Wisdom in fragments

Rape is one of the oldest weapons of war and it remains so to this day. For too long, it has been viewed as an 'unfortunate' side effect of war. But really, it is a tactic. The truth is that stable societies are built on the backs of women.

Nobel Peace Prize Winner & Yazidi Genocide Survivor Advocate

Beyond the atrocities of mass murder and rape, ISIS also set out to systematically destroy the Yazidi community by ensuring that we did not have the resources to survive in our homeland. They poisoned wells, burned farms, took out electrical grids, and destroyed schools, homes, temples, and hospitals.

Nobel Peace Prize Winner & Yazidi Genocide Survivor Advocate

Young people see philanthropy and change completely differently – they don't support charities in the same way as I do, but they campaign and that's perhaps more valuable. The money is less important now, and the drive is the focus, the talking, the doing.

Pioneering Software Engineer & Founder of Freelance Programmers Ltd

I always tried to run my business in a humane way. I had this idea of business being tough and harsh, and thought I could build a business that was humane and kind. Performance metrics and KPIs are relatively straightforward to follow, but doing the 'right thing' is not nearly so clear cut.

Pioneering Software Engineer & Founder of Freelance Programmers Ltd

Looking back, there were two things that made change possible for me. Firstly, I lived the change. My company was a way of, as they say, 'scratching my own itch.' I wanted to be able to go on working myself, and I realised that a lot of other women would have had comparable aims and desires.

Pioneering Software Engineer & Founder of Freelance Programmers Ltd

For me, success is about harmony, and it has several dimensions. The classic three; intellectual, physical, and spiritual – when those three are in harmony, I feel my life is a success. Money isn't really a part of that. Many people use money as a measure of success, not as their umbrella for a rainy day.

Pioneering Software Engineer & Founder of Freelance Programmers Ltd

I've noticed that wealthy people don't build resilience often because they think they're protected by their money. To a certain extent, this is true. As the money goes however, there's no strength… there's no kernel behind the money that allows them to see through the problems of life. Your happiness comes from inside.

Pioneering Software Engineer & Founder of Freelance Programmers Ltd

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. I'm also very conscious that my life was saved, and I decided, very early on, to make mine a life worth saving.

Pioneering Software Engineer & Founder of Freelance Programmers Ltd

Some political conversations are necessary, think about conversations on race or gender, there aren't 'sides' to take when we're talking about human dignity. Instead of focusing on trying to change someone's mind, we can focus on speaking from a place of curiosity. Trying to change other people is a fool's errand – we can have some influence on how people behave, but if your goal is to change their mind, you're setting yourself up for failure.

Harvard Business Review contributor & workplace dynamics expert

The irony is that the more passive aggressive you are, the more your relationships will get damaged, much more so than if you were just honest. Passive aggression is infuriating when you're dealing with it. It can feel like shadowboxing!

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. If your relationships were strong to start with, remote and hybrid work has been shown to intensify those relationships. If you already had fractures and negative relationships, hybrid and remote has been shown to intensify the negativity and make those relationships worse.

Harvard Business Review contributor & workplace dynamics expert

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%! You are assuming the other person can hear the song you are tapping!

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. It's a natural inclination we all have which stops us putting ourselves in the other's shoes.

Harvard Business Review contributor & workplace dynamics expert

We spend so much time at work, so we're going to have relationships with our colleagues – and those relationships may be distanced, troubled or fantastic. When they're positive, they're a source of joy, energy, productivity, and resilience. On the flip side, when those relationships are negative or stressful, they have incredible ramifications for our well-being, productivity, and creativity. Studies show that even when we cut ourselves, it takes longer to heal if we are having animosity in our close relationships!

Harvard Business Review contributor & workplace dynamics expert

Life is moving so fast now. It used to be 50–100-year cycles between great inventions. Now every year we have game-changing inventions and innovations. You might think you're working on something utterly game changing, but there's a chance that a couple of months from now, you will be totally superseded.

Co-Founder of Netflix & Former Redbox CEO

I study history and genealogy – I buy old maps from the 1500s and 1600s, and one thing that's absolutely clear to me is that legacy lasts 50 years maximum. Thinking about legacy in timeframes beyond that is meaningless.

Co-Founder of Netflix & Former Redbox CEO