A Time to Care

This volume of articles and blogs is called “A time to care”. It is Paul Gilbert's 6th book and his most personal collection so far with an emphasis on individual contribution, collective leadership, kindness, humanity and thoughtfulness.

The cover image is of ink in water, a metaphor for how thoughts and ideas can move in directions that make their own unique patterns and an encouragement to allow the potential of your kindness and your ideas to find new patterns for you and your colleagues.

We need everyone to care more because in so many respects we have created environments in whihc it is hard to thrive. We have extended the hours and years we expect to work, while supercharging our exposure to overwhelming quantities of data, pointless communications and needless change. We have made too many working environments toxic for our mental health and for our career development. All too often we fail to create sustainable, supportable infrastructures, and then over-rely on personal goodwill to get anything done. We promote people to lead without investing in their leadership potential and all too often we treat career and family aspirations as an inconvenience to short term target setting.

The anthology does not offfer easy answers, but Paul's intnetion is to call out some of the nonsense, and to stress our collective responsibility to care and to lead with kindness. We can make it better, but we have to listen and show some courage. Paul hopes the commentary, insights and ideas in this book will give you a pause to think, a chance to reflect, and a moment to change something. Some of the blogs and articles will make you smile and others may inspire you to act. Above all Paul hopes it will encourage you to share your stories and your wisdom, to show others that you care to lead as well.