Andrew Rettie's Philosophical Compass
Discover how his pursuit of wisdom and other influences have shaped Andrew's personal way of being in life and business.
Philosophical Compass
Translated from its Greek origin’s, philosophy means “love of wisdom”.
Wisdom is described as the combination of acquiring knowledge, experience, intuitive understanding, as well as an ability to tolerate the uncertainties of life. I believe every person wants to live a fulfilling life, therefore seeking wisdom is something we all share.
Aristotle said, 'Philosophy begins with awe and wonder'. That’s certainly true for me. We are surrounded by it and are a part of it – this amazes and lights me up every day.
To help you understand who we are and what we stand for, I gladly share some of the words of wisdom and perspectives that have shaped or influenced me over time and that I bring to the culture of my team and organisations I work with.
You will find influences from life and leadership.
Life In General
Helen Keller
Helen Keller – “Life is a daring adventure or nothing at all.”
The inspirational context can’t be dismissed - how can we allow our trivial challenges to stop us from living fully?
‘daring’ requires a healthy awareness and relationship with fear – it is acting powerfully despite your fear, with graciousness and appreciation for all the things and experiences you want to embrace and the person you want to be
‘adventure’ is the new and unknown and it is very likely to be accompanied by uncertainty. There is no mention of a destination, so I read into it, life is an ongoing adventure! Settling for where you are now is not a part of the lesson!
‘nothing at all’ was said to have been added by other people, however, even if it was, it says, anything less than a daring adventure amounts to nothing. Play full out all of your life!
Jim Rohn
No one else “makes us angry.” We make ourselves angry when we surrender control of our attitude.”
“Motivation alone is not enough. If you have an idiot and you motivate him, now you have a motivated idiot.”
Tony Robbins
“Nothing in life has any meaning except the meaning I give it.”
Aldous Huxley
“If most of us remain ignorant of ourselves, it is because self-knowledge is painful and we prefer the pleasures of illusion.”
General Philosophical Observations
Happiness is not about getting all you want; it is about enjoying all you have.
It is hard to experience life in its fullness when paying partial attention to everything.
See it for what it is - not what you want it to be.
We are all in the same storm but not in the same boat. Same experience - different mindset.
People understand problems! They don't understand how they approach solving them….we all need help.
People who play together stay together.
The eyes are useless when the mind is blind.
Leadership Philosophies
Servant Leadership
“People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.” ~ Theodore Roosevelt
No matter our role or industry, we each serve someone in what we do.
Ken Chenault former CEO of American Express - Leadership is a privilege. If you want to lead you have to be willing to serve.
Servant leaders provide a platform for their employees to provide their best work —really praising them and supporting them, rather than elevating themselves.
Reid Hoffman
Reid Hoffman is LinkedIn cofounder, he says,
“No matter how brilliant your mind or strategy, if you’re playing a solo game, you’ll always lose out to a team.”
Jim Rohn
Jim Rohn on leadership:
“If you want to be a leader who attracts quality people, the key is to become a person of quality yourself.”
Leadership Gems
Wellbeing is the reason for performance - not the reward.
Slow down to speed up.