Synapse management

The word "synapse" comes from "synaptein", which Sir Charles Scott Sherrington and colleagues coined from the Greek "syn-" ("together") and "haptein" ("to clasp"). Ref Wikipedia


Turning to ourselves (and each other) we have potential synapses with millions of other brains, hearts and life experiences. The more connections, the more electrical and chemical and knowledge based energy exchange is possible. Why be satisfied with just one brain when we can associate with many?


Try this. 


The next time you overhear a random remark on the bus, in the bakery queue, at the coffee machine, consider that you just heard the answer to everything. Yes, you may have to suspend your disbelief, but just give it a go. If what you just heard was the answer to everything, the thrilling insight you have just received, what does it mean? What do you need to do differently now? What is the big opportunity that you would have missed if you had not just heard those words?


I'd be fascinated to hear how it goes...

Head in the sand?

Bad news can be damn inconvenient.

So it's hardly surprising that we try to filter it out - consciously or sub-consciously. Asking the simple questions - how can I make you feel better? work harder? vote for me? go to school? get out of bed? - is easy to not face up to because the answers will probably require something from us too.

So it is an option to not bother.

Thing is, we all know what happens then. Molehills become mountains, cracks become chasms... it only makes sense when we discover that in behavioural economics we humans are prone to  "heavy discounting of costs and benefits in the long versus short-term" (ref David Halpern, The Hidden Wealth of Nations).

You can of course keep your head in the sand (mind your eyes). Or you raise your head up high, walk out of your office and go and find out what's going on out there.

A matter of balance

How balanced I feel seems to be a perfect indicator of how I'm doing. Light and dark, left and right, internal and external.

In our recent leadership study with Aspire I was interested to see the emergence of behaviours that have been historically seen as "female" ways to do things, and a challenge of more yang, results driven, action focussed ways (message me for a copy of the report)

This has been described as a feminisation of the business world, but I wonder if it isn't more of a balancing? In a system that has been driven by "male" ways since the early days of the industrial revolution, there is a need for both. No waxing without waning. No inspiring without expiring.

And in my life I need balance. Between physical and mental. Between fun and challenge. Laughter and tears. Work and life.

How's your balance today?