Where To Next? By Dan Kieran

I’m happy to say that I am currently working on a new audio project for Do Radio, under the Do Lectures umbrella. I will be interviewing a range of people on the subject of adventure, which is a wonderfully vague remit. I’ve only done one interview so far, which will be aired in June I think, but already it has taken me on a journey I was not expecting. A journey to try and make sense of - and perhaps even find - the sacred.

I am not a religious person but I do think of myself as spiritual. Or at least open to the unknown, which is what the word increasingly means to me.

I often use the analogy of football when explaining my view on spirituality. I grew up loving football and played it all the time because for me football is about the game itself. If I’m in a park walking the dog and a game is being played I stop and watch. I can’t help it. Even if it’s just a bunch of mates kicking the ball around. There is something unifying and fun and culturally known to me about it that makes me feel connected to it. But if you tell me football is about teams and leagues and trophies you begin to lose me. And if you go and tell me that, say, Manchester United are the best team in the world and the only team worth supporting and I should be singing their songs and go on a regular pilgrimage to Old Trafford all the time than I will resist with every fibre of my being. I have no desire to stop you supporting Manchester United or loving your team or supporting them, but that is not what football is about for me.

For me it’s about the game itself.

I have the same view of spirituality and religion. I know the immeasurable wonder of being a human being. I long to make sense of what it means to be alive. To prioritise love and meaning in my life and to feel connected to all living things in an indefinable bond of fellowship. But if you tell me that makes me a Christian and I should come to your church and sing your songs because yours is the best religion I will look at you, baffled. Because for me it’s about what it means to be human rather than any specific religion.

And this is the direction the series seems to be going in - of its own volition. The first interview went somewhere I was not entirely expecting and it seems to have unlocked or unleashed the Universe because now I find myself discovering people, ideas and books - so many books - that I’m struggling to keep up. At least the path is clear enough. And for that I’m incredibly excited and grateful. Watch the video for more info.

Thanks for reading / watching. I will be doing weekly video updates on the background research for the series and where it’s heading and would love you to join me on the journey.

Much love,

Dan

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Yesterday was the 17th anniversary of our BBC Radio 4 programme going on air. This is obviously the most random commemoration ever but there you go. Enjoy!

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Apologies for the lack up recent updates, but I mentioned a few weeks ago I was working on a new project about leadership. Well here it is. I’ve finally managed to extract and upload the LinkedIn Live I have been working on to Substack. The video actually starts 5 minutes in - cutting the first five minutes was beyond my skills - so please jump forward to then.

The point of the talk was to share some of my ideas and perspectives on leadership. I’m happy to say it has been incredibly well received and I’ve been approached by a book agent to do it as a new book, which is hugely exciting. For those who are interested in the progress of my novel, this talk reveals a lot of the research I have done for that re-purposed into the context of leadership.

I’m really excited about it. It feels like the most important thing I’ve ever done. Especially now.

The talk begins with my discovery that all the assumptions I had about successful leadership before I started my company as being masculine (assertive, loud, forceful and about dragging people behind you as much as inspiring them) didn’t work. And all the behaviours I perceived as being soft and feminine (empathy, psychological safety, kindness) that I thought would prevent me being a good leader were precisely the behaviours I needed to adopt to generate the results the business was looking for.

I then reveal the journey I went on to make sense of leadership from that point on.

I’m so excited to share it with you all!

Please let me know what you think and send it on to anyone you think might be interested.

Much love,

Dan

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit dankieran.substack.com/subscribe

On the way to school this morning I had the realisation that while I’m the lead character on my own life, I’m an important but secondary character in the lives of my children. I suddenly became conscious of how I will appear in their memories. It’s an interesting thing to consider in the real time of my life. More exploration in the video.

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This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit dankieran.substack.com/subscribe

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit dankieran.substack.com/subscribe