Who I Am

I left school and home at age 16 to be a journalist; wandered the world, discovered my life mission – to make organisations fit for humans and help equip people to survive and prosper in organisations.

For most of my career I have been a Professor at London Business School.  My lifetime achievements include:

• The first scholar to apply evolutionary theory and thought to the world of business and management
• Expert in diverse areas – health & performance, employee relations, life & career transitions, leadership development, family business, and evolutionary theory (< 20 published books and 200 articles).
• Educational innovation:  designed and directed the legendary Proteus Programme at LBS plus numerous life-changing executive courses
• Consultant and advisor: to companies, boards, families, and individuals
• Personal coach to political & business leaders

My Vision

We face a constant challenge of adaptation to a changing world and the people in it.   We do this in two ways:  innovation & agility.  Innovation means shaping and selecting contexts and relationships to suit ourselves.  Agility means developing skills and mind-sets to deal with new circumstances

To be effective in doing this we need three things:

1.  Self-knowledge & self-control
2. Deep insight in to the people and circumstances we face and which may arise in the future
3. Competences, skills, strategies, routines, and ideas that we can use to make the right moves

This is my Effective Adaptation Formula:  To be the right person/group/organisation, at the right time and place, doing the right thing.

This is challenging for individuals, groups and organisations.  You will find on this site Sources and Services I can offer to help master these challenges.