On the second day of Christmas
On the second day of Christmas, my true love sent to me
Two coaching calls,
And a scholar bee from a maple tree.
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Leadership can be a lonely journey. It can be overwhelming at times.
No one to talk to. And hear your personal challenges.
Instead, imagine a leadership course where you receive two coaching calls:
30-minute onboarding call
Within the first 12 days (or most convenient to you). An opportunity to ask questions, get to know your coach. Familiarise yourself with the content and course structure.
60-minute coaching call
Within the first 12 weeks. Designed to accelerate your learning. Discuss your most pressing issues. And signpost the most relevant lessons.
At Twelve Scholars, we’re committed to helping leaders make a difference.
And as crazy as it sounds, there’s only 12 places available.
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THE ESSENTIAL SCHOLAR is our pioneering new Leadership Development Programme. Designed from the ground up—transform into a highly effective leader. Learn more.
On the first day of Christmas
On the first day of Christmas, my true love sent to me
One scholar bee from a maple tree.
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Imagine this little scholar bee as your future self.
He/she/they are the leader you want to be—deserve to be.
Someone who can make a dent.
Someone who can deal with poor performance.
Someone who can combat perfection paralysis.
Someone who can reset expectations.
Someone who can measure performance.
Someone who can avoid setbacks.
Someone who can lead with Excellence.
This little scholar bee is your opportunity to make a difference.
And with a little guidance and support, you too can become a highly effective leader.
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THE ESSENTIAL SCHOLAR is a pioneering new Leadership Development Programme presented by Twelve Scholars. Designed from the ground up—transform into a highly effective leader. Learn more.
The Show Must Go On
When was the first time you appeared on stage as a leader?
I was reminded this week by an old school friend of appearing on stage with him. Auditions were held just before Christmas. With the cast to be revealed after the New Year. We had zero expectations. Yet to our surprise, we had just landed the two lead roles!
THE SUNDAY SCHOLAR is our weekly newsletter—reimagined as a podcast. It takes a lighter look at leadership. Full of ideas, insights and inspiration. Something to be expected. Something to look forward to.
Mailing List Mishaps
Just scored an own goal—ouch!
It turns out that a number of the newsletter sign up boxes on website did not automatically connect to The Sunday Scholar mailing list. No sure how long that has happening. It certainly pays to pay attention to subscriber list growth—or lack of!
Gutted. But fixed now.
If you’ve previously subscribed, and not received any information from Twelve Scholars, then massive apologies. Any saving grace is that the weekly newsletter has been on a six month sabatical.
As always, your feedback is a gift. And so if there’s anything you’d like to see more of—or less of in our newsletter, then please shout up.
Onwards.
New Website Design
We have been working in the background to update and simplify our website.
The main feedback was our Leadership Development Programme (aka The Essential Scholar) could not be accessed from the homepage. It was too many clicks away. And the product offering needed more clarity.
Well, we’ve sorted that. It’s now front and centre. (And I’m currently updating the short explainer videos that will sit on the homepage).
We’ve also updated the tabs, to make it more self-explanatory. Hindsight is a wonderful thing. It turns out that a webpage called ‘STUDY’ is less appealing than ‘LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT’.
What do you think?
As always, your feedback is a gift. xx
Packaging Insights
I’ve be waiting to do this video for 6 months—and finally done it!
Congratulations to the team at Belmont Packaging for their support.
Love the simplified Scholar Bee—even without those antlers.
(Yes, I did say antlers! It must be time for Christmas.)
The Essential Scholar: What’s Included
Here’s sneak peak into The Essential Scholar.
A short introduction to your online Learning Platform, your Leadership Playbook and your Leadership Compass.
Deadlines with Consequence
It’s that time of year when deadlines get talked about.
Production targets. Sales results. Financial Year End. And also Christmas! Deadlines are good. Short deadlines are better. Short deadlines with clear cut consequences are best.
Our latest Tuesday Tutorial is now available.
You can watch more episodes via the website or YouTube. (Don’t forget to like and subscribe—many thanks!).
Visual Deadlines
Deadlines are good—they help you achieve MORE and FASTER than you would normally.
And visualising that deadline helps you focus. Far more than just writing it down. Or agreeing to a date.
Here’s a simple hack I’ve used for many years—use Super-Sticky Post-it® notes. They never fall off. And you can always recycle the dates for another project.
Here’s one I started this week. Can you guess the deadline?
Transferable Skills
What are your transferable skills?
If you work in the kitchens of a busy hotel or restaurant, you probably rate high in prioritisation and multitasking. If you work as a driving instructor, it’s likely you’d score high on communication and patience. And if you have a passion for woodwork, it’s likely you are attentive to detail.
My background in world class manufacturing taught me many skills that can be applied to different sectors. Think troubleshooting, visual management and decision making. These have served me well with every business I’ve worked with.
(Not to mention the quality standards, safety standards and environmental awareness).
It’s worth considering what additional skills you could offer your current employer. And also what transferrable skills you could deploy outside work.
As with everything—practice makes better.
A Letter to Santa
As a leader, what do you really want for Christmas? What do you want from your team? And what’s at the top of your Christmas wish list?
In this week’s The Sunday Scholar, we explore the art of writing letters to Santa. We discover what happens when you post a letter to the North Pole, how you can inspire a new generation, and what Jeff Bezos puts in his letters. Who knew!
THE SUNDAY SCHOLAR is our weekly newsletter—reimagined as a podcast. It takes a lighter look at leadership. Full of ideas, insights and inspiration. Something to be expected. Something to look forward to.
Epistolary
Epistolary relates to the writing of letters. It derives from the word epistle, which means a letter that is very long and also very formal.
There’s a few well-known examples of epistolary novels told through letters include Bridget Jones' Diary, by Helen Fielding, and The Color Purple, by Alice Walker.
And did you know? Jeff Bezos modelled his Amazon letters (1997 to 2017) on Warren Buffett’s letters to Berkshire Hathaway shareholders.
Motivation Hack
Want to feel more motivated?
Change who you compare yourself to. Rather than comparing yourself to peers, friends and online influencers. Start by comparing yourself with future you. Yes, imagine yourself 10 years from now.
What skills and behaviours is ‘future you’ known for? Make it so.
A new definition of ‘learning’
How would you best describe the word, learning?
The dictionary describes it as ‘the acquisition of knowledge or skills through study, experience, or being taught.’ Which is great… but so what?
An alternative—and better, IMHO—definition is ‘Same condition. Different result.’ This new meaning implies that you’ll actually do something different as a result of your learning. Therefore, you’ve actually learned something. And can demonstrate it!
Coaching and Support
Here’s a summary of the additional coaching and support services we provide.
Aristotle has the answer
“We are what we repeatedly do.”
As a leader, being consistent is key. And compound consistency is where you continually do the little things well—and build on it. Repetition is also how you build your reputation—by showing up regularly.
But just like compound interest, it doesn’t happen overnight. It takes time. And then one day, the rewards start outweighing the effort.
It turns out that small things, when done repeatedly, can create a culture committed to Excellence.
Ambiguity is the enemy
Our latest Tuesday Tutorial has landed. It’s all about effective communication. And why we all need to avoid ambiguity.
Another piece in the jigsaw
How can a new leader accelerate their leadership skills?
This question that has somewhat vexed us recently. Acknowledging that no two leaders are the same. How to offer a bespoke coaching solution that’s consistent and reinforces best practice. But I think we’ve cracked it.
Buy the Leadership Development Programme first—add coaching separately.
This works on so many levels. First, it answers the affordability question. You buy the course today, then pay for coaching and support only when you need it.
Second, it allows leaders to experience coaching in different formats.
Personal coaching
Team workshops
Project meetings
Consultancy
Third, and depending on your experience, we’ve created two sizes for each of the above. A small package. And a bigger package.
So whether you require a one-off or more extensive support, we’ve got you covered. However, somethings don’t scale. And that’s time. So expect limited availability. First come, first served.
A walk in the park
It’s the coldest day of the year (so far). An opportunity to clear your thoughts and reconnect with nature—and your driving mission. Yes, a short walk in the park always does the trick.
12 Quotes from Charlie
As promised, here’s a short tribute to the late Charlie Munger (1924-2023).
I’ve included 12 quotes taken from the book, The Tao of Charlie Munger. In total, there were 138 quotes to choose from within this 200-page hardback edition. And so I whittled it down from a long list… to a short list… and then the final 12.
I’ve included a selection of quotes that cover investing, business, banking, philosophy, life, education, the pursuit of happiness—and cabbages! (Who knew!)
Really enjoyed pulling this film together. Although the editing, clipping, and thumbnail took longer than planned. Yup, that’s the perfectionism kicking in!
One of the biggest takeaways from studying the life of Charlie Munger, was his love of books. He was an avid reader.