From the Desk of Caspar
Coffee or a Walk?
I did something different this week. It was very simple and had more benefit than I imagined.
I had a diary note to meet up with a good friend with a brilliant creative mind who I’ve worked on several projects with.
We were about to put the “meet for coffee” in the diary when I suggested we “walk" rather than “coffee”.
Last Friday we spent an hour walking in nature - on muddy paths, past trees, and along the river bank. The conversation flowed and covered many different topics.
Rather than a sedentary hour with caffeine, we walked 4 miles, had zero time on phones, caffeine free and best of all it stimulated some great ideas and finding out how we can help each other.
Tip: Why not meet for a walk rather than a coffee? It’s healthier and the exercise and being outside have a pretty good chance of stimulating better ideas and connection.
P.S. This also links to the theme on my Be a Better Leader Video below.
In the Spotlight
Forbes Magazine chose “Where the Magic Happens” as one their 8 books to inspire the solopreneur for holiday gifts. #businessbooks
To read more business reviews and order your copy go to www.casparcraven.com/book.
The ideal Christmas gift for an entrepreneur or business leader you know?
The BBC featured our family in an article on parents raising their kids on the road a life without pinging phones, Instagram and Netflix.
The essence is challenging the norms of why we do what we do and is there a better way to do things. This is thinking you can apply to all parts of your world rather than doing what you’ve always done.
Everyone Fails
Wise words from legendary investor Ray Dalio.
Everyone Fails. Anyone you see succeeding is only succeeding at the things you are paying attention to. I guarantee they are also failing at lots of other things. The people I respect the most are those who fail well. I respect them even more than those who succeed.
Tip: We get seduced in an Instagram world that everything has to be perfect. We all struggle in different areas and are always learning. I love the idea of Dalio to “struggle well”. The concept of embracing the struggle, the process, the journey of being better in all the different roles we have in our lives.
Be a Better Leader
Charles Darwin used this tip when he was writing and needed to focus. All wrapped up for you in less than 45 seconds as my leadership tip of the week.
Thought for the Day
Facts vs Opinions. Don't let others opinions drown out yours. Sometimes opinions are expressed so forcefully we accept them as facts. Do your own thinking, come to your own conclusions.
Charting Success
Over the course of 2019, I’ve been jointly developing and running a series of workshop programs for companies with a leading expert in adult education and instructional design. I will be launching formally these in 2020.
The essence is how to both Thrive at Work and Thrive at Home.
The idea behind the Charting Success program is that we are all building two teams. A work team and a home team. And that the tools and techniques delegates will learn are universal tools that can be applied and work equally well in both areas.
If your team at work has any of these:
Challenging growth targets
Is operating in changing and uncertain market
Needs to innovate and develop new propositions
Skills gaps in your team
And you need to align the team, focus in getting the culture right, to build trust amongst the team and develop a thriving work team, then this may be of interest.
For more details of the programs which are designed for your needs specifically and range from half a day to 4 days, click here.
“Caspar has been brilliant working with us to create and imbed our culture and values.
As a fast growing business covering five different countries, getting our culture right for how we handle our growth is super important. Our team has responded extremely well to the process of not just creating the values, but how we live them in the business and bring our culture to life.
Caspar’s shaping of the process, his insights, strategies, and the way he communicates things and the ability to get people engaged with the programme has been amazing. It’s been fun and its made a big impact on our business already.
I’d highly recommend working with Caspar if you want to make culture and a values driven approach to leadership important in your organisation.
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