2 Pages with MBS

Recommend this show by sharing the link: pod.link/2Pages   If you’ve read my new book How to Begin, you'll know that I track my own evolution as I define and commit to a worthy goal. For a while, I’ve been thinking about what success means, and how you would even measure it. In the book, I hone in on one metric, but perhaps I’ve been looking at it all wrong.                                        ...

Michael’s new book How to Begin: Start Doing Something that Matters is now available at www. HowToBegin.com. Today, we're pulling one of our best episodes from the vaults, featuring the brilliant Arthur Brooks.   There’s no doubt that I am a purpose-driven person, but I can’t actually pinpoint the origin of this sense of purpose. I’m both an atheist, and an existentialist, so where does this drive...

One thing I don't mention often is that the thesis I wrote for my law degree was an attempt to combine my interest in literature with a perspective on law. So I wrote about the phenomenon of plain English: that's trying to write law without the legalese. And I tried to write about it through the lens of literary theories of language. I honestly did not understand what I was trying to do. And also...

Recommend this show by sharing the link: pod.link/2Pages A young woman stands, one hand on top of a chair, the other holding a bouquet of leaves. She stares directly into the lens of the camera; it’s not clear what she’s thinking. She’s wearing a long, dark dress with long sleeves and a white collar that covers her neck. It’s old-fashioned, colonial. A simple crucifix hangs from her neck. She’s an...

=> Recommend this show by sharing the link: pod.link/2Pages If you had the chance to listen to my recent interview with Zach First, you heard us talk about how in a time of turbulence, organizations - whether big or small - can be candles in the darkness, and how being a manager means being a barrier against tyranny. That’s all good in theory … but how do you start a movement in practice?  Thibaul...

=> Recommend this show by sharing the link: pod.link/2Pages  As a reader and someone who’s been immersed in business for 30 years, I have glanced sideways at the way institutions have become such a central part of our world. Within all of these institutions, you have individuals just trying to do their best, and do work that matters. I’ve seen and felt the paradox of how institutions are totally s...

=> Recommend this show by sharing the link: pod.link/2Pages ‘When a man turns 30, he realizes that his life isn’t working.’  I heard this quote when I was in my thirties, and it spoke loudly to the crossroads that often occur at this moment of mid-life. When you hit your fifties, I think the question reappears - you’ve climbed your mountain, now who do you choose to be beyond that? As I’ve pondere...

Michael’s new book How to Begin: Start Doing Something that Matters is now available at www. HowToBegin.com. If you’re a listener of this podcast, I believe that you love reading. My question is, do you remember where and when that seed got planted? I do, and that’s what I’m here to celebrate in today’s special 100th episode. Get‌ ‌book‌ ‌links‌ ‌and‌ ‌resources‌ ‌at‌ https://www.mbs.works/2-pages...

Michael’s new book How to Begin: Start Doing Something that Matters is now available at www. HowToBegin.com. ‘Traveller, there is no path. The path is made by walking.’  This is a quote from a poem by early 20th century Spanish poet, Antonio Machado. Though I’ve known about it for 20 years, I’ve only just given it any real thought, and I think it’s slightly subversive - disconcerting, even. Here’s...

Michael’s new book How to Begin: Start Doing Something that Matters is now available at www. HowToBegin.com. Picture this: King Arthur, the round table, and three knights. These knights are not the ones you’ve likely heard of; they are Sir Michael, Sir Nigel and Sir Angus - my two brothers and me. The knights ride out and encounter challenges, perils, and traps, but, with daring do and some clever...

Michael’s new book How to Begin: Start Doing Something that Matters is now available at www. HowToBegin.com. Today, we're pulling one of our best episodes from the vaults, featuring the brilliant Christa Couture. We all have labels - some are given to us, and some, we give ourselves. Christa Couture says that how you word those labels can make all a difference. Christa is a brilliant woman with ma...

Michael’s new book How to Begin: Start Doing Something that Matters is now available at www. HowToBegin.com. What’s the language you go to when you think of resilience? Common answers include, ‘bouncing back,’ ‘bouncing forward,’ ‘what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger,’ or ‘a regathering of yourself.’ I truly believe that the words and metaphors we choose to use around resilience actually influ...

Michael’s new book How to Begin: Start Doing Something that Matters is now available at www. HowToBegin.com. Of the little reality surrounding us that our brain takes in, we can control almost none, and influence only an iota. At the same time, there’s a difference between actively engaging in our own lives, and when we’re opting out. In a strange way, I find the paradox liberating; I can control...

Michael’s new book How to Begin: Start Doing Something that Matters is now available at www. HowToBegin.com. A famous quote by Albert Schweitzer talks about how small and obscure deeds are far more powerful than public acts that receive acclaim. It goes: ‘[The public acts] were like the foam on the waves of the deep ocean.’ Applying this metaphor to the world of leadership, what’s just foam on the...

Michael’s new book How to Begin: Start Doing Something that Matters is now available at www. HowToBegin.com. If you were to summarize my corporate career, the core theme would be: discovering the ways I didn’t really fit. I didn’t become an entrepreneur for all of the conventional reasons, I had simply realized that I just wasn’t that good at having a boss. This poses the question: is there a way...

Michael’s new book How to Begin: Start Doing Something that Matters is now available at www. HowToBegin.com. You might know this fable: Inside us, two wolves, fighting; two conflicting desires. Which one wins? The one you feed. I’m curious to know if you’re attuned to your two wolves right now. Who, or what, is the battle between? Obedience or rebellion, self-care or service, courage or safety, co...

On the radio the other day, I heard something that I can’t forget: “If you’re unhappy with the state of the world, your country or your community, it is one of the greatest expressions of privilege to be able to say, ‘It’s too hard; I'll opt out. I hope somebody else sorts this out for me.’’ When I heard it, I was provoked and irritated, but also encouraged. Now, I’m really thinking hard about wha...

Michael’s new book How to Begin: Start Doing Something that Matters is now available at www. HowToBegin.com.   With so much of the world struggling, it’s deeply tempting to throw up my hands and say, ‘It’s too hard! If someone else could sort this out for me, that would be great.’ Just the other day, I heard on the radio that it is the deepest form of privilege to say, ‘This is not my problem.’ Bu...

Michael’s new book How to Begin: Start Doing Something that Matters is now available at www. HowToBegin.com.   I’ve resisted therapy for almost all of my 54 years. What changed my mind was reading a book called Mindsight by Dan Siegel, which made me realize that therapy could not only be about fixing what’s broken, but also, around integration - who I am, and who I want to be. Naomi Shragai is a p...

Michael’s new book How to Begin: Start Doing Something that Matters is now available at www. HowToBegin.com.   There’s no doubt that I am a purpose-driven person, but I can’t actually pinpoint the origin of this sense of purpose. I’m both an atheist, and an existentialist, so where does this drive of mine come from? Let me ask you - where do you find your sense of purpose?  Arthur C. Brooks is a t...

Michael’s new book How to Begin: Start Doing Something that Matters is now available at www. HowToBegin.com.   What’s your relationship with ambition? What parts of you do you want to grow? What does success look like for you, and how has that evolved over the years? What’s your relationship with perfectionism?  Kate Berardo is the Vice President of Leadership Development at Meta, the company form...

2 Pages with MBS is going to be releasing only one new episode per week from now on. Michael explains why he has taken this tough decision and shares some exciting news listeners can look forward to soon. Michael’s new book How to Begin: Start Doing Something that Matters is now available at www. HowToBegin.com. Get‌ ‌book‌ ‌links‌ ‌and‌ ‌resources‌ ‌at‌ https://www.mbs.works/2-pages-podcast/

Michael’s new book How to Begin: Start Doing Something that Matters is now available at www. HowToBegin.com.   One of my favourite words is penumbra. Its etymology is the combination of the Latin words for almost, and shadow. The word means ‘the edge of the shadow’: not quite light, not quite dark. Another favourite word is liminal - on the threshold. Some of my favourite people are those who seek...

Michael’s new book How to Begin: Start Doing Something that Matters is now available at www. HowToBegin.com. If you can imagine a painter, musician or dancer, then you can probably bring to mind where they do their work. A place to explore, create and make ...but how is that relevant to those of us in the world of organizations and corporations? Today’s guest, Jennifer Paylor, calls herself an art...

Michael’s new book How to Begin: Start Doing Something that Matters is now available at www. HowToBegin.com. The pandemic has brought about an epidemic of loneliness. Human connection expert, Riaz Meghji is here to talk about fixing it. Riaz has 17 years of experience in broadcast television, covering current affairs, sports, entertainment, politics and business. In this episode, he shares insight...