I came to a realisation this Father's Day weekend, as I reflected on the significance of the day to me. And while I initially thought that this post was going to be about fatherhood, it is actually about something far more important.

It is about a discovery I made, an insight on my path. It is one of the many milestones on the journey to mastery, which, once you realise it, makes learning and gaining skilfulness all the easier.

Like anything in life, it is not the experience, but what we do with the experience, that matters.

As a passionate learning designer, facilitator, and leadership development professional, (not to mention decades of work for the public service), I’ve consciously developed my skills in evaluation. My experience and ability to measure whether an intervention actually met the input, output, outcome, and impactful goals and objectives that were set at the time of the design of the intervention!

I invest in this, because evaluation is deeply impactful to the efficacy of the intervention.

Millions live like this (or die like this) without knowing it. They work in offices. They drive a car. They picnic with their families. They raise children. And then some shock treatment takes place, a person, a book, a song, and it awakens them and saves them from death. Some never awaken.

When we are stressed, our bias is for '𝘴𝘢𝘧𝘦 𝘤𝘩𝘰𝘪𝘤𝘦𝘴', we yearn for '𝘴𝘮𝘰𝘰𝘵𝘩 𝘴𝘢𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨', and we avoid those we see as '𝘳𝘰𝘤𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘰𝘢𝘵'.

However, 𝐰𝐞 𝐝𝐨 𝐬𝐨 𝐚𝐭 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐥.

To navigate the path and to be both a good 𝐁𝐮𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐮𝐜𝐫𝐚𝐭 and a good 𝐏𝐮𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐜 𝐒𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐚𝐧𝐭, one needs to employ their self-awareness, their values directed action, as well as their political nous and have the confidence to be supportive and assertive at the same time.

This is no easy task for anyone... but these are skills that can be taught, can be learned, and can even be employed in highly pressurised environments.

There is a spectrum of meanings assigned to the word 'consultation', which moves from 'information dispersal' to 'co-creation'. What many people think when they are being consulted on something is that their opinion has a potential to affect the end result.

Knowing that every leap in skills development, every leap in leadership capability ONLY occurs after time for self-discovery, and time for processing that, and working on it... it is only logical that we have to allocate time for creativity, for self-discovery if we want to reap the rewards of leadership capability growth, or skills development, or self-understanding (which underpins both).

As C.S. Lewis once said, 'You can't go back and change the beginning, but you can start where you are and change the ending'.

The past few years have left many reviewing what they value, who they are, and how they want to manifest in the world. One of my goals for the new year will be to bring an 'artistry' into my work and my life.

Facilitating people is about setting them up for success. It is about how you can build connection, trust, and help them to take risks for the purpose of the workshop.

When we are faced with incredible pressures (either real or perceived) to comply with the desires of those in 'authority', even the leaders of today can do things that they believe are wrong.

The question is:

'how are you going to work to prevent this from happening to you? What are the practices of self-awareness and values directed action that you have to help you do the 'right thing' in the face of the pressures of authority?'

The learning approach is one part of the Insightful Path. It is a simple thing, but can help you to be more effective in your world, in whatever endeavour you are engaging with... but it is not always a comfortable path. It is not always easy.

To ensure the good work of gender equity and fair pay continue, look not to reduce the working from home and flexible work arrangements - but look to increasing managerial capability to be able to manage and lead a diverse workforce.

Good leaders know that:

1. there are multiple leadership styles to choose from; and

2. their choice of leadership style should be determined by the context.

…if ‘we have the habit of freedom, and the courage to write exactly what we think’, … we can find an unknown artist that is within each of us - and artistically create a better life for all of us.

“The lamps are different, but the light is the same: it c0mes from beyond.” - Rumi

I have some Good friends who are practicing Sufis, and to build connection and understanding, I became curious about their practice during the month of Ramadan. I wanted to understand what this meant to them, let alone to the almost 25% of the globe’s population who identify as Muslim.

“Meaningful engagement. It's not about box ticking. How do people with an appetite for reconciliation meaningfully engage with indigenous people? …Reconciliation is powerful, is being present, it is educating and, I feel, co-educating. I want to listen to you about what you think about my people, and then you can listen to me about what it is to be an indigenous person, living presently. The challenges that we face, what we've overcome, and what makes us ‘us’”

I’ve started a new ‘playlist’ on my YouTube Channel - titled ‘Clear Insights’. These are short videos up to 2 minutes long which look at a singular insight that may help you with your work, leadership, and life.

As a parent, I see the world that my four children (blended family) are inheriting, and know that they will face countless ‘-isms’ and fears and injustices and challenges… and I feel I need to do more. With the loving support from my Wife, I’ve started Insightful Path to help use the talents and experience that I’ve been blessed with, to help make the world our four children inherit… better.

This is what I produced this past Sunday – hoping it inspires you to connect with the idea that you too can change your story. You can become an artist of your life, if you are brave enough (and have the support of those that believe in you)!