Crying in Movies Can Improve Your Leadership

I know you feel guilty or unproductive when watching a movie or TV series. We’re all hounded by the moral imperative to work, produce and earn our place in the world. But the truth is, movies help us grow on a personal level, and in so doing, make us better leaders. Some say storytelling was […]

Have You Reached a Point Where Size Doesn’t Matter Anymore?

Everyone reaches a point in life when they realize that size doesn’t matter. That moment comes sooner to some and later to others. Judging by the way we are wrecking the planet, it comes much too late in life to way too many people. One day you wake up and feel that you’ve reached as […]

Women: Real Power is Not Found on #Instagram

I guess growing old makes you weary of empty promises, predictable advice and know-it-all certainty. In the industry of coaching, self-help and leadership training there’s loads of it. I seem to have outgrown my own advice! And when I think of it, these are the three things that have most estranged me from my own […]

Is it Time to Put Meaning Back Into Our Clothes?

When we were young a lot of what our parents did was about avoiding new purchases. Clothes were mended, shoes got repaired, toys were handed down; every item of daily life was used until it became unusable. Today our stuff is disposable or obsolete before we know it: it’s meaningless. When I was growing up […]

Are Our Leaders Oversexed?

In a sex-crazed society like ours it really is no surprise to learn our leaders are also obsessed with the pleasures of the flesh. It’s embarrassing, yes, but hardly news. As angry debate over male libido takes over the media and social networks, I find myself wondering about the role of women in this. Are […]

The Secret To Your Leadership Is Not What You Think

It never ceases to surprise me: the world is full of dreamers willing to pay anything to those who promise they can make our dreams come true. A great example of this is the best-selling book The Secret. The book promises that “Everything is possible, nothing is impossible. There are no limits. Whatever you can […]

Stop Being Such a Touchy-feely Leader

Years ago we talked a lot about being more touchy-feely in the workplace. Generation X inherited a work culture of distance, hierarchical authority and denial of any and all feelings. Business cases in MBA schools depicted classical grey, brainy and rather curt bosses as losers. Real leaders, in contrast, were colorful, fashionable, sporty and creative, […]

Dear Condescending Leader: This Is What You Sound Like

We have a funny family story about a woman who called one of my sisters a “patronizing c*nt” out of the blue. Please excuse the language. My sister was shocked the first time she heard it, and we’ve got in the habit of roaring with laughter at this unseemly expression every time we catch any […]

Stop Telling Women What to do or Wear

streetwear

This summer my mother read one of the great classics of Spainish XIXth century literature: “La Regenta” by Leopoldo Arias Clarín. Over this same period, I watched Lena Dunham’s award-winning series “Girls”. The two of us have spent a few late evenings, chatting and comparing notes on the two, in Madrid’s sweltering heat. Meanwhile, the international media have spent all […]

Women: Don’t Try and Find Your Power in the Games of Men

In February of 2012 I sat under an almond tree and watched a sunset over Madrid. An idea came to me: to start a foundation to help people “Embrace The Wild.” I worked on building a foundation for a year, but it never really took off. Embracing the Wild, on the other hand, has become my life mission. […]