Wisdom in fragments

My early experience as an unaccompanied child refugee on the Kindertransport brought me to England in 1939, evading Nazi Europe. That really had an enormous impact on me, everything was different. It was such a big change, that change doesn't throw me anymore. I've learned to enjoy change, I like to do new things, make new things happen.

Pioneering Software Engineer & Founder of Freelance Programmers Ltd

Insecurity is normal, we all feel it. If you don't? you're a psychopath! This is the manager who really leads from that place of insecurity.

Harvard Business Review contributor & workplace dynamics expert

Remote work has turned the lights on in the room, it's allowing us to see the cracks and cobwebs, and we can never switch that light off again.

Harvard Business Review contributor & workplace dynamics expert

There was a revealing study which showed this too. If you tap out the rhythm to a familiar song, say 'happy birthday…' how often do you think that someone listening to your taps will guess the song? The person tapping usually guesses about 50%, but in reality, it's about 2.5%!

Harvard Business Review contributor & workplace dynamics expert

There's a concept in psychology called naïve realism. We think we see the world perfectly and assume that everyone sees it the way we do. If they don't? if they disagree? Our assumption is that they are wrong, and that they are misinformed.

Harvard Business Review contributor & workplace dynamics expert

We're only just acknowledging the importance of those relationships. They're incredibly important because when they're positive, they're a source of joy, energy, productivity, and resilience. There's a lot of research that shows that when we have friends at work, we are more resilient, and we perform better.

Harvard Business Review contributor & workplace dynamics expert

If you're doing anything for legacy, you might as well forget about it – even your great grandchildren will have no idea who you were or what you did. Legacy lasts 50 years maximum.

Co-Founder of Netflix & Former Redbox CEO

I guess the only thing I would say is if you get to the point to where you could comfortably believe that I could die tomorrow and I wouldn't regret my life, I think at least for me, I think that's where success would be.

Co-Founder of Netflix & Former Redbox CEO

If you love solving problems, that's kind of where entrepreneurship comes from, and you hone your skills by bringing people and resources together around your vision and ideas to solve problems.

Co-Founder of Netflix & Former Redbox CEO

I define disruption as being where the incumbent players and incumbents somehow deny what their customers are saying or want differently. A disruptor comes in, sees a problem more clearly, and in some cases has more freedom to attack the problem.

Co-Founder of Netflix & Former Redbox CEO

Individuals who are creative are sensitive, they can be vulnerable and can take things incredibly personally – often they are putting the rawest version of themselves out there so when that's criticised it can be really difficult and damaging. We try to put ourselves in our client's shoes and champion empathy as a team.

Social media has completely and seismically changed our industry in a way that is hard to express. Historically we would have largely been reliant on a few gatekeepers, but that has been completely flipped on its head with social media, in that anybody with a unique voice that is able to connect with an audience can be talent.

We see ourselves as the long term creative and strategic partners to our clients and that word – partner – is really important to us. We will put intellectual, human, financial capital around the ideas of our clients and make them happen. A manager is about somebody that has an opinion, who has the ability to take your dream from inside your head to a reality.

There is a certain kind of X factor that is really hard to define, but it is the thing that makes a person stand out when they walk into a room or makes you magnetically drawn to walk towards them at a party or a gathering. It is often about authenticity and being true to themselves, because I think most people are very good at reading what is and what is not authentic.

I have always been attracted to creative people and been fascinated by what drives them and what they are made of; whether that be a recording artist, an author or a broadcaster. The most exciting thing about it is the fact that you can support somebody on a mission to create something unique, something that creates impact- and often at the level that we are operating at – something culturally relevant.

You are pure awareness. That's who the 'I' is. And awareness is energy. You are pure energy, which is the essence of awareness. Awareness is concentrated energy.

Hindu priest and mindfulness meditation teacher; former monk at Sri Mahamandir Temple