How servant leaders get stuff done.. in the real world

Servant leaders in the real world. How do you get stuff done?

Here’s what I’ve learnt from seeing some operate, seeing some not, reading the Bible and well, from AA.

- Agree with every view, then do what you believe is best
- Don’t talk much, at all
- When you talk, make sure it is one-on-one, especially to people you disagree with
- Give credit all the time to someone else, especially when you deserve the credit
- Always be early – for everything
- Have a vision – then be willing to trash it at any time
- Pray

The Lomu effect, on India

Cable TV hit India in the 1990s and I devoured sports like a hungry lion.

My loyalties were soon to be decided on the back of 24/7 ‘live’ coverage of global sports.

A colleague, half Welsh, aligned me with Manchester United.

A basketball mate suggested not to look beyond the Lakers.

And then, there was Jonah Lomu.

Rugby is to Indians what kabaddi is to the Kiwis; until the 1995 World Cup happened.

I watched Jonah Lomu.

He converted a small-town boy in India into a rugby fan, but much more, into a Lomu fan.

Forever.

Adios, Jonah Lomu.

Why cliches matter

Clichés matter.

They exist in the humdrum of verbose human communication for that precise moment to stab your soul.

Then, the cliché is part of your being and you wear it, every day, like underwear.

My dad died a year ago and with each passing day I have missed him more.

Time has, in the year gone by, acted only like a butler - drawing out vintages from the memory larder – succulent hors d'oeuvres of delightful joy; then pain-full courses of opportunities missed.

Cliché? You will only realise what someone is worth once they are gone.

Miss you dad.

Would you shoot me? No, says my Muslim friend... That's good enough for me

Some of my closest friends are Muslim.
We sit across the table and can feel the strain of the Paris attacks on our conversation.
The Muslim goes out of his/her way to condemn the attack.
The non-Muslim, myself, avoids the topic entirely – shuffling past the question: Do you support Daesh?
It must be asked, surely.
Sitting far away from the insanity of what happened in Paris I can feel the sands shifting.
Would you shoot me if we were on two opposite sides of a religious war? No, says my Muslim friend.
That then is enough for me today.

No, no Anthony Martial, that's not the LVG way

Anthony Martial took the ball and ran straight at the defence in the final third of the pitch.

Rooney does not do that.
Ander Herrera does not do that.
Juan Mata does not do that.
Louis Van Gaal does not do that.

The possession and precision Van Gaal philosophy speaks to a Barcelona-like tiki-taka, but pronounced more tic-tac-toe.

A formula to win.

Now, Martial will be benched, then schooled in the Van Gaal way.

He will return and run at the backs no more. He will pass the ball more, score less.

Man Utd will still win of course.

Man Utd's LVG era begins now

Rooney did not know who Martial was. Neither did I.
I did not know who he was despite watching him play Arsenal in the Champions League last season.
The Louis van Gaal Manchester United era now truly begins.
All but a few of the key legs from the Fergie era are gone.
Angel Di Maria explains it best: Van Gaal simply points to his philosophy when a player argues.
Follow it, or fall out.
It’s a precise philosophy of football played in a deliberate manner that demands extreme levels of craft.
Specific movements with intent, drive and skill.

Cheers! No more...

You drink playfully; then gainfully.
You drink aggressively; then lushfully.
Like the great and wise men who drank themselves to death, you drink committed to thought and creativity that is insane.
All the while, it’s all about you… and it’s good, great, glorious.
Then, you cross the line.
You now drink alcoholically.
And it’s done. You can drink no more.
It’s not about you anymore.
Others now matter. They matter more. Much more.
In their joy and healing alone lies your sanity.
One day at a time, you must climb down from the mountain on which you were perched.