Drawing

Yesterday I took a look at the Square Enix website to see about cancelling my FFXI subscription. Its been gradually seeping dollars from my VISA card since 2004, and for most of the last two I’ve barely touched the game. Of course my character had lots of hours invested, and I always thought I would find time to get back into it. Now I’m not surrounded by FFXI mania and the old gang have moved on, it doesn’t appeal the way it used to – and even when it does, it just isn’t the same. Having got back into my own routine, its also tough to justify the hours you’d need to spend to progress; its the kind of game that you could lose yourself in for about four years, if the landlord didn’t evict you first for losing your job and defaulting on your rent. I like to remind myself these days that when the power goes off, games like that leave you with nothing. Invest that time in a martial art, practical hobby, social activity or sports, and its yours to keep (no subscription required).

Seventy-Eight Behaviours for Managers and Leaders

This morning a colleague invited me to fill in one of these anonymous 360-degree feedback forms. Being so acutely aware of my own “development points” I never really feel qualified to feed back on other’s professional behaviours, but people seem to keep asking me! While ticking the little boxes I had to work at staying focused, instead of becoming self-conscious of my own imperfections brought to mind by the questionnaire!

Even though my aim is to “downshift” and escape the corporate environment (often one of the most challenging environments in which to develop these behaviours) I will always have to be able to collaborate effectively, and will always want to behave in a way that is constructive and respectful of those around me. It still struck me that the list is a pretty thorough and proven memory aid for achieving that. Here is the list:

Grief and creativity

The impact of grief on creativity