I recently posted a tweet that created an unexpected enthusiastic response. It read: “It’s hard to survive in the jungle if you were trained in a zoo” I love using metaphors and analogies to explain the concepts I work with, like the difference between complex (jungle) and complicated or obvious (zoo) contexts. This is one … Continue reading It’s hard to survive in the jungle if all you know is the zoo
I was part of a “real play” scenario (you play yourself i.e. how would you respond in the scenario, vs playing a role) the other day, to demonstrate a wonderful coaching modality called ORSC. The scenario we were playing out was one of a large and established insurer who had aquired a small, agile and innovative … Continue reading Reflections on the ‘edginess’ of change
More and more academic research is being done on metaphors – they are no longer considered a “rhetorical flourish” found in literary texts. Rather, linguists have shown that metaphor is a pervasive phenomenon in everyday language, a major force in the development of new word meanings, and the source of at least some grammatical … Continue reading Metaphors shape our language
In a new TED talk by Sir Ken Robinson (embedded below) he focuses on prevailing education systems and how they stifle learning and creativity. He eloquently makes the case that education is not a mechanistic endeavor that is about conformity and compliance, but an inherently human and organic process that is about valuing diversity … Continue reading Leadership is about climate control, not command and control
In the same “lost” Steve Jobs interview I blogged about last week, he shares this anecdote as a metaphor for team work. “When I was a young kid there was a widowed man who lived up the street. He was in his eighties. He’s a little scary looking. And I got to know him a … Continue reading A great metaphor for teamwork from Steve Jobs
Author and Time senior editor Jeffrey Kluger has certainly mastered the use of metaphor in his writing. In a recent article published on Time.com he reflects on the reasons why human beings risk their lives to help others and how, in the wake of the horrific Boston bombings, good and evil once again stand in stark contrast … Continue reading One article: 3 powerful metaphor applications
