A few days ago I went to visit my favourite café in Madrid where I had lived for twenty-five years. I returned to live in Sydney three years ago but I still miss those great “tostadas” and “Cafés con leche”. As I approached the café I was surprised to see that it was all dark […]

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The federal government in Australia has been unable to get their budget passed. Opposition in the Senate, ridicule from the opposition and general dismay by the Australian people has meant that there has not been the necessary support to execute the changes that the budget tried to achieve.   Carrying out true reform is never […]

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I just finished reading Antony Beevor’s excellent global account of the Second World War. Unlike his other books this one gives you a global picture of the whole war giving you a real feeling of the breadth and depth of the human suffering caused by the ambitions of a handful of all too human men. […]

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I couldn’t help being a little taken aback with the crowds booing of Rafael Nadal during the final of the Australian Tennis Open in Melbourne. It is true that a lot of people were a little annoyed with Nadal during the semi-final with Federer because of his continuous infringement on the time allowed to take […]

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Last weekend I attended our 4Oth year class reunion. Having been away from Sydney these last thirty years it was for me an especially pleasant occasion as I had not seen the great majority of my old school mates in over three decades. Sitting with one of my best friends towards the end of the […]

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A week ago today my two little girls had their first day at school. It was not their first time in an educational setting having attended day care two days a week since they were two. Now however at the age of only three and a half they have a new beginning full of challenges. […]

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1. The Ten Commandments Today I am writing the first of a series of posts that will run over the next twelve months, based on the book Speeches that changed the world. I will focus on what people who have to exercise leadership in today’s organizations can learn from history’s great speeches or declarations. The […]

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I have just finished reading a great book titled, Rendevous With Destiny, by Michael Fullilove. The book tells the story how Roosevelt thought out of the box in order to gain the knowledge he required to do what he needed to do. In 1940 with the fall of France Roosevelt knew that the survival of […]

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This week, one hundred and fifty years ago the battle of Gettysburg raged on in Pennsylvania. The battle was important, perhaps marking the turning point of the war, but of more lasting importance was the speech President Lincoln made five months after the battle ended. What it was remarkable about the speech is how it […]

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The recent change of leadership of the Labour Party in Australia ends three years of internal politicking. In that time, two elected Prime Ministers have been wrenched from power and much of the energy within the Labour Party was been diverted away from the primary task of governing the country and looking out for the […]

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