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November Suite

Nov 12

Posted by Stuart in Blog posts, Writing, Θ Poetry | No Comments

I’m in the middle of an exercise to write a poem a day for November – the resulting collection, once edited, will be called ‘November Suite’. I am using various exercises to generate material. For example, I take the last line of the previous poem and google that phrase. Then I follow the links and harvest phrases and words from the pages that I find, using the material which this produces to steer the sense of the poem. 

The following poem was created using a phrase which I stumbled across – this became the title of the poem and was then put through google. This is an early draft, but I like the direction it follows:

The Voice of Wittgenstein

 “After several attempts to weld my results together
The best I could write would never be more
Than philosophical remarks

My thoughts would soon be crippled
If I tried to force them on
Against their inclination”

An anti-systematic attitude
Like John Cage’s music or Stockhausen
A permanent condition

Numbered aphorisms, as though
The world of existence could be reduced
To a set of interwoven statements

 Everything succumbing to the power of language
Different voices in dialogue
The first of the post-modernists

 Voice 1, then Voice of Tradition
Voice of Perplexity
And the Voice of Clarity

 These voices are inside my head
All at once, they seize language
Mess with it, precise but dissective

Taking objects and making of them
A contradiction, a complexity
Confusion that removes sense of self

Uttering a word, a phrase – I love you
Lost in translation, in perplexity
A permanent condition.

[20:30]

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Print on Demand

Oct 30

Posted by Stuart in Blog posts, Writing | No Comments

I am looking at print-on-demand publishing services like Lulu.com and Createspace.com. Both of them offer services which mean that you can turn a pdf file into a book manuscript which can then be printed off as a book. These can be printed when required so rather than printing a thousand books and watching them gather dust in cardboard boxes, it is possible to print off individual copies as required at an economically viable cost.

Now, unless I am much mistaken, some detailed research suggests that Lulu is probably a better service if you are based in the UK, because the other service (which is owned by Amazon) only prints in the US.

There is also the option to produce books through both services, although this might be somewhat cumbersome. Any views on the two services are welcome – just post a comment on this post.

I’m going to use this service in the next few weeks to produce the first couple of books. This is a real move forwards for my publishing press (bluewater books), which until now has only produced hand-printed chapbooks. I’m looking forward to experimenting, and will blog about the progress with it over the coming weeks.

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Keep it Simple Stupid

Oct 23

Posted by Stuart in Blog posts, Writing, Θ Archetypes at Work | 1 Comment

DriftwoodI am in the middle of a few hours working on the ‘Archetypes at Work’ manuscript. I have pushed the word count up to 18,000 words which is really encouraging.

I have just used a quote from Bartok:

“What is new and significant must always be connected with old roots, the truly vital roots that are chosen with great care from the ones that merely survive.”

In striving to produce something startlingly different which pushes into new territory we always need to help the process of communication by creating hooks for the audience. Bartok did it by pushing music into new soundscapes whilst drawing heavily on the folk and ethnic music of his homeland, Hungary. He and Zoltan Kodaly were active musicographers – generating a growing archive of the history of Magyar music. This simultaneous exploration of the historical context with the pushing out into new territory is key to charting new territory.

So, complexity for its own sake, working against the conventions just to be obtuse is counter-productive.

I read a book a few a few years ago by an academic from Warwick University, Gibson Burrell (now at Leicester). The book was called ‘Pandemonium’. It was about a post-modernist approach to organisation studies. In keeping with the subject it was laid out in an unusual format with the text working from front to back for the top half of the page, then from back to front for the bottom half. It was an imaginative approach which worked well. A departure from the norm – but there was a clear guide to get the reader through the book.

So, the point of this post is to remind me that if I experiment, I need to ensure that the communication is not lost because of the lack of cues or clues for the reader. In the words of the title, by all means explore complex issues and enjoy the journey – but remember the acronym KISS – keep it simple stupid!

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Scrapes against the soul – why so long?

Oct 21

Posted by Stuart in Blog posts, Writing, Θ Poetry | No Comments

I said in mid-September that I had nearly completed the latest poetry manuscript, ‘Scrapes against the Soul’. Well, I have been stuck on the last poem for a few weeks now. It is a long piece which captures my experiences of Liverpool in the late 70s and early 80s.

I’m hoping to have it finished before the end of this month. As soon as it is finished I will be posting a pdf for free download – and it will possible to buy a hard copy of the book too, very soon.

I have also begun work on Collected Poems: Volume One which covers 1985 to 1996. More news on this very soon.

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Archetypes at Work – Notes for a book #3

Oct 5

Posted by Stuart in Writing, Θ Archetypes at Work | No Comments

Archetypal Descriptors are evident in the work of Handy, Morgan and Neville & Dalmau. In most cases a formal mythological framework is used. Most commonly this tends to be Greek Mythology, since this is a symbolic structure with a wide currency. Having set out the limits to the approaches already developed in this area, the Archetypal Casting Toolkit  which I have developed is contrasted with this metaphorical approach. The work of Morgan is central to metaphor and organisations. My development in this field sets out to demonstrate that analysis of this form is a useful background to more detailed specific work on individual analysis.

In interpreting the interactions of communities as they exist in the organisational context, it is important to ensure that the overall approach avoids the tendency to over-simplify. This is the weakness of a metaphorical approach alone that focuses too much on the organisation as an entity in itself, rather than unravelling in more depth the interactions and complexities of the numerous scripts that are in evidence.

However, the use of archetypes as themes that can be used as overlays, can generate evidence of the type of culture that prevails, a way of interpreting what is going on.

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Scrapes against the soul – nearly there

Sep 11

Posted by Stuart in Blog posts, Writing, Θ Poetry | No Comments

trying to find something which doesnt exist

trying to find something which doesn't exist

The latest collection of poetry is nearly completed. I am in the middle of the final poem which is an extended piece called ’seventy nine to eighty two’. 

Here’s a verse from it:

Watching bands at Eric’s – seeing Simple Minds
Keyboard player with his head between the beams
Music bouncing off walls, everyone saying look at me
- Looking and seeing ideas for the next night out

I have found an old painting of mine which I am going to use for the cover of the book. You can see it in this post. It’s a watercolour in the form of a mandala. I’m not really much of a painter, but I liked this image, particularly when I scanned it into the laptop.

I have posted several of the poems from this collection over recent months. The middle section of the book comprised a series of poems each beginning with a line from one poem by Robert Bly – this was an interesting process which took my writing away to topics which I wouldn’t have otherwise discovered.

Once I have completed the book, I will post a pdf  of it for free download. Watch this space, as they say!

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At St Deiniols Library

Sep 4

Posted by Stuart in Blog posts, Things I found, Writing | No Comments

outside_stdeiniols3

I’m at St Deiniols Library writing this. For years I have dreamed of a secluded place to hide away and write. A few years ago I spent a weekend at the Manjushri Buddhist Centre in Cumbria – but that is a significant distance from where I live. St Deiniols is the only Residential Library I know of.  It is located in the small village of Hawarden in Wales. It has a book collection of over 250,000 items which is incredible.

It’s one of those things that you want to tell people about because it is amazing, but not tell too many people because you don’t want its seclusion to be spoilt. The library is located in an old sandstone house which belonged to Gladstone. He began the library and it still runs along the principles that were originally set by him.

I’m going to use this place to push forward the various manuscripts I am currently working on. It will be a great place to escape for realistic chunks of time and create.

The books I am currently working on are:

  • Archetypes at Work  – which sets out practical applications of archetype theory in organisations (much more accessible than I am making it sound)
  • Coming through Change – a guidebook for personal survival in times of change
  • Scrapes against the Soul – the latest poetry collection

You can see excerpts from each of these manuscripts by clicking on links on the right. More extracts will appear over the coming weeks and months.

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Pattern Disruptors

Sep 2

Posted by Stuart in Blog posts, Writing, Θ Coming through Change | No Comments

The brain works best when it has a pattern to recognise. When we are young this is how we multiply the capacity to learn. Rather than seeing everything as fresh and having to decode it, we search through our neurone connections for something that resembles what we are seeing. So, when we see a dog, we will make connections to any previous experiences of dogs and that will give us a wealth of information about dogs – what they look like, how they act, whether they are dangerous etc. This can be helpful for learning, but it is also important to ensure that we live safely.

So far so good! Problems arise with this though, when we come to realise that sometimes patterns do not serve us. These patterns, for example, can help to build phobias. Thus, an unpleasant experience whilst at a height at a young age can contribute to a fear of heights in the future.

I am laying this out in a simplistic way to illustrate the point. We build patterns over time and these can be incredibly useful or they can develop inhibiting loops which are not so helpful.

In our relationships with others we form all sorts of assumptions based on information. Thus, when someone tells us what they do for a job we will make judgements about their character based on that information. Sometimes this helps, often it doesn’t. We will also sometimes form judgements based on the way someone looks. If they resemble someone we already know we may think at a sub-conscious level that they will be similar. This is clearly bad logic!

When the pattern formed is unhelpful, or leads to bad logic we need to introduce pattern disruptors to dislodge the loop so that we think afresh and are able to start with new sets of assumptions. There are a number of ways we can do this. Examples would be:

  • Renaissance as a strategy (see earlier blog post)
  • Proactive steps and actions to disrupt the pattern
  • Encouraging reflection – time spent considering the pattern will help to unpick bad logic
  • Distraction techniques – designed to stop the brain from following the loop
  • Physical connection such as tapping or pressing fingers together to distract thinking and disengage an existing loop

Many of these techniques can also be adapted more broadly to tackle wider issues of organisational change where groups of people are working within patterns. Peter Senge’s work in this field (The Fifth Discipline), which looked at loop patterns and disruptors, is particularly useful.

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Biography Work

Aug 24

Posted by Stuart in Blog posts, Writing, Θ Coming through Change | No Comments

The key to great biography work as part of a process of self-development is to ask great questions.  A few years ago I met Rennie Fritchie who shared with me the ideas she had about Biography Work. She published on this. I tried the exercise which focused on 9 key questions – and the results were really powerful. Looking back now at the paper I put together is really interesting. I will try the exercise again with the benefit of 10 years hindsight. Here is a useful format to work through, based on Rennie Fritchie’s work:

PART ONE – Plotting the Stars

1. What kind of human being do you want to be? Describe the kinds of skills, abilities, qualities, disposition, character and understanding you want to have.

2. What do you want to do with your life? Think in large as well as small ways of achievements, actions and important issues for you.

PART TWO – Mapping the Journey

3. Where are you? Describe fully your current stage, both personal and career.

4. How did you get there? Look back in your life and trace all the elements, happenings and people who have influenced your life path.

5. Where do you want to go? Using the material from 1 and 2 begin to describe your real intentions.

6. How will you get there? Refer to the information you have gained about your journey in life so far and consider new ways.

7. What will you do when you arrive? Begin to sketch in your intentions and actions.

8. Where to next? Life is a continuous process, so begin to look beyond your immediate horizons.

9. How do you begin?

PART THREE – Starting Out

10. Plan of action

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Inbox and Productivity Principles

Aug 17

Posted by Stuart in Blog posts, Personal Development, Writing, Θ Coming through Change | No Comments

blackberry-curveThere are two principles which have helped me to increase my productivity recently. They occurred to me during a coaching session.

The inbox isn’t our work

For those of us who spend a lot of time working with email it is easy to become caught up in the illusion that the inbox is the workplace. It is true that a lot of our work may come to us through this medium, but that does not mean that work is equal to and captured by the email inbox. There are other places for us, other media which we should be adopting. When we become a slave to the inbox, we lose our sense of perspective and can often not see what is important (especially if it doesn’t show up in email!)

I’m more productive than I think I am

I now do a weekly and monthly review process. This gives me an opportunity to look back over a meaningful timeframe and see what I have done. I look through the diary, email, personal and work journals. I capture a summary of what I have done that week or month, and give myself a mini-report (it doesn’t have to be written). These reviews invariably dig up a volume of work beyond what I would expect. They are a pleasant surprise.

So – by taking myself out of the inbox, and ensuring that I don’t spend too much time each day on email, and regularly reviewing what I have achieved – it is possible to shift perspective and escape the ‘busy’ trap.

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son of kingfisher

Aug 14

Posted by Stuart in Blog posts, Writing, Θ Poetry | No Comments

kingfisher

young bird
picks his way through reeds in the shallows of the river

parent birds no longer haunt this stretch of water
except in dreams and spirit movements

finding his way through this special setting now
with no thoughts for his parents

in a glorious moment he catches
a silvered stickleback in his beak

before letting go of spring
he will ruffle feathers just one more time

and as you capture sight in the lens for just one second
he is gone, flashes of feathers as he disappears

like the time slip escape of a happen-stance
incredible in a state of disbelief

 

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Archetypes at Work – Notes for a book #2

Aug 10

Posted by Stuart in Blog posts, Θ Archetypes at Work | No Comments

Active Living Dispositions

Archetypes, as they manifest themselves in organisations, are not illusory qualities; they are not some apocryphal acts of the imagination. They have a reality and substance in the greater community of the people who comprise the organisation. They are active living dispositions which impact on our everyday life.

 Let us stop for a moment to look at the organisation. What is an organisation? Does it have a meaning and context beyond that of the people who work within it? Often, we tend to take concepts like ‘organisation’ and build around them a sense of the object. The organisation becomes an object in its own right. This does not make sense. It is true to say, that when we talk about organisations, we may be referring to a number of attributes – the people, the buildings and their fabric, the role and purpose of the organisation. However, in all of this, there is the intrinsic role of the people as the key component parts. For, without people we have no organisation.

The objectification or personification of the organisation is a step that takes us further away from the productive scope of the organisation. It removes us from the true essence of the organisation – we move away from the soul of the organisation, away from the sense of the organisation as an active living disposition. In removing the focus from those people who work in the organisation, we diminish the soul within the organisation.

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The conversations the night sea has with the dawn

Aug 7

Posted by Stuart in Blog posts, Writing, Θ Poetry | No Comments

… from the latest poetry sequence (still unfinished) called ‘Scrapes against the Soul’

The conversations the night sea has with the dawn
Leave an empty hissing through the sea weed, as if
Everything had left the world in solitude… 

And my heartbeat can be heard beneath the lap of waves
Quickened by the memory of lost loves and lost lives
Out beyond the edges of my full recall

Enough now to have spoken with the elements
Everyone wonders where I stand, beyond reach
Remembering a glimpse of someone from 30 years ago 

They not the same, me not the same
As the sea changes in each fragment of a second
And the sun filling the sky before it appears 

And when the memories seem tired, the voices heard before
I remind myself that each sound is unique, nothing repeats
Where I see patterns, they are only my creation

Every conversation the dawn has, with the sea and the mountains
Is new, it will do, it will make, it will be clear
Some space outside solitude that is not made of loneliness. 

 …I wrote this poem some months ago, and before I started to make contact with friends from school who I had lost contact with some 30 years ago. The content and sentiment now seem prescient at the least.

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The importance of reflective practise

Aug 5

Posted by Stuart in Blog posts, Writing, Θ Coming through Change | No Comments

What do I  mean by ‘Reflective Practise’? This is the regular habit of asking yourself questions about how you are going about your work, your daily habits of living. Finding the opportunity to step back, and take a critical (but positive) look at what is working, what is not working, and what the key learning points are from the day.

Doing this on a regular basis is key, writing it down is also a fundamental part of the learning process. The act of writing ensures that the points are captured for future reference, but it also ensures a level of objectivity through the writing act. Seeing the words on the page helps to detach me from the points that are being made so that I can reflect on them, look at what they mean and take action based on them.

Key questions for this reflective practise would be:

  • What was good about today?
  • What 3 things worked really well?
  • What didn’t go so well?
  • What have I learnt from this?

Not too many questions – this isn’t meant to be a major exercise. And the questions are just pointers to prompt thinking.

If we are to move habits and behaviours, embedding those which are productive and doing something about habits which don’t serve us, we need reflective practise to act as a prompt to move us forward.

What did you do today? What were you proud of? Can you point to something and appreciate it, so that tomorrow you begin the day from a positive place and continue to build?

Commit to this new practise for 30 days and see where it takes you. New habits take this long to become embedded. Work with this as a form of self appreciation, and see how it builds a sense of direction and esteem. Good luck.

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Bugs and Buzzes

Aug 3

Posted by Stuart in Blog posts, Personal Development, Θ Coming through Change | No Comments

BUGS & BUZZES – an ice-breaker exercise for a group meeting. 

Ice breaking - ice breakers at work (ha ha!)

Ice breaking - ice breakers at work

 What it does

 This is a great warm-up exercise for the beginning of a group meeting. It can also be used in a one-to-one situation.

 In a group, it will change the atmosphere in the room and create a co-operative energy to prepare for the business of the meeting.

 How to play it

 The exercise is done in two rounds. For the first round, each person takes it in turns to describe something which is really annoying, something which ‘bugs’ them. It can be in any context, although it is helpful if it is in the relevant to the context. There is no judgement of that ‘bug’ – but the rest of the group has the opportunity to contribute with comments or suggestions for overcoming the ‘bug’.

 In the second round of the exercise, each person describes something which gives them a real ‘buzz’. Again, others can contribute and add comments.

 How it works

 The first round gives each person an opportunity to describe something which is causing problems in the daily work. There is also an opportunity to create a shared approach to problem solving. It also gives air-space to issues which might otherwise be considered too trivial to raise.

 In the second round, the focus on positive things which make each of us buzz, helps to create an environment of appreciative involvement.

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Now you know why I spent my twenties crying

Jul 31

Posted by Stuart in Blog posts, Writing, Θ Poetry | No Comments

… from my latest collection of poetry, called ‘Scrapes against the Soul’:

Sonnet

Now you know why I spent my twenties crying,
Aching for some meaning beyond empty
Atheist life of wonder, wandering,
A lost corn-circle waking, open third eye

When I close my eyes I can still see through
Where I see the spiritual opening.
In my twenties I would sit hoping that
The meditation practise brings results 

Like life, trying too hard leads to nothing.
In the night’s silence I was too busy
Listening to the wrong sounds, not waves of am. 

Colours that flow when I watch, wait, empty.
Then landscape becomes chaos of colours
Springs forwards as soul within catches fire.

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David Allen’s GTD

Jul 29

Posted by Stuart in Blog posts, Personal Development, Writing, Θ Coming through Change | No Comments

Many of you will already be aware of a book by David Allen called ‘Getting Things Done’. This book, published in 2001 has become something of a phenomenon over the years. Allen has gone on to publish a couple of other books which build on the concept. The approach, ‘How to achieve stress-free productivity’, is known on the net as GTD. I first came across it back in 2005 and have been experimenting with the techniques since. They are a really useful add-on to the underlying principles to be found in ‘Seven Habits of Highly Effective People’ by Stephen Covey.

Well, over recent months I have been revisiting the GTD book and have found myself stepping up to the next level with this approach.

I’ve been listening to a lot of podcasts from the GTD community (try here and here) over the last few days. It’s helping me to get GTD to the next level. David Allen talks about GTD in the same way as Aikido and other martial arts, so he adopts the belt model in the same way that processes like Six Sigma have. In that context, I am just moving up a belt as I get to grips with more of the key principles of GTD. I have to say, I think this only takes me from White Belt to Yellow. There’s still so much to learn!

One particularly interesting idea which I came across on several of the podcasts is the ‘Pomodoro Technique’ which is essentially a focus tool, using a timer to ensure that you stay to task for 25 minutes. I also like the idea of seeing specific tasks in units of pomodoro. Interesting idea! I’m going to try it out for some of the tasks that I have trouble getting to.

In progressing from White Belt to Yellow as I grapple with some of the key concepts of GTD, I would summarise these as follows:

  •  Weekly Review – not doing this at all regularly yet. See the need, and am aiming for a set time each week
  • 6 Level Model for Review – not really got this at all. The idea of the different altitudes of perspective. Needs more study. It captures the idea that we need to see our life from different levels all the way from the ‘runway’ i.e. day to day actions, up to a view of our life’s purpose.
  • Inbox to Zero – must have only achieved this a couple of times in the last few years. I am conscious that the reason I don’t get there often is indecisiveness in the moment.
  • @Context – finally getting my head around this now. I’ve found the division of lists makes sure that I push my focus where it needs to go at the appropriate time. This is all about not having the complete list of tasks in front of me at any time – only the tasks that fit the context I am in right now.

So much to work on, but the payback in terms of both productivity and what Allen calls a ‘Mind like Water’ is huge.

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Networking: some key ideas

Jul 27

Posted by Stuart in Blog posts, Personal Development, Θ Coming through Change | No Comments

We talk about networking as though it is something which comes naturally to some people. Are you a good networker, is a question people often ask. But like many things it is a skill which can be developed. Often people think of networking as being all about how we build up contacts and make best use of them. This is like thinking of a car as a place to put petrol. It sort of misses the point!

So, here are a few ideas / questions about networking to push the thinking into some of the mechanics and principles of the activity:

Who is in your network?

Think broadly about this. Not just people who are close friends or colleagues. Improve your skills at collecting contact details for people. To get you started, use a mind map (or spider diagram) to set out the people who you are in contact with. Each arm of the map reaching out from you at the centre can be a domain or area of your life e.g. family, friends, work colleagues, people with common interests etc. Work on this for at least 30 minutes. If there aren’t at least a hundred people on this mind map you haven’t thought deeply enough!

Do you have an effective network planning tool? Is it backed up effectively?

There are many ways of managing a network. I use Microsoft Outlook’s Contact Database to capture my network contacts. It means that I have details with me at all times as I use a blackberry. It’s a great way to capture people’s contact details as well as snippets of useful information about them if like me you have a poor memory. The database should be backed up so that system failure (i.e. your computer dies) doesn’t mean that you lose all your contacts.

Do you review your network regularly?

I go through my network at least once a month, looking for people who I need to get in touch with to ensure that I am keeping regular contact. It takes maybe five minutes to just skim through all of the names A-Z and check for anything that jumps out at me. I usually come away from this with a few people I should drop an email to, or phone. And I may see someone in there whose details need updating.

Do you archive dormant contacts, and do you capture all contacts no matter how fleeting?

A network needs to be up to date.  The regular review helps you to keep it current. It’s also worth looking for people in the network who you haven’t been in contact with for some time. If there is no good reason to make contact now, archive the contact. Don’t delete it – you don’t know what is just into the future. You may have a reason to contact them which you are not aware of now. Try to capture contact details whenever you can. A business card, a phone number or email address. I input them into the database as soon as I can. If possible, follow this up with a quick contact if that is appropriate.

Who else should be in your network?

Take regular opportunities to review your network and think about potential gaps. Then take proactive steps to fill those gaps.

Do you have a worthwhile contact to make?

As I implied in the opening paragraph, effective networking is not about what you can get out of people, it is about what you can give. People are naturally suspicious of the “salesman” type approach to marketing where there is a pitch either explicitly there or implied. For effective networking it helps to begin by thinking about what you have to offer before you make the contact. That helps to maintain integrity in relationship building.

A key skill

It’s difficult to overstate the importance of networking. Relationships between us is what makes the world go round. The process of networking is at the heart of this. The first step of making the initial contact is something I used to find really difficult, particularly at networking events, conferences, seminars etc. I found a way round this by introducing myself and asking a quick question about the other person to get them talking about themselves. After a few goes at this it felt more and more natural. It has helped me to really enjoy the networking event.

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The Archive Curator

Jul 22

Posted by Stuart in Writing | No Comments

The craft of art

The craft of art

I am fascinated by the fact that many musicians as they develop their career become very interested in curating their archive. I’m thinking particularly of people like Robert Fripp (King Crimson) and Steven Wilson (Porcupine Tree, No-Man, Bass Communion). In both cases, they have been keen to ensure that they own the property rights of their work. They have then seen the archive as something to work, re-work and develop. This appears in the guise of old recordings re-issued, remasters, re-mixes and release of old fragments.

This interests me because I am curious as to how these habits can translate themselves into the curating of a writing archive. Traditionally, the writer’s archive is kept in dusty boxes and at some point transferred to a library for storage if the writer is sufficiently well known or renowned (see James Hillman’s archive, for example).

But what about treating a writing archive like a musical one? The activities could look like this:

  • cataloguing
  • ensuring continued availability
  • reissues
  • re-mastering (editing, new editions etc)
  • pulling together early fragments and out-takes as bonus material
  • generating new material in response to early works
  • creating different editions / versions of works
  • re-mixing old work, generating new versions
  • destroying sub-standard early work (ensuring it is not re-issued)
  • seeing reissues as a complete package

Plenty of food for thought then – do many writers adopt these principles? I welcome your thoughts in the comments section.

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A dangerous mix

Jul 18

Posted by Stuart in Blog posts, Personal Development, Θ Coming through Change | No Comments

People new into post often have big knowledge gaps as they work to understand the context in which they are working. This is not necessarily a problem in itself. We all climb up steep learning curves when we are new.

The issue then is not the lack of knowledge alone. There is also the issue of attitude taken to work. As is often the case, humility is an important characteristic to display in work (and in many other contexts too).

The dangerous mix is that of lack of knowledge (ignorance) together with ambition. The ambitious person will crash around in a new job, without thinking through the wider political context in which they are working. This is a dangerous mix – inadvertantly the new member of staff can crash around the system only aware of quick wins they are achieving with no idea of the broader implications of their actions.

So  – the lesson: avoid the volatility of mixing ignorance and ambition. Where possible encourage humility and the ability to see that asking for help and advice is a strength, not a weakness.

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