I’m a creative futurist and social entrepreneur who’s passionate about activating aspiring leaders, smart people and great organisations to DO GOOD. I love the word VIVID. It means "strikingly bright, full, fresh and distinct. My mantra is '∴ lead and live vividly' http://andrewnicol.net
The words “It’s not personal, it’s just business” are all too common. I’ve had them used to me, my staff and friends. And I’ve often read them in the media. The reality is, of course, that all business is personal. Every interaction we have with another human being is personal, founded on human to human … More “It’s not personal, it’s just business” is BS.
I didn’t want to run. Not a single bone in my body felt like venturing out into the dark cold winters morning to exercise. Luckily, I have some well-rehearsed steps to get me motivated: Get what I need | I get dressed and lace up my running shoes. Step Out | I step out the … More 3 Steps to get Motivated
Anyone who has ridden the London Tubes will be all familiar with this phrase ,”Please mind the gap between the train and the platform.” The announcement is a constant reminder to beware of gaps, so that you don’t get tripped up or worse. Gaps can be dangerous! And it’s a pretty safe bet that one … More Four Gaps to Avoid to Increase Trust
To be Human is… To be an adventurer. To embrace failure. To be authentic. To be messed up. To seek connection. To stand up for injustice. To love regardless. To say sorry. To be unique. To have faith. ∴ To be human is to step up. And play your part.
Treat others, the way you would want to be treated! This is a post about how The Golden Rule is easy to talk about, hard to think about, and harder to do! You could read the post. Or You could put it into action, right now, for one person! Easy to talk about… At … More “Treat others, the way you would want to be treated.” Easy to talk about. Hard to do.
Recently I was chatting to a stranger who had, in my opinion, a very dated and passionate view on military conscription. Now like you, I am very opinionated. This means we encounter people with very different views to us. And, if we aren’t careful this can lead us to bombard them with our opinion, to … More How to really win an argument
In the past, most jobs were about manual labour. Back then strength and physicality won the day. Currently, the good jobs use your mind. Your brain, your creativity and your ability to think set you apart. As knowledge workers, the company basically pays us for our brains. Now, with Robots doing the manual work, and … More One talent children must have for jobs of the future.
Life can never be lived perfectly. It won’t always go the way you planned. At times it can be frustrating, annoying, disappointing and painful all at the same time. And when our world is spinning out of control we can feel our choices are limited. But … we always get a choice … about how … More Choosing your response
“Do you trust me?” I was asked with absolute sincerity. It’s a huge question because trust binds all relationships together. “Do you trust me?” is not a simple question, and in the years since I’ve come to realise that trust is made up of three things: Trust what I say Trust what I do Trust … More Do you trust me?
Disappointed? Yes. Appalled? Often. Outright angry? Sadly. This describes some of my emotions as I’ve read various opinions in the weeks following the Christchurch mosque shootings. Christians up in arms about the call to prayer; a Hamilton City Councillor suggesting we “move on”; criticism of wearing the hijab; Katie Hopkins ranting from the … More Compassion is the only acceptable response
It was one of those lazy wet Sunday afternoons when I received the call from a team member just “letting me know” her house was surrounded in water. What was heavy rain on one side of town, was a torrential downpour on the other, that forced this solo mum and her son from their home. … More We Just Go
The future of jobs is changing and so is the way you apply for those jobs. 6 years ago (a lifetime in technology) I wrote 14 tips to stand out when applying for a job. Well the way we apply for jobs and big data is changing the whole job seeker experience so here’s my … More 10 great tips when applying for jobs online.
Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but we are already one month into 2019. So how are those goals, ambitions, dreams and resolutions going? If you are struggling, maybe it’s because you aren’t using hindsight well. Hindsight offers 20:20 vision It is fair to say that last year did not all go … More Hindsight gifts insights, that improves foresight.
I was attending a conference recently where the keynote speaker was talking about fixed and growth mindsets. He asked everyone who had a fixed mindset to raise their hand and naturally I did. I was the only one! Which is crazy because we all have a fixed mindset. In fact the majority of our beliefs … More You have a fixed mindset and here’s how to fix it.
“Cask wine still exists!” I was surprised to say the least. I had been eating lunch with friends and they politely informed me that cask wine was still a thing. Not convinced, because I’ve never seen it at the supermarket, I decided to check it out the next time I went shopping and I was … More Our attention defines our beliefs
People Matter ∴ Do Good 