Are you better off?

When asked whether the world would be better or worse off if I became more influential and powerful, my answer is that it would be better off. At the same time, I feel uncomfortable with the idea of seeking greater influence, as it pushes me outside my comfort zone. This raises a deeper question about priorities: whether personal comfort should take precedence, or whether making the world a better place sometimes requires discomfort.

““You don’t fix the mirror by polishing the reflection, you fix the mirror by changing what is standing in front of it.””
— Alan Watts

The moral of the story

One of Einstein’s students once asked him what logic really means.

Einstein replied that he would answer with a question.

He asked the student to imagine two workers entering a chimney to clean it. When they come out, one has a dirty face and the other a clean face. Einstein then asked which of them would go and wash their face.

The student answered immediately that the worker with the dirty face would wash.

Einstein said this was incorrect. The worker with the clean face would be the one to wash, because he would look at his colleague, see the dirt, and assume his own face must be the same. The worker with the dirty face, seeing a clean face, would assume he was clean as well.

The student agreed and said this was logical.

Einstein disagreed. He pointed out that the question itself was flawed. Two people entering the same chimney at the same time would not emerge with one clean and one dirty face. The scenario violated basic logic before the reasoning even began.

The point is simple. Sometimes logic fails not because of a poor answer, but because the question itself is wrong. I think the moral of the story is when that happens, no amount of clever reasoning will lead to the right conclusion.

More for 2026

Here’s a leadership manifesto for 2026

1.     Lead with integrity by keeping your word and following through on commitments.

2.     Communicate with clarity and respect, especially when conversations are difficult.

3.     Take ownership of mistakes and use them as opportunities to learn and improve.

4.     Invest in your people by supporting their growth, celebrating their contributions, and offering help without conditions.

5.     Respect boundaries and recognise that people work, think, and perform differently.

6.     Show up consistently, not only when visibility or recognition is at stake.

7.     Listen more than you speak, and actively seek to understand what is being said.

8.     Give credit generously, understanding that recognising others strengthens, rather than weakens, your leadership.

““Great minds discuss ideas, average minds discuss events, and little minds discuss people.””
— Unknown

Live your best life

Humans have a strong tendency to rationalise their beliefs, even when those beliefs are no longer helpful. Cognitive research shows that intelligence does not necessarily protect against this tendency; in some cases, it can enhance a person’s ability to justify existing views rather than challenge them. As a result, blind spots can persist unnoticed. This is where a thinking partner can be valuable. Having someone who can question assumptions, surface patterns, and reflect what may be difficult to see or easy to avoid can support clearer and more objective thinking.

Expanding on the theme

When we work only at the behavioural level, change is usually temporary. People may comply, adjust, or mask behaviours, but the pattern often returns under pressure. When we work at the belief level, change becomes more sustainable because the behaviour no longer serves the same purpose. For my coaching clients, this shift can be powerful.

Instead of asking, “What is wrong with me?” the question becomes, “What belief has been guiding me, and does it still serve me?” That reframing reduces shame and opens the door to curiosity, responsibility, and growth. I think as coaches and leaders, our role is not to correct behaviour, but to help uncover and examine the belief beneath it. Once the belief is understood, the behaviour often changes naturally, without force.

Does this make sense?

Behaviour is the visible outcome and belief is the operating system underneath. When someone avoids conflict, overcontrols situations, resists feedback, or struggles to delegate, the behaviour itself is not the core problem. The real question is: What belief makes this behaviour feel necessary or logical to them? For example:

  • A belief such as “If I do not stay in control, I will be seen as incompetent” often shows up as micromanagement.

  • A belief like “Speaking up will lead to rejection” often manifests as silence in meetings.

  • A belief such as “My value comes from being useful” can appear as overworking or difficulty setting boundaries.

I think behaviour is the information that gives us clues about what someone believes to be true about themselves, others, or the world around them. What do you think?

Vital point

We often use price as a proxy for value. We are willing to pay more for things we consider valuable, and, in turn, we tend to value things more highly when they come at a cost. From an economic perspective, consumer surplus refers to the gap between what someone would be willing to pay for something and what they actually pay. While this surplus is typically framed as a benefit, it does not necessarily generate greater appreciation or pleasure. As prices fall, our sense of value and emotional engagement often diminishes.

I think this creates a paradox within capitalism. Significant effort is invested in reducing costs and increasing efficiency, yet these gains do not reliably translate into greater human happiness. In many cases, cheaper and more abundant goods lead to reduced appreciation rather than deeper satisfaction. What do you think?

““It is more interesting, more complicated, more intellectually demanding and more morally demanding to love somebody, to take care of somebody, to make one other person feel good.””
— Toni Morrison

Daily mantra for 2026

The way you feel, the way you respond, and the way you live.

  1. This is going to be the best day of my life, not because it will be perfect, but because I will show up fully present and willing to learn from whatever the day brings.

  2. I control my mind; it does not control me. I do not control what will happen, but I control how I respond, and I choose to respond with joy and love to whatever happens.

  3. I am grateful for what I have right now, even if it is something small, even if the day is not perfect.

Compliance over competence

Have you ever noticed that some people move into management roles without having fully developed the skills required to lead others effectively?

Yes, this often happens in environments where visibility is rewarded more consistently than capability. In many organisations, promotion decisions prioritise predictability and low risk over potential and leadership strength. Individuals who maintain stability, avoid challenging existing ways of working, and create a sense of comfort for senior leadership are often seen as safe choices. Meanwhile, those who perform exceptionally well can unintentionally highlight gaps in systems, processes, or leadership above them.

Over time, this can limit the development of strong leaders. Commitment may be valued more than leadership capacity, alignment more than vision, and short-term comfort more than long-term growth. As this pattern becomes established, layers of management may reinforce existing behaviours, while high-performing employees experience frustration, disengagement, or decide to move on.

This is how organisations gradually normalise mediocrity, often without realising it. When leadership capability appears uneven across levels, it is rarely a matter of chance. It is usually the result of the structures, incentives, and signals the organisation has created. I think if organisations want more effective leaders, they must look closely at what behaviours they truly reward and whether those behaviours align with the future they are trying to build.

““Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards.” ”
— Søren Kierkegaard

Let it go

Leaders can become so focused on proving how smart or right they are that they lose sight of their purpose: to make a meaningful difference. Before speaking, pause and ask yourself: “Am I willing, at this moment, to invest the energy required to create a positive impact on this issue?”
I think that If the answer is yes, speak with intention. If the answer is no, choose to let it go.

““Never confuse education with intelligence. Intelligence isn’t ability to remember and repeat, like they teach in school. Intelligence is ability to learn from experience, solve problems, and use our knowledge to adapt to new situations.””
— Richard Feynman

The 3 A's

The three A’s are a gentle way of staying rooted in appreciation and gratitude. First, acknowledge what you already have, rather than focusing on what is missing. Then, truly appreciate it, allowing yourself to feel the fullness of its value. Finally, allow what needs to come next, trusting that when you are present with what is, what is meant for you will follow.
What do you think?

Meaningful purpose

Leadership is more than a title or a seat at the head of the table, I think it’s about a shared sense of purpose. You have to have the courage to speak up when you see a better way, the courage to take calculated risks, and the courage to support one another when things get difficult. The road ahead is ambitious, and it won't always be easy. Let’s stop looking at what’s behind us and start building what’s next.
Happy New Year.

“Where there is no vision, there is no order. Where there is no order, there is no growth. And where there is no growth, the people perish.”
— Burrellism

Let's work together

Moral revolutions are rarely the work of individuals or echo chambers; they are coalitional affairs. To achieve meaningful change, we must be willing to collaborate with those who do not mirror our views entirely.

The late American President, Ronald Reagan once famously said that if someone agrees with you 80% of the time, they are an 80% ally, not a 20% traitor. Unfortunately, modern political discourse has traded this pragmatism for moral purity. We have entered an era where any deviation from a 100% shared ideology is viewed as a disqualifying betrayal.

This quest for purity has several damaging effects as we are splintering into increasingly smaller, more insular moral circles. And by shrinking our circles, we lose the numbers necessary to exert influence. I sometimes think that we forget that the core of politics is the art of building coalitions to gain the power required to actually change the world. To move forward, we must stop treating "difference" as an enemy and start seeing it as the fundamental building block of a winning movement.

““We don’t change anything. All we can do is invest people with the morale to change it for themselves.””
— James Baldwin

A coaching framework

The brain responds well to structure and strategy. A clear framework creates focus, direction, and psychological safety during the coaching process.

B.R.A.N.D is a simple five-step coaching framework developed by Linda Remke that clarifies where we are, where we are going, and how we will work together. It allows me, as your coach, to operate within a consistent methodology while supporting you in moving toward the outcomes you want to achieve through your coaching journey.

· Benchmarking the session: Establishing the purpose, desired outcome, and success criteria for the session.

·. Realities: Exploring the current situation with honesty and clarity.

· Articulate: Helping you articulate insights, challenges, and what truly matters.

· New thinking: Challenging assumptions and opening space for new perspectives and options.

· Do: Translating insight into clear, practical actions and commitments.

This framework provides structure without rigidity, ensuring each session is focused, purposeful, and aligned with meaningful progress.

Vary your behaviour

I could live in any time, in any country, or on any planet and still be fine, because the inner reality creates the outer form. When your inner world aligns with your thoughts, beliefs, and self-concept, you stop reacting to life and start shaping it. The universe does not care what year you are in, what country you live in, or what chaos surrounds you, because you are the constant, and your energy is the constant. The universe bears no ill to me, and I bear no ill to it. That is inner peace and alignment. When you stop resisting and start receiving, energy responds accordingly. If your reality feels out of sync, the work is not outward but inward, recalibrating there is how you take your power back.

Reverse benchmarking

I think behavioural variation is one of the healthiest forces in an economy. Incumbent businesses naturally benefit from habit, familiarity, and social proof, which gives them a built-in advantage. New and entrepreneurial businesses almost always start at a disadvantage because they have to earn trust and attention from scratch. When consumers vary their behaviour, they help level the playing field. As this creates real competition, encourages innovation, and ultimately benefits consumers through better choices, quality, and value.

Inner discipline creates outer results

Image c/o @bywisewords

I think your mindset, your words, your reactions, and your choices shape your experience of life more than external circumstances do. As they emphasise awareness (what you say, think, and focus on), growth through challenge, gratitude, and the understanding that change and connection are essential to becoming a better version of yourself.
Here are 11 life lessons:

  1. The less you say, the more your words will matter.

  2. Don’t take everything personally as not everyone thinks about you as much as you do.

  3. When you focus on problems, you’ll have more problems. When you focus on possibilities, you’ll have more opportunities.

  4. No matter how much it hurts now, someday you will look back and realise that your struggle changes your life for the better.

  5. You meet people for a reason, either you need them to change your life or you’re the one that will change theirs.

  6. Never be afraid to change something new. Life gets boring when you stay within the limits of what you already know.

  7. You’ll never truly know the value of the moment until it becomes a memory.

  8. Once you begin taking note of the things you are grateful for, you’ll begin to lose sight of the things that you lack.

  9. If you do not have control of your mouth, you’ll do not have control over your future.

  10. Life is a mirror and will reflect back to the thinker what he thinks into it.

  11. The only person you have to face in the morning is yourself. Be unbeatable.

Reputation matters

A brand inspires trust because when you have a strong reputation, you have something to lose by cutting corners or selling a poor product. There is always some uncertainty in any transaction, but buying from someone with a good reputation reduces that risk. There is a feedback loop at play too. If a brand lets people down, word spreads, trust erodes, and that reputation can be damaged through bad experiences or negative talk.

““Understanding that behavioural economics is a rebranding of psychology which allows you to have conversations about psychology to people who wouldn’t be happy talking about psychology.””
— Rory Sutherland

Happy New Year

As we approach the final hours of 2025, I want to take a moment to say thank you to each and every one of you. Every conversation, lesson, challenge, and moment of support has played a part in shaping the person I am today. This year has reminded me of the power of community and the importance of surrounding yourself with people who uplift you, challenge you, and stand beside you through every season. Growth does not happen in isolation, and I am deeply grateful for those who have walked this journey with me. As we step into a new year, may we continue to choose connection, kindness, and people who help us become the best versions of ourselves.
Thank you for being part of my story 🙏🏾