Courtesy, Power, Love and Aspiration.

As we find ourselves variously in new ways of working, or a rush back to previous ways, I’m struck by the power of an old-fashioned notion of courtesy.

When we are rushing, trying to be efficient, courtesy seems such a quaint notion. In times of uncertainty and discontinuous change however, I think it is increasingly important. Courtesy sets the container in which our conversations take place.

I was sat in a well-known coffee shop, people watching. People rushing in to meet, a perfunctory “Hi” before logging on to the free Wi-Fi and talking to each other with the laptops or phones seemingly acting as some sort of digital intermediary. Straight to business, as quickly and efficiently as possible. Other meetings to go to, other calls to make.

I compared it with the nature of the common greeting ritual of the Zulu; The most common greeting in the Zulu tribe is “Sawubona”. It literally means “I see you, you are important to me and I value you”. It’s a way to make the other person visible and…