being in the moment

by Joe Lafferty on March 16, 2013

Had a great day with a client on Friday in the superb location of GOMA, the Gallery of Modern Art, Edinburgh (Facebook). During a short break, I took some time to enjoy the setting. Then I noticed the man standing & looking, so I grabbed my iPhone & captured the moment.

As someone once said, the best camera is the one you have with you! And the iPhone 5 has now become my camera of choice unless I’m intentionally out to take photos & then I use my Canon 5D mk ii.

@NatGalleriesSco

Photo (c) Joe Lafferty, all rights reserved. Taken with iPhone 5, convert red to B&W & slight grain & vignette added with snapseed iPhone app.

 

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the heron is a canny bird…

by Joe Lafferty on February 24, 2013

Heron

Took this photo while up in Oban for Fearghas and Natalie’s leaving ‘doo’ – a fantastic weekend, and stunning spring day in Oban this morning.  I grabbed this snap of a Heron, and it reminded me of James Robertsons amazing poem.

THE HERON 

The heron is the cannie bird
  That wears the hodden grey,
And neither fykes nor fashes
  As he gangs aboot his day.

He stalks the lochs and rivers
  Wi his breeks abune his knees,
And his yella ee on somethin
  That nae ither craitur sees.

Aw that he kens wis kent lang syne
  Afore the warld wis auld,
When scaly beasts wi muckle horns
  Amang its forests crawled,

And through the steamin, sweltrie smirr,
  Oot ower the teemin braes,
His gash and ghaistly ancestor
  Gaed beatin through the haze.

The heron is an unco bird,
  Appearin like a wraith
Tae merk the passages o life
  And dip his heid at daith:

A hamely, steady kind o chiel,
  And doutless little worth;
But his wings beat like the beatin
  O the engine o the earth.

 

These poems and translations, written over the course of a decade, cross centuries, continents and cultures, transmitting signals and carrying echoes as they go. From the Old Testament to René Magritte, from Joni Mitchell to Saint Sebastian, from the slave trade to Wounded Knee, they explore the legacies of myth, legend, history and art, and articulate their findings in a rich and literate Scots that is both mindful of the past and ambitious for the future.

for this and other poems and purchase book see: http://www.kettillonia.co.uk/hemanheid.html

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are SMART goals actually dumb?

January 15, 2013

Before you agree objectives with your team members, or set your own goals, worth reading the white paper from Leadership IQ, a leadership training and research company in the USA.  Their research (4,182 workers from 397 organizations) has debunked the orthodox thinking that SMART goals are, well, smart!  On the contrary, they show that they [...]

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Dundee’s songsmith-Michael Marra Tribute

October 25, 2012

The sad news of Michael Marra’s death yesterday has stunned many.  He was a remarkable talent – not nearly as well known as he deserved, he shunned self promotion and the marketing machine which is so much part of the music ‘industry’ preferring to work on his own priorities, creating his own art. He was [...]

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great opportunity to transform your leadership…

May 28, 2012

There are still some spaces left – don’t miss a great opportunity to engage with a recognised world class thinker who will challenge you to lead more effectively.  ‘But I don’t have time for development!  I’m far too busy!’   Perhaps – but I would dare to suggest that you MUST make time to hone [...]

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no such thing as a ‘small part’…

April 26, 2012

Earlier on this year, I had the honour of attending the Q&A immediately following the showing of Coriolanus - the Directoral debut of Ralph Fiennes starring Brian Cox. It’s a superb movie – a must see if you get the chance.  It’s pretty dark, late Shakespeare, and, as the reviewers have said, the main characters have few redeeming features! [...]

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A unique opportunity

April 23, 2012

I’m really excited to announce that my friend and colleague, Peter Koestenbaum, will be in Europe in June, spending a good part of his time based in Dundee, Scotland, and I wanted to share a unique opportunity to work with Peter on his ‘Legacy’ visit. If you are able to attend, you will hear, first [...]

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in conversation with Peter Koestenbaum

December 3, 2011

In this video, I introduce, and set the scene, for a fifty minute conversation between Peter Koestenbaum and myself in Dallas Texas in November 2011. Peter, a former Professor in Philosophy, became a leadership educator and executive coach some 15+ years ago, practically applying his learning and ideas to ‘Philosophy in Business’. He has worked [...]

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in summary a short conversation with Peter Koestenbaum

November 19, 2011

These videos are from a conversation between Peter Koestenbaum and Joe Lafferty in Dallas Texas in November 2011. Peter, a former Professor in Philosophy, became a leadership educator and executive coach some 15+ years ago, seeking to apply his learning and ideas ‘Philosophy in Business’ practically to help leaders at all levels enhance their capacity [...]

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the intangible

November 6, 2011

Early morning in Dallas Texas, listening to an archive recording of John Peel’s Desert Island Discs as I’m awake far too early because of being in the wrong time zone, I saw a curious link and heard a profound observation from the famous, now deceased, Radio 1 DJ. First the link, John Peel lived in [...]

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