A note from me

Am I now married to a criminal grandmother?

A couple of months ago, I shared a stage with a leading Extinction Rebellion activist, speaking to a large group of University students. I highlighted this in a commentary on LinkedIn. If you are interested, you can find the link below, along with a short video of some of the things I had to say.

LinkedIn post on Extinction Rebellion.

LinkedIn post with video on Energy Transitions.

It seemed strange to some that a former senior executive at a global energy company would find common ground with a young activist from XR, and she was understandably suspicious when the idea was first raised by the university. But I emphasised that we had the same long-term goals to accelerate the decarbonisation of the global economy to enable a better life for people with a healthy planet. Her focus is on raising awareness and building political pressure to enact policy changes, while mine is on the practicalities of what needs to be done.  

Finding ways of being allies rather than adversaries, and overcoming suspicion, are some of the topics I’ve covered in the previous mini-series on Collaboration covered in the last three Newsletters.

My dear wife, Mary, took this common cause a step further last week when she left home with a back-pack and provisions. This was the day of a major, well-organised, protest by Extinction Rebellion in The Hague which blocked the main arterial road in and out of the city. This certainly brought attention!  

Mary eventually returned home from one of the areas where people had been bussed out of the city as the police politely arrested and dispersed the protestors. When asked about her day, she just smiled and responded “No comment”. Hence I suspect I could now be married to a criminal grandmother - though hopefully the police won’t press any charges!

“Collaboration” is one of the “C” characteristics of strategic character that I’ve highlighted previously. Two of the others are “Courage” and “Commitment” and I think Mary’s actions probably demonstrated these in spades. Two others are “Curiosity” and “Creativity” which are the focus of this Newsletter. I hope you will discover some valuable insights in reading it.

My Bi-Weekly Guide

Fostering Curiosity and Creativity:

In our previous explorations of “Strategic Character” we have highlighted the importance of considering alternative perspectives and “joining the dots” to recognise different plausible outcomes that can emerge from any situation. Approaching this effectively depends on having both deep curiosity about how different people believe things work and also imaginative creativity in assessing and communicating evolving possibilities.  

Are curiosity and creativity innate traits, or can they be learned? From my own personal experiences in life, and in witnessing growth in many other people as they mature, I believe everybody can develop and deepen these characteristics in themselves if they choose to do so.

I have found that there are 5 main building blocks in strengthening curiosity and creativity:

1. Exposure:
   The creative arts are all around us but many of us give them little attention other than as a source of entertainment or distraction. Similarly, thoughtful introductions to the humanities and the sciences are readily available but widely neglected. However, we can intentionally choose to expose ourselves to new ideas and insights beyond our regular experience. As a teenager, I was absorbed into a group of young adults in their twenties who drew me particularly into the dramatic arts and the literary arts which have been part of my life ever since. In hindsight, I believe that early exposure to the arts enriched my formal scientific training and strengthened my curiosity and creativity. For me, the early exposure to the dramatic arts was formative – what new exposures could be valuable to you?
   

2. Exploration with intent:
   Exposure is a first step but, in itself, this is a passive stance so there is the danger that new insights are not generated or your creativity stimulated. A more active engagement is normally required. For example, I am currently extending my understanding of the human condition over the ages by taking some online courses in Art History while my wife, who is an artist herself, is extending her world by learning a new language that will be useful to her. Actively exploring new areas with intent not only generates new insights but also an appetite for additional insights, i.e. curiosity.
   

3. Journeying:
   As ideas and understanding accumulate in new areas, attention can then be given to noticing possibilities that take you beyond anything you have been formally taught, or even into brand new areas. I noticed, for example, how the artist Sandro Botticelli frequently accentuated the attractiveness and sense of agency of key female figures in his paintings through an extended neck and tilt of the head that was probably influenced by certain Roman figurines from centuries before, and possibly inspired Modigliani centuries later. In addition, for example, I was inspired to delve more deeply into the history of the Renaissance period and the shifting loyalties and strategies of the different Italian City states, and I learned a lot about political behaviour from this.

4. Participation:
   There is always the possibility that exposure, exploration and even journeying remain relatively passive activities, like clicking from site to site on the Web. This might be satisfying a sort of passive curiosity but will not get the real creative juices flowing. The next step is to participate actively in endeavours that extend your attention well beyond your day-to-day world. As mentioned earlier, the dramatic arts have been one of “my things”. But this hasn’t only been about watching plays and films but also getting involved in acting, set design, directing and even writing plays. Theatre may not be your “thing”, but what areas beyond your everyday life can you participate in that stimulate your creativity?
   

5. Sharing:
   Participating in a creative activity will build your ability in that activity and, in all probability, improve your ability to be creative in all walks of your life. To really cement your experience in “joining the dots”, however, it is most valuable to crystallise insights in your mind so that you could explain them to others, or even teach others. This highlights what you have really learned in your chosen activities and what you still need to work on. For example, watching a new film and assessing its “spine of meaning” and “protagonist’s character development arc”, and sharing your thoughts on this with another viewer, and then listening to their reactions, can be powerful. It will be more insightful than just considering whether you thought the film was simply “good” or “bad”.  And those ideas about “spine of meaning” and “development arc” are transferrable to all kinds of other areas like leadership, strategy and organisational development.

Question of The Fortnight

Every fortnight I’ll be asking a thought-provoking question in hopes of sparking interesting and enlightening discussion.

I’d love to hear your response! You can do so by simply responding to this email.

Today’s question is:

Have you ever had a big surprise, and what made it such a surprise?

Join The Dodo Club

I’m building a community and, of course, it’s called The Dodo Club.

Why? Because we all want to avoid the fate of that unfortunate bird. And by sharing some of the insights I’ve picked up over my four decade long career - including as Head of the Shell Scenarios team - I’m going to help you do exactly that.

I am building a space where we can have interesting and enlightening discussions on relevant topics that can have genuine impact.

I plan to host live, interactive seminars, run forums on relevant topics, and create a bank of materials that can be drawn from in times of uncertainty.

We’re still in the early stages of building, but if this sounds like something that might interest you, I’d be honoured if you would sign up below: