Don Watson called them ‘weasel words’. We use them everyday to impress, fit in, bamboozle, or show how damn clever we are. They’re inescapable; but are they inevitable? Are you willing to let go of your ‘capabilities’ and your ‘empowered workforce’; your ‘stakeholders’ and your ‘benchmarks’? Probabl
People talk a lot in the business world about ‘getting out of the box’ to solve problems creatively or see things from a different perspective. There are big advantages in getting out of the box, especially if it leads to new ways of doing business. But what does ‘out of the box’ really mean to the
I am part of a volunteer group working on sustainability issues, interested in supporting the city of Sydney’s 2030 plan. We were reviewing a list of our own behaviour preferences for working together as a group – our preferred ‘culture’. We had finished with a reasonable lis
The ‘slow food’ movement is a healthy reaction to modern patterns of food production and consumption. Its philosophy asserts a right to pleasure, as well as acknowledging the connections between ‘plate and planet’. While there are benefits where production processes can be standardized,
The inaugural CAVAL Horizon Executive Library Leadership 2008/09 program attracted senior library professionals from six Australian states and the north island of New Zealand. Participants came from national, state, university and government libraries. The program consisted of two face-to face resid
Green Collar in Australia – A Student Perspective By Ian Colley This report explores student perspectives on ‘green collar’ careers, aiming to gauge the level of understanding and excitement among young Australians about careers with a sustainable focus. This research was based on
Talus is the frost shattered rock that always lies at the base of every mountain, between the trail and the peak. Getting around on it is hell. Until you develop the experience to know that moving slowly and carefully is a lot harder than moving fast. To move faster requires full attention, 100 per
Several years ago, Chia and I ran a six month business development program for a group of contract managers scattered throughout the north island of New Zealand. Running service contracts for steel mills, telecommunications providers, property developers and local councils, these managers were pract
Right idea, right time, right place – the power of networks In September, 2001 Bruce Thomson and Ian Colley, made a simple suggestion at a Tourism Workshop of “station stay” operators in far West NSW: Why not join together? That suggestion gave birth to Outback Beds, a multi award winning tour