Karoshi

Posted by Steve Marshall  Follow me on Twitter

When Suzanne Quentin, one of the meus founding partners in the US, sent over this video I will confess that my first stop was the duration tag; 12mins 10secs...?

Then a thought flashed through my mind, "12:10 - Do I have time for that?".

It turns out that my reaction is precisely the point the film tries to make.  

There is a gathering field of evidence that leads us to believe that overly busy lifestyles are corrosive at a number of personal, organisational and social levels.  Prof Cary Cooper recently claimed the data shows that Americans die earlier from preventable diseases than people in Canada, Japan and the UK.  He suggests that the overly-stressed US may be to blame.

And so the film hits us right between the eyes.  Karoshi. Literally, death from overwork.

The film questions the meaning of life and the purpose of work then goes on to frame the qualitative difference between 'welfare' and 'wellbeing'.  It turns out that this apparently semantic difference hides the potential for an enormous and meaningful shift in the amount of energy, vitality, and engagement we bring to our lives and work.

So, If you feel, for one second, that you don't have the time for this video, then heed the symptoms, watch carefully and take note.  

This one is for you and, of course, me.

The Source

Posted by Steve Marshall. Follow me on Twitter.

Peter Koenig

After his weekend 'Money Seminar' (another planned for Autumn), Peter Koenig stayed in London for an extra day to share some of his research and thinking about 'The Source'.

Peter names a role that is not recognised within conventional management literature, the 'Source' of a project, entity or enterprise.  

As we enquired with Peter, we heard how he frames the Source as the single person who receives the idea or the vision for the organisation and then passes this on to 'helpers' or 'sub-sources'.  Recognition of Source energy is important in enabling the smooth running of an organisation; leadership without recognition of the source results in either a tendency towards authoritarian dictatorship or, alternatively, wheel-spinning egalitarianism.

As consultants and coaches, meus frequently works with leaders and entrepreneurs who embody the Source, and Peter's distinction between personal power, authority or charisma and the natural founding energy of the source felt critical.

Peter's work is ongoing and will be of anyone interested in leading or playing supporting roles in organisations of all shapes and sizes.  He is emphatic that the responsibility of the Source is invested in one person; a point which begs the following enquiry questions for organisations:

• Can there be a joint Source?
• How do two Sources work together?
• What are the implications for merger or acquisition?
• Can the same idea come from simultaneously to more than one person?
• Can there be a 'common vision'?  What is this and can we truly align?
• The question of succession.  How to transmit the role?

Let us know if any of these questions capture you or your clients.  We hope to be working with Peter again on this enquiry!