ago I joined 21 year old Jake Millar’s journey to drive Faster Business Learning among...
Foodie Friday. The Home of Ceviche.
We are en route to Medellin to give a speech on Creativity and have stopped off in...
Thanks for the dance
Released today. A post-humous album of unreleased work, full of love, arranged by Leonard’s son Adam. A...
The Ride of a Lifetime
Jake Millar recommended Disney CEO Bob Iger’s new book “The Ride of a Lifetime”. A great example...
THE UNINTENDED CONSEQUENCES OF HUMAN INNOVATION
Humans are changing the world. But the cost of our ingenuity is high. Check out Peter Gluckman...
Once Upon a Time in Hollywood
Finally got to watch Tarantino’s 9th movie on the Manchester – Singapore flight.  2 hours, 40 minutes...
Learnings from a Bookseller
James Daunt opened his first book shop, Daunt Books, in Marylebone, London in 1990 at just 26...
The 10 F’s.
Spent the last week or so in the North of England with 35 top Booths Buying Execs...
Foodie Friday – The Stars Come Out...
My home county of Cumbria in the UK now has more Michelin starred restaurants than any county...
The Power of Three
Today is a black day for New Zealand. The All Blacks were knocked out of the Rugby...
Foodie Friday – Wine Dinner in The...
A great dinner at Amanzoe, Porto Heli – where Executive Chef Dimitris Melemenis partnered with one of...
A Celebration of Friendship (Part IV)
Good friend and rugby comrade-in-arms Bob Latham of the great state of Texas just finished Robin’s 64...
Let’s hear it for Windermere!
I spend my time in the UK in Grasmere, one of the prettiest villages in the UK,...
Foodie Friday: Don’t blame the dog, Chris.
Caught up with old friends Chris and Gwenan Dee in Manchester (Chris now runs Harrods’ iconic Food...
A Childhood Dream Reignited – Honneur et...
When I was 30 I read a book by Simon Murray (see above).  I loved it.  It...
Making Happy Choices
The last three years have been amongst the happiest of my entire career.  After almost 50 years...
Foodie Friday: Probably the best Fish restaurant...
For over 100 years the Passedat family has been combining the art of hospitality and gastronomy on...
A Celebration of Friendship (Part III)
Eldest son Ben (Head of Talent for international media hot-shop Essence in Singapore) read Robin’s blog last...
Sporting Heaven
Saturday morning in a Manchester heatwave (somewhat of an oxymoron!!) in a great industrial apartment in Native’s...
What’s Next?
“I can well remember standing on top of Mount Everest having reached the top of the world...
The World’s Favourite Airline – Not!
A couple of weeks ago I was getting ready to leave Phoenix for Manchester (via London of...
A Celebration of Friendship (Part II)
To have a friend, you must be one. - The Lone Ranger A confessional from under the...
A Celebration of Friendship
As you know, side-kick and ex-Rugby team-mate Robin Dyke has just published his second book of poems,...
Throwback Thursday (from 19 December, 2013) –...
In our increasingly stressful, self-centred, Instagram world, one of the best and quickest antidotes to alleviate stress...
Passages
In 1977 I read a landmark book, Gail Sheehy’s Passages where she predicted and commented upon the...
Out Today!
Robin Dyke’s second book of poems – following his successful debut collection ‘Lasting, Leaving, Left’, here comes...
Life Needs More Sport
Saturday night in Auckland. 7.35pm: At Eden Park to watch the All Blacks bounce back and dismantle...
Foodie Friday – Eating at Pasture
Pasture was recently named Restaurant of the Year by Auckland’s Metro Magazine. And I agree with them....
See It. Say It. Fix It.
Alan Jones is an outspoken, brave, opinionated, creative Rugby loving Aussie – an all-round ‘big’ bloke who...
Foodie Friday – Wabi Sabi Pop-Up
On May 30 I recommended a trip to Wabi Sabi in Ambleside – and we were honoured...
Rolling Thunder Revue
1975-76 – Dylan, Baez, McGuinn, Joni Mitchell, Ramblin’ Jack unplugged, unleashed and unbelievable. Scorsese’s brilliant Netflix movie...
A Red Letter Day
July 19 was a red letter day.  Series Three of my favourite Netflix show, La Casa de...
My Favourite Magazine Cover of 2019
Learnings from Lancaster
I’ve been working at Lancaster University’s Business School for 10 years now, alongside two inspirational MBA Programme...
Foodie Friday. Nothing Beats a Decadent Lunch...
I love eating dinners out – and I rarely lunch, but when I do, it’s with family...
The Deliberate Life
Hayden Wilson is a marketing consultant/copywriter/author based in Sydney (and a top bloke).  I recently recorded a...
That was the week that was.
Sunday: Acute tendonitis of right Achilles completes first month of six-month rehab.  Working reasonably well, ice, Voltaren...
Is Your Business Brave?
I’ve been working with a small crew of imaginative, transformational folks for a few years now and...
Are You Spartan?
Growing up in Lancaster, I was lucky enough to get into one of the great Northern schools,...
Fail Fast, Learn Fast, Fix Fast
Spoke at two great Unfiltered Live events in Auckland and Christchurch last week.  Great speakers, great format...
Foodie Friday. Hola Mexico City.
Back to one of my favourite venues – Mexico City – for my 9th or 10th gig...
Never Out of the Fight
As I despair at political leadership in the US and the UK (all parties!), I am inspired...
Foodie Friday – Fresh Fish from The...
Spent four great days in Montenegro at the magical Aman Sveti Stefan and The Regent in the...
I can never forget, but no matter how much it hurts, how dark it gets, or no...
Foodie Friday – (Not so) Guilty Pleasures
A survey was published in the UK last week rating the country’s favourite indigenous foods – healthy,...
At last. A Wellbeing Budget.
Chapeau Chapeau to Jacinda and her Wellbeing Budget (a world first).  Spending increasing substantially more on mental...
Foodie Friday
A few days ago, Trudy and I were sitting at the two-seater Kitchen Table – interacting with...
A Tour de Yorkshire
Almost 600 years ago England was embroiled in a 30 year civil war between the Red Rose...
Back on the Highway
June 14 sees the release of The Boss’ first studio album in five years.  Three tracks are...
Binge Viewing 2019
More trans-Atlantic flights, more Ipad entertainment courtesy of Netflix, Amazon Prime and iTunes.  Here are some of...
A Star is Born (II)
As Michelin would say, here’s a place that’s worth going out of your way for.  The thriving...
The Game They Play in Heaven (Part...
A couple of days ago I wrote about how many things in Rugby haven’t changed or have...
Playing Hooky
Am in NYC all week and I snuck off work to trek up to 92nd St and...
The Game They Play in Heaven (Part...
I’ve been writing a column for NZ Rugby World since its debut in April 1997 as NZ...
The Game They Play in Heaven (Part...
I’ve played rugby since I was 11 years old and loved it from the moment the Under...
Manchester City – FA Cup Winners!
Manchester City: 6 / Watford: 0
Throwback Thursday III (from 20 December 2012):...
One thing that has really stood out for me this year is how much people are getting...
A Star is Born (I)
Since I joined Wigan Athletics’ Board a month ago, we have played five matches – won three,...
Winning in The Fourth Revolution (Part III)
To recap, here are the skills the World Economic Forum believes are vital to succeed as our...
Campione, Campione, Olé Olé Olé
Back to back, English Premier League Titles. Fourth Premier League title in eight years.  98 points, 95...
Throwback Thursday II (from 21 December 2007):...
The Harvard Business Review is not the first place you’d go to for advice on telling stories,...
Winning in The Fourth Revolution (Part II)
Last week I laid out my view on the new, VUCA (Volatile, Uncertain, Complex, Accelerating) world in...
Throwback Thursday I (from 27 October, 2015):...
“I just need some peace and quiet,” says someone, somewhere in the world, probably every day or...
Winning in The Fourth Revolution (Part I)
In response to a few requests I’m going to outline the skills and competences I believe companies,...
Summer’s Coming
I wrote about the Summer of ’65 in my recent post in praise of Cher.  Two years...
Go the LATICS
I’ve spent a lifetime in Sports. As a player (Rugby, Soccer, Tennis, Track and Field, Table-Tennis), a...
In Praise of Older Women (well, one...
I danced and sang along with Sonny and Cher’s ‘I Got You Babe’ at the Vale of...
As-Salaam-Alaikum
Prime Minister’s speech at the National Remembrance Service. Rt Hon Jacinda Ardern Prime Minister   E rau...
That Guy John Wareham
I’ve written about John in June 2017, in December 2014 and November 2011…… Obviously I hold him...
The Happiness Formula
In the Year of the Pig (“Happy as a pig in xxxx” springs to mind), I’m moving...
From eldest son Ben
In Darkness comes light. Through adversity comes strength. Through pain, comes change. The tragedy that New Zealand...
Christchurch 15 March 2019
BREXIT – An abject failure of Leadership
I’ve resisted the temptation to rant for so long. Too long. It’s David Cameron’s fault. He should...
Stand Up and Fight
Liverpool poet, member of The Scaffold, founder of The Mersey Sound, President of The Poetry Society, CBE...
Theodore Roosevelt
Son in law Mark Rolland (ex Saatchi & Saatchi, now Facebook) reminded me of this wonderful quote. ...
Gen Z
Gen Z’ers are coming of age – and they’re different.  Fluent digitally, socially aware and more cautious...
The Case for Optimism (Part IV)
One of Britain’s favourite poems … When I am an old woman I shall wear purple With...
Picking Your Captain
Clive Woodward won the 2003 Rugby World Cup with England – a team full of world class...
The Case for Optimism (Part III)
Seven facts from Hans Rosling’s book ‘Factfulness’. 1)   Fewer people live in poverty now than any other...
Learning from The Premier League (Part III)
Primum Non Nocere ✽ Manchester United just fired their manager (José Mourinho) and replaced him with an...
Step Change: How to Become a Creative...
Did you know that CEOs believe creativity is one of the most crucial skills leaders should have? Leaders...
Learning from The Premier League (Part II)
Ben Lyttleton has written a couple of books on Leadership Secrets from Football’s top thinkers and the...
Learning from The Premier League (Part I)
Watching soccer develop into the huge business it has become today has been fascinating. Off the field,...
2019 TV Bingeing
Starting the New Year with: Series 4 of The Bureau on iTunes – love the complex relationships,...
BUCKiT with Phil Keoghan
Television host, Emmy award winning Producer and Guest Speaker, Phil Keoghan has spent 30 years in television...
Unleash the Flâneur Within (Part II)
Here is my three-point starter kit for the 21st century flâneur: Plunge Into Chaos. Go where your...
Unleash the Flâneur Within (Part I).
“Yea I went with nothing Nothing but the thought of you I went wandering …”          The...
A Tale of Two Gunfights
1)         The Gunfight at the O.K. Corral - October 26, 1881. Today we had planned to visit...
The Case For Optimism – Part II
Earlier this week I talked about The Case for Optimism.  Here are five ways to pump optimism...
The Case For Optimism – Part I
As I wrote on New Year’s Eve, world events test one’s capacity for positive thinking.  In every...
Goodbye 2018 – Our Best Year Yet
Yes – I know about Trump, Putin, Brexit, Man City slipping to third place, the All Blacks...
Springsteen on Broadway
Mr Born to Run – up close and personal. My Hero.  My Age.  My Height. If I...
Hear Me This Day
Raheem Sterling was subjected to racist abuse from a Chelsea fan at Stamford Bridge last weekend.  Sterling...
For Robin
Sam Hunt is one of my favourite New Zealand poets/performers (close friend Brian Sweeney used to be...
What’s Going On?
I was asked a few questions last week by a group of leaders from Lancaster Royal Grammar...
In Praise of the iGeneration
I just spent a great morning with a dozen or so Y2K kids in Muscat, Oman –...
Latest Lovemarks
I wrote Lovemarks, The Future Beyond Brands – in 2005 and The Lovemarks Effect a year later...
Forever Young
Three recent experiences that made me feel young again. 1)   October 20th.  I celebrated my birthday with...
Change.
The All Blacks are constantly searching for ways to improve, to keep winning, and to stay ahead...
Binge Viewing
Have been flying all over the place recently (including Europe / Africa / Middle East – Tunis...
We are Winning the War.
With all the moaning and angst in the media around Trump, Brexit, Party Conferences, Khashoggi – it’s...
Aloha from Honolulu
I’ve always enjoyed Hawaii – the Aloha Spirit of Love, the fusion of Native, Japanese and American...
High Altitude.
I went into the Flux Animation Studio to shoot a free form interview with New Zealand recruitment...
Focus. Commitment. Discipline. (Part Two)
Last week we were lucky enough to join the beautiful wedding celebration of two friends – JD...
Old Masters
Am listening to two Old Masters today in Grasmere at the dog end of a great Summer. ...
Focus. Commitment. Discipline.
I’ve written frequently about the Power of Three and man’s predilection for thinking in threes.  Three’s fit...
Ritz Carlton – Probably the best customer...
In Singapore for the weekend.  Granddaughters Stella and Chloe staying at The Ritz Carlton with us.  We...
Divine Decadence
Arrived at The Ritz Carlton Singapore to be greeted with this extraordinary treat.  Two packets of crisps...
Step Change: How to Achieve Growth Through...
This is the fourth video of this five-part blog series with Step Change. Here I share what...
A Winter Weekend in Auckland
Friday August 24th. Dinner in the French Kitchen, the private haven at New Zealand’s best restaurant, The...
Fail Fast. Learn Fast. Fix Fast.
I’ve lived by this belief for many years.  It’s all about keeping going, moving on, eliminating fear,...
Inside The Centurions.
Well it’s out.  All Or Nothing.  Manchester City.  Eight episodes on Amazon Prime.  Behind the scenes on...
One for the Bucket List, Robin.
Last week I spent three days in the Napa Valley – US Wine Country – and sensibly...
Bird in Santa Monica
I was recently holed up for the weekend in Santa Monica in between sessions with Fremantle leaders...
A Very English Scandal
Two political scandals changed the face of Britain in the 60’s / 70’s.  The Profumo Scandal, where...
Homeward Bound
The Manchester Arena a couple of weeks ago – jam packed with couples, friends, lovers – from...
Step Change: How to Achieve Peak Performance...
To become a peak-performing organisation, you need to find a way to get rid of the noise...
Step Change – Identify Your Customer’s Pain...
In this second part of this five-part video blog series with Step Change, I was asked to...
Step Change – Creativity and Innovation.
A couple of months ago, I had the pleasure of meeting the team at Step Change, a...
Throwback thoughts from November 2004.
On average a four-year-old child asks 437 questions a day. Napoleon made his battle plans in a...
The Art of Branded Entertainment.
I’ve been working with FremantleMedia’s brilliant leadership team for over a decade now as they’ve created and...
The Store is Not Dead.
Am back in NYC for a couple of weeks in my stomping ground for the past 15...
Making New Zealand a Better Place.
For some years I have been arguing that the long-held belief that the role of Business was...
Phil Rigby – A Legend.
I’ve collected photos since the 60’s – my homes are full of them – heroes / icons...
All or Nothing
Out now.  The first ever behind the scenes deep probe into the All Blacks – unfiltered and...
Viva La Difference.
Last month Mark Smith, Vice Chancellor of Lancaster University invited me to speak to his (very!) heavy...
Bring Back Bob.
In January last year I wrote about the new President: “Trump will be unpredictable, surprising, perplexing, dangerous, brutish, but...
It is not the Mountain We Conquer,...
Almost 20 years ago I got to meet and then spend several Saturday mornings with one of...
Happiness Runs.
Richard Nicholls has just published ’15 Minutes to Happiness’, a book that outlines simple exercises to reduce...
It’s Good News Week.
Two of my favourite projects, Blackpool Museum and Lake District Tourism have just received £7.3 million from...
12 Records in One Season.
For those of us who were there (1.8 million over the season), we may never see the...
A Modest Proposal – Part Two.
John Wareham worked with Kenny Johnson – career criminal, career inmate.  Until he met John at Rikers...
Finding Leonard.
On September 27 1960, Leonard Cohen bought a house in Hydra for $1,500 using a bequest from...
Inspiration from The Past (Part II).
On Happiness: Happiness is the meaning and purpose of life, the whole aim and end of human...
Inspiration from The Past (Part I).
Am writing this from Porto Heli in the Peloponnese, listening to Leonard Cohen (more on that next...
A Modest Proposal.
John Wareham is a renaissance man.  An author, a psychologist, a thinker, a doer, an innovator.  I’ve...
What Employees Really Want
Three Facebook leaders, Lori Goler, Janelle Gale and Brynn Harrington (together with Wharton Professor Adam Grant) just...
Premier League Champions!
KR
The Power of Three
As visitors to this parish are aware, I’m a big believer in The Power of Three.  And...
Business Heroes
The five Directors of Unfiltered answered seven questions last week on their business influences.  Taking a leaf...
The Mindful Manager
I’ve worked on the MBA programme at Lancaster University for five/six years now (Lancaster is The Sunday...
How to win in Business. Fast.
If you’re in New Zealand on May 22nd, check this out. The biggest business event of the...
Legacy in the Making
I worked with a very smart guy at Team One in Los Angeles for over 15 years. ...
Little Things That Matter.
I love a list as you know.  Came across this a few weeks ago – can’t remember...
Red Heads and Blue Heads.
About a year ago I wrote in praise of James Kerr’s book Legacy.  And just last week...
XV All Blacks Values
  I’ve watched and admired the All Blacks for 40 years now – and sat on the...
Pep Guardiola and Steve Hansen – Separated...
I wrote this article for NZ Rugby World’s February/March edition – and I think it’s a great...
Aviate. Navigate. Communicate.
Last week I wrote about the Power of Three.  Edwin Booth, Chairman and CEO of Booths Grocers,...
The Business Book that changed me
A few days ago I published a piece on Tom Peters’ new book, The Excellence Dividend. In...
The Excellence Dividend
Tom Peters just sent me a proof of his latest book, The Excellence Dividend, which will be...
Multicultural Television
It’s great to see foreign language dramas getting an airing via Netflix and iTunes.  Different countries have...
The Power of Three
The Power of Three I recently wrote an article in Cumbria Business on The Power of Three. ...
Good News for Western Fans
A few days ago I wrote about Clayton Moore’s Lone Ranger (and I even enjoyed the much...
The Lone Ranger’s Creed
I grew up in Lancaster listening to Radio Caroline’s pirate DJ’s bringing the 60’s to life via...
From WeWork to WeGrow
Founding partner and Chief Brand Officer of WeWork, wife of Adam and mother of five young children...
Serving Generation We
One of my favourite companies is WeWork.  Founded seven years ago by Adam Neumann and Miguel McKelvey...
Leonard Cohen at Home
I spent a wonderful three days with Ludia, a brilliant video game outfit, in one of my...
What Makes Must Watch TV
I was talking to some of FremantleMedia’s drama leaders and doing some reading / thinking about what...
Must Watch TV in 2018
Here’s what I’ll be bingeing on this year. Old Favourites / New Series: Madame Secretary Chicago PD...
Two Thumbs Up
Mark Zuckerberg’s New Year Facebook post outlined his personal commitment to ‘fix’ how Facebook handles hate abuse...
A New Year – a new set...
As you know I love a list – and in the time honoured tradition I’ve made my...
Tearsofjoyemoji
5 Positives
Another list. 1. Attraction: New York tops the list of the most Instagrammed cities of 2017. There’s still no place...
Ace-of-cards
52 The Deck of Cards
Here’s some numbers for the Season. I heard this narrated by Wink Martindale, U.S. DJ and radio show...
47-Friends
47 Friends
In the introduction to 64 Shots: Leadership in a Crazy World, I riffed on the meaning of 64....
GeneralMills
Making food people love
General Mills is an iconic American company that makes food loved by people throughout the nation -...
64 Shots
64 Shots: “Nuggets of wisdom and inspiration”
It’s list time of the year, and it’s nice to be at the top of one. Matt Devost is a...
A Shopping List
What goes on in newsrooms these days? There is serious journalism – The Washington Post and The...
At-Kearney
AT Kearney Weighs in on 2018
My friends at AT Kearney have called their VUCA world shots on 2018. “In today’s increasingly volatile world,...
Manchester City
My Team
The Financial Times have just published an extensive mumbo-jumbo piece on my team Manchester City, “the ‘Disneyfication’ of football.” It...
Bruce-Springsteen-Thunder-Road-KRC
Flashback Friday: Desert Island Discs: My All...
DECEMBER 6, 2007 Thanks to Steve Jobs, we no longer have to concern ourselves with taking 10...
Google-X
The Crazy Idea Process
Physicist Isador Isaac Rabi, who won the Nobel Prize is said to have said: “My mother made...
Maxell-Chair-Man
The Power of Music
I love music. Music can offer an escape, can drum up memories from the past and can...
Kevin-Roberts
Manchester Masterclass
Manchester is Britain's great second city. It is to London what Chicago is to New York. It's...
hybrid
Tense Combinations
In the dictionary the word hybrid means “a thing made by combining two different elements.” And a...
My-Food-Bag-KRC
Supreme Win for My Food Bag
It was a big night in Auckland when My Food Bag took out the Supreme Award for...
EHF-KRC
Magic in the Room
Here’s a piece from The Atlantic that iterates on ideas in my post on the value of face time. The issue: how...
Why-Bob-Dylan-Matters
Diving Into Dylanology
He’s America’s greatest shape shifter; his lyrics are both timeless and endlessly poetic. And he has won...
What-Makes-Us-Happy
It’s Thanksgiving: How to Live a Happy...
Happiness has been written about extensively. Scientists have studied the elusive feeling to find out what makes...
David-Petraeus
Freakin’ Friday: It’s A VUCA World Alright!
FIRST PUBLISHED TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 2012 In my sole but seminal encounter with the Pentagon when they...
This-Space-KRC
Off to Work, with a Smile
Continuing the recent theme of feel good, work better, here is a great Cumbrian reframe concept around property...
Lancaster-Royal-Grammar-School
It’s Only Taken 782 Years
Many years ago I was booted out of Lancaster Royal Grammar School, a top all boys school...
Francis-Ford-Coppola
Flashback Friday: Meeting Francis Ford Coppola
Published 10 years ago on KR Connect.. I spent last week in Latin America. I was in...
Manchester-City-Tunnel-Club
Is it City?
I’ve been a Manchester City fan for over 50 years, starting in the great days of the...
Kevin-Roberts-at-American-University-Dubai
Visiting the American University in Dubai
My affection for the people of the Middle East goes back to the mid 1970s when I...
Net-a-Porter
Feel Good, Work Better
What do cinemas, nail bars, giant bunnies, gyms, Segways, castles, wellness centres, fireman poles, yoga studios, pizza...
Workplace-personalities
People Pointers
“There’s nought as queer as folk,’ is an old phrase from where I hail in the North...
Gordon Downie
What Leaders Do
My second post about Canada this week. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau spoke for the nation of Canada which he...
Victoria-Inner-Harbour
Victoria Canada – Ever Edging Towards Lovability
My friend Robin Dyke, poet, mentor and change agent, ran his west coast Canadian hometown through the...
Lee-Hazlewood
Flashback Friday: Lee Hazlewood: These Boots Were...
TUESDAY, OCTOBER 16, 2007 I bought a bizarre CD six months ago called Cake or Death. It was...
TVSeries
Compelling TV Series to Watch
Am flying between Asia, the Middle East and Europe, so lots of airplane time – time for...
Auckland-Lovemark-City
Lovemark Cities
It’s an interesting fact that the cities ranked most liveable are not always the cities that are...
9BasicHumanNeeds
Schools and the “Creativity Crisis”
Creativity and the role it takes in schools’ curriculums is a topic that divides many, suprisingly. When...
Lancaster University
Lancaster University Leading
More eagerly awaited than Blackwell’s Best Dressed List, The Times and Sunday Times UK Good University Guide league table...
Bill-English-and-Winston-Peters
A Winning Performance, Sort Of
Congratulations Prime Minister Bill English and the National Party on winning the popular vote on Saturday’s New...
Glory
Throwback Thursday: Marketing Wisdom from the 18th...
PUBLISHED SEPTEMBER 19, 2007 The accelerating trend to consumer control won’t be a big surprise to most...
TheCrownJulianBroad
Winston Churchill: Crazy Times
John Lithgow's Emmy acceptance speech tonight: “First and foremost, I want to thank Winston Churchill. In these...
AbsVsBoks
57-0
All Blacks 57, South Africa 0. Oi. Ugh. A few months ago I posted "World Domination: Why...
LifeLessonsPodcast
Life Lessons Radio Podcast
Rick Tocquigny and I were are P&G at the same time in the late 70s and early...
Breach
Throwback Thursday: Business Tips From the Movies:...
KRConnect has been running for 10 years now - 2104 posts - so I can now run...
KrShows
Golden Age – Drama on Television
In today’s Golden Age of TV Dramas, here’s what I’ve been watching in 2017. The Bureau –...
KrEntourageAcademcy
Entourage Academy Podcast
A couple of months ago I had a lively and intense conversation with Secret Entourage founder Pejman Ghadimi about marketing and...
KR Unfiltered
Unfiltered Conference: Team, Culture & Diversity
Unfiltered, the business education video disrupter founded by Jake Millar and which I chair, staged an astoundingly...
DavidDallas64Bars
64 Bars
A year ago I published 64 Shots (Leadership in a Crazy World). New Zealand rapper David Dallas is doing 64 Bars. Dreamed...
Virgil’s Aeneid Sketch
The Gods Make Bored First Those Whom...
When I was studying Virgil’s Aeneid at school I came across a line I will never forget – “The...
Air New Zealand
In Praise of Air NZ
Air New Zealand is – alongside My Food Bag - New Zealand’s premier company. They fly 16 million...
TellUsAStory
KR Podcast with Linda Coles “Tell Us...
Just posted, a 23 minute podcast with Linda Coles, foremost NZ Linkedin influencer (530k followers). We dive into Lovemarks and how they...
Saatchi & Saatchi
Name The First Advertising Agency That Comes...
Exactly. Chutzpah & Chutzpah is a history of Saatchi & Saatchi by Richard Myers, Simon Goode and Nick Darke...
Zentivity
Zentivity Calms Stress and Discontent in the...
My cobber in D.C. Leland Schwartz is always onto a good thing. He sent me a just-published...
Do you remember
Do You Remember?
When was the last time you memorized someone else’s phone number? Drove somewhere without Google Maps turned...
World Happiness Day
Happiness Without Borders
I‘ve blogged about happiness and personal wellbeing at length. In recent years happiness has gained ground all...
Education Matters
The Future of Learning
We are facing a crisis in education. Education simply hasn’t kept up. Teaching methods, teacher training, the...
When Lions Roared
When Lions Roared
The British & Irish Lions have left New Zealand with a drawn series. Humbug. The All Blacks...
SmartCities
Smart Cities for Wellbeing
Technology, data and sensors – the architecture of the Internet of Things – are raising the IQs...
Richie McCaw
Captains of Sporting History
Books about sporting greatness get my attention. The Captain Class: The Hidden Force behind the World’s Greatest Teams by...
Herdy
Hear it for Herdy
People in Cumbria have cheered at the awarding of the Lakes District the status of Unesco World...
Jargon
Mumbo Jumbo
I use my fair share of acronyms. ABC. ADE. VUCA. RLRJ. FF/LF/FF*. They are a useful shorthand...
Paradox
Gearing for Complexity
“The best managers are happy to hold two or more opposing views on an issue because they know the...
ATKearney - Adapting to Disruption
AT Kearney’s 2017 Views from the C-Suite
AT Kearney’s Global Business Policy Council has always been a happy landing pad for me. I’ve always...
EmiratesTeamNZ
The Ecstasy of Emirates Team New Zealand
Last Friday I opened Unfiltered's conference on Team, Culture and Diversity at the Auckland Museum with a presentation...
LionsTour
Breffni the Lions Fan
My mate from the Hawkes Bay Denis O'Reilly, social activist and essayist, is a great storyteller. Here is...
Stop Wasting Time
Stop Wasting Time
61% of working Americans say they don’t have enough time to do the things they want to do. Everyone...
Choices
Winding Up Wellbeing
I recently wrote about the importance of personal wellbeing in sustainable peak performance. We need to take care of...
Wellington
One for Wellington
I’m in Wellington New Zealand this week for two monster rugby games, the British and Irish Lions...
banana
Banana Rescue? Shoes That Grow? Why Didn’t...
Some ideas are staring us in the face, but it takes a sideways glance to remove their...
RotaryNewmarket
I’ve Been Asked to Make This Thanks...
This week I spoke at a lunch for Newmarket Rotary, a service organization in an established Auckland...
future technology
Full Speed Ahead
The impact of technology on modern living is mind-blowing. Tom Trezise, an expert in accelerating innovation in...
VinceLombardi
Leadership by Lombardi
Leadership is a mix of qualities, and a building of character. One thing I advise students of...
MikeHoskingNewstalkZB
Breakfast Interview with Mike Hosking
Yesterday I had the pleasure of  talking with NewstalkZB's Mike Hosking, New Zealand's #1 broadcaster, for a rapid-fire...
Samoa
“The Best Way to Prepare for a...
Ian Foster, assistant coach of the All Blacks, said something today which caught my eye ahead of...
instant translation artificial intelligence
Tipping Talking Point
Artificial intelligence is many things: logical, useful, scary, efficient, marginalising, shocking, exciting, wonderful. An area where I...
Face Time vs working remotely
The Value of Face Time
About 25% of all US employees work remotely and according to a Gallup study the most engaged...
Lovemarks Kevin Roberts
A Short History of Paper
True innovation is irreplaceable. Innovation makes our life easier – it changes our worlds. Here are five...
Sergeant Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band
Sergeant Pepper at 50
The Summer of Love, June 1967. 50 years ago. My daughter Nikki was born on June 24....
Denis O'Reilly and John Wareham
Wakatika Ora and the Tribe of Nga...
Putting the brakes on substance addiction is a hard, constant and worthy battle. Drug addiction rips the...
Automation vs Empathy
The Future of Work Is Philosophy
The future of work is a hot topic these days. Research here indicates almost half of U.S....
redrose-consulting -Choir Nation
Sing Your Heart Out
One of my eccentric friends has this infrequently-visited obsession to get companies to sing. It’s a twist...
Wont You Be My Neighbor
This Week in New Orleans and Manchester
Poet, friend, Robin Dyke writes:   Won’t You Be My Neighbor If wishes were helpers, how we’d...
Manchester, Mark Nelson
Manchester
“The bloody scene is bloody sad. The bloody news is bloody bad.” Manchester poet John Cooper Clarke...
A Black Day
A Black Day
A black day for Manchester. And for Humanity.
redrose-consulting
Have You Filled a Bucket Today?
Ten years ago I picked up a story book – aimed at kids four-nine, by Carol McCloud...
War Paint Broadway
Putting Life Onstage, But Bigger
Broadway is a blast. From the frothy tour de force of Bette Midler in "Hello Dolly" to...
The Usefulness of Useless Knowledge
Brief Book, Big Message
ROI – Return on Investment – is one of the epic idea-killers in the corporate playbook. Initiatives...
American Gods
American Gods Shines, Sparks
Is this the edgiest show on television? From the award-winning novel by Neil Gaiman of the same...
Lancaster University
Winning Attitudes at Lancaster MBA
For several years I have been coaching MBA students at the Lancaster University Management School, ranked in...
Blackpool Museum Project
Winning Hearts and Minds in Blackpool
Museums are an essential part in bringing art, culture and history to people. Unfortunately visitor numbers have...
Tears of Joy emoji
Emoji Face Heart and Hand
Did you know that there’s a new school of academic and corporate research dedicated to studying emoji...
CEO Genome Study
CEO Genome Project (Part 2)
Last week I wrote about the CEO Genome project by leadership advisory firm ghGmart. The #1 trait...
MyFoodBag Fresh Start
450 Calories and Less
The need to slim down is a health imperative for the majority of people in most of...
KR&Jake
Unfiltered – Disrupting Business Education
Unfiltered is a rapidly growing New Zealand startup focused exclusively on business education. Today I joined its...
CEO Genome Study
Assess Decide Execute
I lean heavily on the BQ factor – “Bloody Quick.” In my book 64 Shots: Leadership in...
TheLakesDistillery
There’s a Brew Going Down at The...
Part of the Cumbrian food and taste experience, which I wrote about a few weeks ago, is...
NZ Rugby World Cover
Why Are the All Blacks So Good?
I’ve written for NZ Rugby World every month since issue number one, 20 years ago in April...
DougMyers
A Lion Has Passed
At 6.30am on a wintry, cold 1989 Toronto morning, two partners of Egon Zehnder knocked on my...
Laura Kimpton LOVE Monumental Word Sculpture
I Love Laura
Laura Kimpton is a California-based, American contemporary artist. She is known for her Monumental Word series including...
CricHQ
CricHQ Shortlisted for UK Sports Tech Award
CricHQ is the world’s leading data company, with the goal of becoming the world’s leading cricket broadcaster....
DuoroRiver
Making Happy Choices
Am in Porto, the great river city of Portugal, with two great companies – Sonae, speaking to...
Stress
Here’s How to Destress
In today’s crazy world, stress levels can go through the roof. 24x7 internet and mobiles, no time...
Restaurant
If You’re Visiting the Lakes This Spring/Summer…
I have a home on the Fells above Grasmere, one of England’s most beautiful villages, on Greenhead...
Spread Your #lovein3words
Revlon have done a loving thing. On the Oscars broadcast they launched The Love Project. Lady Gaga,...
Shawnigan
“. . . With Heart & Humor”
My friend from yore Robin Dyke, poet and professor from Victoria in British Columbia, came with me...
DoItForDenmark
For F***’s Sake
In 2011 I was giving a keynote speech at a major economics conference in Spain. The country...
teenagers
In Defense of Teenagers: It’s Not Their...
Everything you wanted to know about teenagers but were afraid to ask (apologies to Woody Allen for...
Tom Brady and Richie McCaw
The New England Patriots and Mental Toughness
How did Tom Brady and the New England Patriots comeback after being down 21-3 in the first...
Tavis Smiley
Justice Is the Translation of Love
One of the great pleasures of American current affairs television is its principled partisanship. Fox is right...
Manchester
Manchester McMansion
Manchester is the nearest big city to my Grasmere hideaway. It’s home to my beloved Manchester City...
Edgework
Risky Business
Is a life without risk worth living? Looking at the recent “adrenaline-themed” issue of lifestyle magazine Kinfolk,...
Gut Feelings
In Praise of Gut Feeling
Mr. Spock vs. Captain Kirk. Sherlock Holmes vs. Dirty Harry. Obama vs. Trump. Readers of this column...
Conqa
Crazies Leading in London
London Stock Exchange – March 10 – I’ll be opening the London Leadership Summit for Conqa, a global...
Number of Americans killed by displayed in a chart
Reality Check #2: Where the Killing Comes...
The motivation behind the presidential order to reject people seeking to enter the US from Iraq, Syria,...
Where does output purchased in the US come from graphic
Reality Check #1: Globaloney
America, it is said, is in a post-truthful state of mind. Anything can be asserted as a...
James Kerr Legacy
Mental Toughness at the Super Bowl
Tom Brady and the New England Patriots just won their most incredible 5th Super Bowl. Every time...
Bob Latham
The Power of Presence
Technology is embedded in modern living, and these days our magic mobile phones run our lives. This...
Millennial Myths
Four Millennial Myths
An 85 page report by Mizuho Securities shines a light on four millennial ‘Assumed Facts’. 1. Myth...
2016 Rocked, 2017 Will Be Even Better
2016 Rocked, 2017 Will Be Even Better
Some Reasons 2016 Rocked (from a cool list of attributed news story facts published by political economist...
Threats to Humanity in 2017
The Bad News
According to the World Economic Forum, the greatest threats to humanity in 2017 are: Donald Trump (oops –...
YPO New York
New York Stand Up
New Yorkers are a tough crowd, right? Straight talkers, business builders, deal makers, fast movers. I had...
Kevin Roberts with Tom Keene
With Tom Keene on POTUS
My favorite morning hour is with Tom Keene, the rambunctious host of Bloomberg Surveillance. This morning, no...
Group Of Children Sitting In Mall Using Mobile Phones, TQ
(IQ+EQ+TQ+BQ)CQ
Mastering this equation leads to a productive business – and life. TQ is your Technology Quotient. Do...
5 VUCA books
5 VUCA Books
Here's a guest KR Connect post from Michael Davies, a Lancaster Royal Grammar School history teacher and...
2017 Predictions - Sporting Victories
2017 Predictions #4: Sporting Victories
The Six Nations will be the most hotly contested and unpredictable series of games for years. Four...
Amazon Echo and Google Home
2017 Predictions #3: Siriously Alexa
Of all the AI, VR, TMT and HOT innovation acronyms, STI will make the biggest impact. For...
Donald Trump
2017 Predictions #2: Trump Will Triumph
He won - Donald Trump. The transition appointments show his intention for a muscular America, bristling with...
Brexit
2017 Predictions #1
If you thought last year was crazy, put on your seat belts for 2017. Here are three...
PT Prophet Podcast by Hayden Wilson
PT Prophet Podcast
Hayden Wilson is an Aussie, based in Melbourne, who has created an influential network of personal trainers...
Loading Mercury with a Pitchfork by Richard Brautigan
Loading Mercury With a Pitchfork
January 4 3 I’ve started off with a mistake but I’ll try to get better and put...
Best Leadership Books of 2016
Best Leadership Books of 2016
Here's a nice way to close out the year. 64 Shots features in Leadership Now's best books...
Retail
Retail Physics
Online shopping is on a roll. Today around eight-in-ten Americans are online shoppers. 79% have made an...
St Peters Church
Restore a church
Many years ago – 1999 – I spoke to the clergy of the Christchurch Diocese in St...
The Beatles Lyrics by Hunter Davies
I read the news today – oh...
Christmas looming… my favourite gift for giving – ‘The Beatles Lyrics’ by Hunter Davies. The stories behind...
Amazon Go
Amazon Go: Just Walk Out
‘No lines, no checkout. (No, seriously.)’ I like where Amazon is headed at it punches further into...
Power Without Pylons Cumbria
Protecting one of England’s most dramatic natural...
William Wordsworth (1770-1850) was one of the most influential Romantic poets. He was born in Cumbria and...
The Reform Club
The Reform Club 11 January
I’ve had the honour of addressing many and varied audiences in some of the world’s most stunning...
Loveworks Retail Bags
Shopping the Future
Worldwide retail sales hit $24 trillion last year, not exactly small beer. The massive retail business is...
Jonah Lomu Legacy Trust
Jonah Lomu Legacy
The global Rugby community came together last Thursday in the Winter Marquee on Finsbury Square in the...
Accenture Interactive's Love Index
Accentuating Love
12 years on from writing Lovemarks: the Future Beyond Brands, Accenture Interactive – a branch of the...
Nick Farr Jones
Finders, Minders, Binders and Grinders
In the 1990’s I became very close to Australia’s finest athletes as Castlemaine Perkins in Queensland, one...
Leonard Cohen
Death of a Ladies Man
One of my heroes passed away today. 82 years young. Songwriter. Poet. Dreamer. Artist. Leonard Cohen. I...
Donald Trump
2.50am. Trumpland. USA.
Time to take the advice from Monty Python’s Eric Idle Some things in life are bad They...
Jack Reacher A Novel By Lee Child
Lee Child – Night School
A red letter day. The new Jack Reacher book is on my desk. Night School – Lee...
Diego Masciaga
Diego the Maestro
Masciaga not Maradona. The best restaurant leader in the World. At the best restaurant in the World....
Inspired in Dubai
Inspired in Dubai
I first visited the Middle East in 1972 with the Gillette Company pioneering New Product entries into...
Shingles Emoji
Get a Shingles vaccine
A great couple of weeks (speaking to a conference in Dubai, teaching at the American University there...
Business Response to Brexit is Export
Export to the World
The Institute of Directors annual conference is the premier business event in the UK, held last month...
My Food Bag Crew
My Food Success
My Food Bag team Cecilia Robinson, James Robinson, Kevin Roberts, Nadia Lim, Theresa Gattung and Carlos Bagrie....
Bob Dylan
The Bard Of Hibbing, Minnesota
The Nobel Prize committee surprised the world on October 13, selecting an American author for the first...
Leonard Cohen and John Pine
Old Timers
2 of my favorite storytellers have new albums out. Leonard Cohen's "You want it darker" is teasing...
Kevin Roberts and Shimon Peres
Shimon Peres RIP
A great leader passed last week. Shimon Peres served as president of Israel, prime minister, two times...
I Know This To Be True Books
I Know This To Be True
A new book out in New Zealand which must find its way into your life. I know...
Born to Run by Bruce Springsteen
The Church Of Reverend Bruce
Got my copy of Born to Run, Bruce Springsteen’s autobiography. Am getting drenched in words, experiences, emotions....
Kevin Roberts speaking
20 Shots
It doesn’t get better than being on stage at the Royal Albert Hall. Thanks to my friends...
Crime shows Gomorrah and Marseille
Must See Euro Crime Shows To Binge...
Gomorrah – series 2 now out – brilliantly real life grimy documentary – like Naples underworld story....
BIBAS speeches
BIBAS In Blackpool
Blackpool was the place to be last Friday night. The Famous Blackpool Illuminations lit up the Promenade...
All Blacks Kieran Reid
Groundhog Day
Last Sunday I wrote about a day to remember as my two favorite sports teams, the All...
Massimiliano Fuksas
Emotional Architecture
When you drive La Cienega Boulevard in Los Angeles, less than a mile away from Sunset is...
All Blacks and Manchester City Wins
A Day To Remember And Savor
The All Blacks ran riot in the second half of the Hamilton Test against Argentina – scoring...
Ann Tisch
Twenty Years And Thousands Of Lives
My friend Ann Tisch is an American hero. Ann is President and Founder of the Young Women’s...
football
The Beautiful Game
Well, today’s the day.  For the first time in almost 50 years, I have no-one to answer...
Motorbike smokeout
Special People. Special Learning.
My business education took off when I was 25 years old and was fortunate enough to convince...
Hand
When Times Are Tough
A friend, Nick Miaritis, reminded me of Theodore Roosevelt’s wise words. It is not the critic who...