Summer has arrived “full on”. The trees outside my office window appear near bursting with colour and vitality. It is that image, and not the screen with email, messages, and even digital photographs that is seared into my mind. Look up, smell the life, life is right here, right now. I’ve been reflecting over the past couple of weeks about the theft of what my friend, the photographer Martin Knowles http://mkphotomedia.com/ called my ‘digital ecology’. And one of the places I have gone in my thinking, is to ask myself about my ‘real world ecology.’ I don’t mean necessarily the environmental ecology, rather, the real world ecology is; the love of family, the light kiss of a friend on my cheek, the presence of loved ones, the ache of missing friends, the health and vitality of solitude, the deep laughter of a shared joke. And as interconnected as we are, and as much as I enjoy my digital ecology, I love my family and friends. 

Some folks have commented on how well I seem to have taken the theft. It is the case that I was angry and frustrated, and, I was surrounded by love, compassion and concern. At least three people, including my dear father-in-law, pulled me aside and offered me money if I needed it. I enjoy my gizmos, I love my family and friends.

And so, reflecting on leadership; we are a gizmo filled workplace these days. And many of those gizmos are amazing; I have been wonderfully entertained writing my own music on airplanes recently with “Garage Band” on my iPad for example. And as much as fun as that, as a leader I might ask myself what music are we making together in this group, on this team. We can use the technology to assist with the making of the music, but in the end, it is still the humans in the band working together that give the music life.

This week, may each of us find the time to make music with one another, and to honour our own real world ecologies.