Julia Finch’s Post

I heard an interesting formula today (thanks to Cory Muscara) which I’d not heard before: Experience x Curiosity = Wisdom 💡

Today I workshopped a work-related challenge with a group of directors from completely different areas of the organisation - none of whom had any prior visibility/involvement in the specific challenge or its context, but who (between them) have a wealth of different experiences and perspectives. Within about an hour of discussion and insightful questions and suggestions from the group, I now have a brilliant solution which connects the dots between various different projects (which I wouldn’t have immediately connected), and tangible steps forward which will empower me to implement this solution. A powerful reminder of the value of diversity of thought and asking open questions. (And massive thanks to all involved!)

Wise words from our friend Bob (AKA Simon): “All our tombs will be unvisited in a few short spins of the rock around the star, but the smile you gave the check-out lady might still be rippling forward. Most films about time travel revolve around people inadvertently altering the present by changing one tiny thing in the past, but project that forward: you might radically change the future by changing one tiny thing in the present. “

A couple of us have been organising these runs, on Saturday 22nd June. If you’re in the London or Surrey area, you should join us! There’s a 10k, and also a 3k family fun run (the latter is suitable for pre-schoolers). It’s a gorgeous route - along beautiful woodland trails, common and recreational grounds, footpaths and a few quiet roads. It’s in Esher which is 28 minutes by train from London Waterloo. The sign-up link is in the comments. The registration fee goes to charity, in case you need any more incentivisation. And straight after the run, there’s a summer fair with a barbecue, bouncy castle, games, raffle, and drinks. Hope to see you there!

Has anyone else had one of those weeks?! Happy weekend everyone!

It was a privilege today to host a panel session: “Let’s discuss the journey of our mental health”. Panel members shared their journeys, including traumatic events and experiences such as bereavement, cancer, menopause, and supporting family members through terminal illness. Both I and the attendees gained so much, not only from hearing the extraordinary challenges that some of our colleagues have faced, but also in benefitting from so much wisdom about the various resources, tools and coping mechanisms that people have found valuable when times were tough. And from discussing how - as managers, as team-members, and as humans - we can support our colleagues when they need it. It feels great to be part of a team where these things can be talked about openly. And what really stood out for me - alongside the incredible courage and leadership of those panel members in sharing their experiences and wisdom - was the fact that this panel session was just set up by a couple of colleagues who happened to have a great idea and a whole load of passion and drive to make it happen. So if your workplace isn’t yet having this type of conversation - the opportunity is absolutely there 💡

As a lover of languages (I studied Latin and Greek to degree level, and have a smattering of other languages including Arabic and French), I think it’s great when people take pride in the language they use. I particularly enjoyed the language and expression in this clip, especially the phrase “existential discombobulation”: https://lnkd.in/eDM8PzkM

Sunshine after the rain. Great day to be a bird - not so great to be a worm. No doubt there’s a life metaphor in there, about seizing opportunities and what-have-you. But (like the birds) I’m hungry so I’m going to go and have some lunch rather than push this one any further.

Really interesting podcast (link in comments) from Dr Amanda Potter CPsychol, about how the different parts of the brain (amygdala, pre-frontal cortex) and stress hormones such as cortisol and dopamine play a role in creating the *fallacy of sunk costs* - where we continue to invest our time/money/effort/emotional energy in something that used to be/seem good for us, even if more recent evidence indicates that it’s no longer good for us at all. We’d rather stay where we are, burying our heads in the sand, rather than face the reality and admit that we’ve been wrong or be seen to have “failed”. I know I’ve been guilty of this - I’m sure we all have at one time or another. This can apply to all sorts of things, from financial investments to personal relationships. Useful to think about how we can have the courage to get out of this cycle, shake off the emotional shackles, and make the changes we need in our lives. #emotionalintelligence #leadership #psychology

Attended a thought-provoking and valuable workshop this afternoon (facilitated by EY with Barclays) with a bunch of other Barclays directors, looking at how we can each make an incremental improvement in terms of focus, precision, simplicity&efficiency, diversity of thought, or delivering a world-class service. Great conversations around brainstorming and holding each other accountable. Looking forward to seeing how we each manage to implement these little changes (100 little 1% improvements) and collectively make a big difference.