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In the spirt of the transitions that I am committed to posting about over the course of this year, I have now transitioned my posts from this site to LinkedIn. So if you would like to read more, then please…
Solitude
Several years ago I was fortunate to participate in a solo in the Spanish Pyrenees, facilitated by the great organisation Way of Nature, which provided a natural space and opportunity for personal meditation and reflection. It was incredibly reinvigorating, and…
Thank you
As I approach the halfway mark of this this one year project of weekly postings then I give thanks to you, the readers, for sticking with me as I muse about all matters related to professional transitions, and the tangents…
Something a little different
To change tack a little on the weekly postings from my principal interest to explore here, which is on matters pertaining to transitions, particularly in the workplace, this post is about handwashing. Which certainly has great relevance, as questions arise…
Are we there yet?
As followers of my posts will know, I am a big fan of the writing of Oliver Burkeman and a subscriber to his twice-monthly email, The Imperfectionist, which I heartily recommend subscribing to as well! His new book, Four Thousand…
Dreaming of a better future?
As the summer break approaches for many of us, you may be giving consideration as to what to read. If like me you find that you do not have enough time to read except when on a break, then the…
Wastes of Time
Kristin Wong in Lifehacker writes on The Biggest Wastes Of Time We Regret When We Get Older. The four areas she flags up are: Not asking for help; Trying to make bad relationships work; Dwelling on your mistakes and shortcomings;…
You Only Live Once (YOLO)
As many of us consider our future careers in light of the lockdowns of the past year, some are considering a radical departure to do something different, driven by the realisation that “You Only Live Once” (YOLO). In this article,…
Quiet Ego
Scott Barry Kaufman, academic and author and humanistic psychologist, writes in The Pressing Need for Everyone to Quiet their Egos on the benefits of the “Quiet Ego” as a means of balancing and integrating the interests of the self and…
The Vocation Myth
You may be aware of the great learning available through The School of Life, but you may not be aware of The Book of Life which the institution continues to collate from its contributors and teachings on “the most substantial…
Brain fog
Further to my post last week on languishing, this week I note a related concept of “brain fog” which was featured in this article by Moya Sarner (who has also written on the power of listening, a focus of another…
Languishing
Adam Grant of late seems to appear everywhere. From features on his new book, Think Again, his ongoing podcast series, WorkLife, and most recently in his article in the New York Times on languishing. “Languishing is a sense of stagnation…
Listen here
A fundamental skill for coaching is the ability to listen. Not just to hear what is being said to you, but also to feel it too – as emotions which are shared, and evoked, are such an important insight into…
The Quest for Perfection
There is beauty in perfection, but striving for it can often come at an expense. In this remarkably well crafted story of one man’s quest for perfection, in ten-pin bowling, there is a great moment of learning: that even at…
Your Unlived Life
I have referenced previously Donald Winnicot, in relation to the Good-Enough Job, but he also wrote about the distinction between the “true self” and “false self” which we develop in infancy, and often carry with us into adulthood. In this…
Lessons learned at 80
I am not sure how I came across this address on Lessons Learned in His First 80 Years by Byron Wien, who at 88 is still Vice-Chair of the investment firm Blackstone. Though I was really struck by these 20…
Half life
As I approach 44, the same age Miranda Sawyer was when she wrote this article ‘I have lived over half of my life’ I ponder many of the same questions that she considers. In it she gets insights from Oliver…
Personal Renewal
I subscribe to the Farnam Street blog and podcast, which is a great source of wisdom with in-depth interviews with an array of people that have figured things out. They post some fascinating historical articles, including this transcript of a…
Following your passion, or not
Dan Cable writes in the Harvard Business Review that contrary to popular belief, conveyed by the likes of Steve Jobs, we should not necessarily follow our passion when choosing what work we do… “if you’re looking to find a career…
Focus on what you can control
Massimo Pigliucci writes in Aeon about the power of the stoical perspective, and in particular that of Epictetus, that “if you truly understand the difference between what is and what is not under your control, and act accordingly, you will…
The Real Roots of Midlife Crisis
Jonathan Rauch writing in The Atlantic sets out the research on the “midlife crisis” which identifies a Happiness U-Curve, where life satisfaction reaches an ebb when a person is in their 40s. As he notes, this marks a “difficult yet…
The Good-Enough Job
Thinking about work transitions, then the concept of “good enough”- first introduced by Donald Winnicott in respect to the “good-enough mother” – is an important one. I have been giving some consideration of my various working roles – as a…
Moving on
Oliver Burkeman is a fount of great wisdom, which I first realised reading one of his essays back in college. He was two years older than I, but we both studied Social and Political Sciences. He conveyed more in three…
Work Transitions
This post is the first in a series of articles on the decisions and transitions we make in our working lives, and what at times holds us back from doing so. The series will include resources and links that will be…
Why I coach
As a Clore Social Fellow, a leadership development programme supporting leadership in the social sector in the UK, I was allotted a budget to be coached over a two-year period. Having never had the resource or the exposure to coaching…
Four Thought
Following the presentation of Spoken Truths, my research project as a Fellow on the Clore Social Leadership Programme, I was invited to adapt it for the BBC Radio 4 series, Four Thought. The result of the adaptation is Big Business, Big Charity,…
Spaces of Aid
I was proud to call Lisa Smirl a friend. Last week I attended the posthumous launch of her important book, Spaces of Aid: How Cars, Compounds and Hotels Shape Humanitarianism. I have extracted some choice quotes from the preface here.…
Spoken Truths…
As the final component of my Fellowship on the Clore Social Leadership Programme, I decided to focus my research on the “unspoken truths” of the “social sector”: from how beneficiaries are often excluded from boards of charities and funders to how…
Solo in Wild Nature
I recently returned from my first “solo” – a twenty-four hour immersive experience in wild nature in the Spanish Pyrenees organised by Active Earth and Way of Nature UK – which I attended as part of my Fellowship on the Clore Social…
Responsible Investment
THREE STEPS CHARITY TRUSTEES CAN TAKE ON RESPONSIBLE INVESTMENT Howard Pearce, David Russell and Elliot Frankal First published: Third Sector Online, 11th July 2014 Third sector organisations collectively hold assets worth over £100 billion[1] through endowments, reserves, pension funds and…
PHF should…
As part of the strategic review of the Paul Hamlyn Foundation, David Russell of The Social Enterprise submitted a response to the call for contributions as to the future direction of the organisation. The response was first published on the…
Dame Vivien
David Russell speaks to Dame Vivien Duffield about her philanthropy, the Jewish values she inherited and the realisation of her latest vision, the Jewish Community Centre for London, JW3 Arriving at the unassuming offices of Dame Vivien Duffield, in West…
A Baron’s Vision
David Russell talks to newly created peer Maurice Glasman about the ‘Blue Labour’ ideas he derived from Jewish tradition Maurice Glasman, now Baron Glasman of Stoke Newington and Stamford Hill, intrigued me from our first meetings. These were in 2006. We had both…
The Benefactor
In the second of our series about Jewish philanthropists in the world of art DAVID RUSSELL has the rare opportunity to meet NASSER DAVID KHALILI, collector of Islamic art and one of the richest men in the world.
I in Habonim
Growing up in Leeds during the Thatcher years, each Sunday I would head to the Habonim ken (meeting place) to participate in some activity on Judaism, Socialism, Zionism – one of the three pillars of Habonim’s philosophy. Each winter and…
The Matron of Feminist Art
Arthur M. Sackler, along with his two younger brothers Mortimer and Raymond, made his fortune in pharmaceuticals. Between them they donated to many of the world’s leading cultural and academic institutions. Arthur’s second daughter, Elizabeth, has continued along the path…
Kehillas Ya’akov
Kehillas Ya’akov, or The Congregation of Jacob, is no ordinary synagogue. From the outside it looks unremarkable, sandwiched as it is in the middle of a parade of shops on the Commercial Road in Stepney Green. But step inside, and…
Judaism and Charity
Charitable giving is a requirement of Jewish law. It is prescribed as a mitzvah (commandment). “When your brother will become poor, you will extend your hand to him” (Leviticus 25:35) and care for the “the stranger, and the orphan and…
The Dame doing good
If you ever spend time in Hampstead, it is likely that you will see an electric car emblazoned with green leaves zipping around, with a lady in a flowery dress at the wheel. Or you will see the car plugged…
Careering
On graduating with a degree in Social and Political Sciences, I had little or no idea of what I wanted to go on to do. I had an undefined view that I wanted to “make a difference”, but as to…
Happiness is a pitch for philanthropy
Young British Jews are giving less to Jewish causes and to all charitable causes, and feel no responsibility to give more, reported the first and thus far only systematic study “Patterns of charitable giving among British Jews” (Institute of Jewish…
A Prophet of our Times
Professor Zygmunt Bauman is a remarkable man; a prophet no less, though he will be the first to deny it. I must at first declare a bias. Professor Bauman’s seminal text “Modernity and the Holocaust” was compulsory reading when I…
In memory of Rachel Spanglett
Rachel Spanglett (1914 – 2008), known to many as Rae, was a remarkable woman; one that I feel blessed to have known. Aged 94, she had lived alone for over twenty years since the death of her partner, Nick. It…
Sizing up a new model of school
At Kedma School, Hani Menashe is tired. She has been teaching all day, and will be tutoring tonight. She is the first to admit that working at Kedma is not for everyone. “I would recommend a job here only for…
David Russell
David Russell is Founder and Director of The Social Enterprise, which is a multidisciplinary social change agency which advises charities and business across fields including programme development, strategic planning, reporting, measurement and evaluation. Since 2014, he has been working principally…
The Social Enterprise 