‘More Shakespeare’, I hear you intone.  I see you rolling your eyes.  But you know how much I love The Bard and I’m guessing you wouldn’t be reading my newsletters if you didn’t enjoy my regular references to his work.  Actually, these wise words were not written by William Shakespeare but by Pericles himself.  Yes, he was a real person in Ancient Greece and some of his writings have survived the march of time.

Why this quote, why now?

Firstly, I went to see the current production of ‘Pericles’ directed by Tamara Harvey and starring Alfred Enoch (you might remember him as Dean Thomas in the Harry Potter films).  It is a beautiful production and weaves the disparate parts of the plot together very well.  I loved it.

Secondly, in the past year several of my friends have lost a loved one.  Talking of the deceased ones, people mention their special memories of times spent together, of help given and received, of secrets shared and kept and of warm feelings.  It’s rare that eulogies list academic qualifications or corporate positions held.  I know it’s a cliche, but people remember how you make them feel.

Thirdly, I’ve been doing a lot of leadership training and coaching lately.  A theme that keeps recurring is how leaders can enrich the lives of their people.  Leadership is not just about getting people to do the job they’re paid to do – although in some cases that would be a good start.  Leadership is also about creating an environment in which people want to work, to belong, to contribute and to succeed.  Working from home is now an established feature of many corporate cultures and it’s obvious that it’s brought a drift towards more transactional relationships between employer and employee.  A good leader can reverse that drift and inspire people to create a working community as well as encouraging a healthy balance between personal life and professional life.  In my opinion.

I invite you to consider what you are weaving into the lives of others…