THE DARING WORKS NEWSLETTERTrimTabs - small shifts, big possibilities.
A weekly dose of curiosity, perspective and the occasional provocation.
A trim tab is a small flap on the rudder of a ship. By moving this tiny piece, you can help turn the much larger rudder and ultimately change the direction of the entire vessel.
It's an idea I came across through the brilliant and unconventional thinker Buckminster Fuller, who saw it as a metaphor for how individuals can influence much bigger systems.
And I love the idea that small shifts in how we think, see and act can create ripples far beyond ourselves. That's the spirit behind TrimTabs.
Every Tuesday morning, I share something that's got me thinking. Sometimes it's about business, leadership or the systems we've created. Other times it's nature, burnout, community, technology or simply what it means to be human.
I draw on my experiences in the corporate world, my work as an Accredited Coach and strategist and my growing fascination with what the natural world can teach us.
It's a place to connect seemingly unrelated ideas, challenge a few assumptions and perhaps see something familiar in a different light.
Sometimes personal. Sometimes practical. Occasionally provocative.
And hopefully, every now and then, something that acts as a little trim tab in your own life.
What would your 104-year-old self tell you?
I hope you enjoyed the bank holiday weekend. As I land back at my desk, I’ve got a mix of cool things to tell you about but I’m also reflective about an anniversary today.
Firstly, I recorded a podcast with Anna Lundberg a little while ago and it went out yesterday. I often find it difficult to listen to myself speak so I was relieved when I nodded along to what I said.
Are you a citizen or a consumer?
‘Community’ has been a concept I’ve become increasingly curious about and I've noticed the different metrics people use to measure its success. We count members, followers, ticket sales, open rates. And those numbers can look very healthy right up until the moment you actually need people and then find out how many of them were really there.
The true measure of a community is much simpler and much harder to track, who shows up when the chips are down? Not when it's fun and photogenic but when showing up costs something.
I’d been sitting the wrong exam
I've been noticing something this week that keeps showing up across different parts of my work and life and when something shows up that many times I've learned to pay attention.
The theme, if I had to name it, is ‘measurement’. What we measure in our lives, why we measure it and whether the measures we've inherited actually serve us or just make us easier to manage?
When flourishing becomes mutual
I hope you’ve had a good bank holiday weekend. It felt really good to slow down and embrace the mixed bag of weather - a proper balance of beautiful sunshine and rain. Perfect growing weather.
On Friday evening we celebrated the ancient festival of Beltane at Four Acre Farm (where we host The Natural Network workshops). It was a truly magical evening of sun, storytelling and cake. Lots of cake.
Bluebells don't need a marketing strategy
I hope you’ve been able to get outside and enjoy this warmer, brighter weather. It’s given me a burst of energy and opened up some wonderful conversations with people. It’s also highlighted a tension I’ve been sitting with for a while and I’m curious if it resonates with you too?
I’m seeing that the more meaningful your work becomes, the less you want to shout about it. And the more your practice is rooted in something real, the more it feels wrong to pitch it.
So, slowly, you make yourself harder to find…
The signals we can miss
I’m glad to be back in our usual rhythm this week and I’m here in your inbox on the usual day.
For anyone who missed it, the pause came after my eldest son unfortunately had a seizure and we ended up in A&E. I’m grateful he has recovered well from the concussion and he will have an EEG soon so we can understand whether epilepsy might be part of the picture. It feels like we’ve been moving through choppy waters and the tide is beginning to settle.