Posts

I is for Inspiration

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In international work, inspiration often comes with exposure to a different way of thinking or seeing. A new argument or an improved way of structuring a report, explaining a decision or responding to a difficult situation can lead to a shift in our perceptions. It is mainly in English that these ideas travel internationally, through conferences, newsletters, narratives and reports, professional networks and everyday exchanges between people working in different countries and cultures. And the exchange works in both directions. A strong command of English also gives us greater freedom to contribute our own knowledge, experience and judgement: to explain an idea more clearly, develop an argument, challenge an assumption, share local expertise, propose an alternative and influence the way a situation can be understood. Language therefore does more than transmit information. It offers access to how thought is organised. It allows us to express caution and disagreement, persuade others and...
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G is for Gratitude

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  Despite being one of the first five words we learn as humans, in any language, we don’t hear about gratitude nearly enough in the business world. And I don’t mean the “Thank you for your business!” stamp at the bottom of an invoice. I mean the experience of actually feeling grateful in our everyday lives and in the work we do. No matter who we are, from architects to zoologists, our work allows us to provide a livelihood for ourselves and to provide a useful service or product to others and, in some way, to the wider world. We may think that the fruits of our professional lives come mainly from our own effort, judgement and perseverance. But if we look more deeply, our efforts are only part of the picture. There are many other conditions that support our professional well-being and our ability to do good work: the education we received, the opportunities that arose from it, the networks we were born into and those we have built over time, the colleagues who share knowledge or mak...
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F is for Freedom

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What comes to mind when you think about the word freedom? Perhaps freedom from physical confinement. Or a weekend, a holiday, being released from an unpleasant commitment. What about financial freedom: having sufficient resources to make choices about how we live and what we do. And there is yet another, underlying but equally important kind of freedom worth recognising: freedom from affliction. Affliction may be physical, but it can also take the form of anger, fear and worry. When these have less hold on us, we have more space to think clearly, understand what is happening and choose how to respond. This is key in international environments. Pressure, competing priorities, difficult decisions, client expectations and uncertainty can all tighten our experience and narrow our perspective. Greater freedom from stress and anxiety gives us more capacity to assess what matters, consider different options, avoid unnecessary escalation and respond in ways that support collaboration and bette...
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E is for Equanimity

  Much of what happens in our lives and work is outside our control. An unfavourable decision. A difficult client. An unreasonable demand. A sharply worded email. A negotiation that reaches an impasse. Criticism we believe is undeserved. Pressure to resolve something quickly when the situation is anything but simple. What we can influence is how we respond. There is an ancient Buddhist teaching about the "eight worldly winds": gain and loss, pleasure and pain, praise and blame, fame and disrepute. The winds will blow. The question is how easily we allow ourselves to be blown about by them. In demanding professional environments, ego can quietly become part of the problem. Being right. Being curt or impatient. Becoming defensive. Needing to have the last word. Exercising authority simply because we have it. Focusing on winning rather than understanding what is actually happening. None of us is immune. And under pressure, the tendency becomes stronger. We rush instead of pausin...
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D is for Diligence

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  Fun fact for Spanish speakers: the word "diligencia" can sometimes mean a simple errand or administrative task. But in English, "diligence" carries a much richer meaning. It combines four closely related ideas: • applying steady effort, • paying careful attention to detail, • persevering over time, • and, in business, carrying out the careful investigation we know as "due diligence". There is another meaning worth considering: the diligence we bring to the way we communicate. We all develop habitual ways of communicating. Over time, these habits either strengthen communication or create unnecessary friction. They influence the quality of collaboration, the strength of our working relationships and, ultimately, the outcomes we achieve together. In international environments, where English is often the shared language, diligence might look something like this: 1. Repairing communication as soon as you notice misalignment. Misunderstandings are inevitable. ...
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C is for Creating Common Ground

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Many organisations assume that improving English will improve communication. Sometimes it does. More often, however, the real challenge lies elsewhere. When English becomes the shared language, success depends on much more than vocabulary, grammar or pronunciation. It depends on creating common ground across languages and cultures. Creating common ground means ensuring that ideas, intentions and relationships are understood as they were intended. It means making space for different perspectives, asking better questions, checking assumptions and communicating in ways that allow everyone to participate with confidence. Language remains an essential part of that process, but it is only one part. Context, culture, perception and our willingness to understand one another are equally important. Perhaps that is why organisations are rarely looking for "more English". They are looking for stronger communication, better collaboration, greater trust and more effective international wor...
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B is for Breathing: The Revolutionary Act

Surprise! We are much more than our opinions, our to-do lists, or our reactions to the static of the day. We are much more than the roles we play or the stories we tell ourselves; we are a living, breathing wonder. When was the last time you brought your full and sustained attention to your breathing? Did you know? Our breath is our closest, most intimate friend, yet we often treat it like a background utility. It is the bridge between our mind and our body, the secret ingredient for a kind of mind training that changes our outlook and our life. Why do we need mind training right now? Because without it, our minds are wild and unpredictable. We are currently bombarded by a constant feed of information and chaos designed to keep us fragmented, incohesive, and purely reactive. This tumult is engineered to feed the algorithm and keep us clicking, rather than to feed our true understanding of situations. When our mind is not trained, we are easily swept away by the collective agitation and...
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