The Allegorical Life: Recent Episodes
The Allegorical Life
Mark Crosweller, AFSM, has willingly spent many years studying and teaching – through allegories, myths, metaphors, philosophies and theologies, and particularly in studies, practices and teaching of Buddhist thought – the ethics that underpin concepts of leadership. In this podcast Mark speaks on both his professional and personal experiences of crisis and adversity and on the ethics of trust, humility, compassion and forgiveness.
As any leader who has committed to an ethical life will tell you, upholding a virtuous disposition of character is one of the most challenging and worthy pursuits we could ever undertake. In this episode we explore fallibility as a universal feature of the human condition.
In this episode Mark talks about Ethics, and how the Virtues (such as trust, compassion, kindness, care, and courage), form a large part of our identities. Mark also challenges us to consider the potential trap of judgement that we can fall into when we claim high standards of ethics and virtues.
In this episode, Mark talks about the challenges of courageous leadership, at a time when leadership is under more scrutiny than ever before.
Even more concerning, despite all our human progress, we remain unsure of our goals, our sense of meaning and purpose, and we appear as discontented as ever. Mark discusses how we can work towards getting our head around our own mortality and find a way forward together.
In this episode, Mark reflects on the enormity of the year that was 2020, and what we might take from it.
When the system lapses and capabilities reach their limitations, it is the ethics of the leadership that is called upon to step in, step up, and run towards the needs of those who are genuinely suffering. Mark discusses how leaders can increasingly access their inherent ethical capabilities.
In this episode, Mark talks about the opportunity for transformation that Covid-19 offers.
In this episode Mark reflects on how companies and leaders can lead out through and beyond Covid and what the biggest challenges in the coming months and years.
Leaders such as Ms Ardern are clearly inspirational. They impress us for a variety of reasons not the least of which is that they exemplify the very ethics that we would desire to see far more often in our leaders generally. They become so impressive that we sanctify the leader for their courage and commitment to the very ethics that we find so desirable. In other words, we see them on some level as holy, blessed, event saintly. It is understandable because to inspire is to be “in spirit” with another. And to be in spirit implies a holiness, whether you are religious or not.
In this episode, Mark reflects on a crucial moment in history - the Apollo 11 mission to the moon which took place 50 years ago last month.
In this episode Mark explores the phenomenon of 'busyness' - and how we can break out of it.
In this episode Mark asks the question 'what legacy do we wish to leave and how would we like to be remembered?
We no longer need to weigh up whether we think a severe to catastrophic event will happen or not. We accept that it will at a time not of our choosing, and we avail ourselves the opportunity to rethink how we will prepare well before they occur.
In this episode, Mark discusses the need for leaders to become intimately familiar with anger and the destructive role it plays in leadership.
In this episode of the Allegorical Life podcast, Mark reflects on what we can all learn from the compassionate leadership of New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern.
Whether it be in politics, sport, academia, law, civil society or any other area, anger and rage appear pervasive. In this episode, Mark discusses the ethical challenges and opportunities when it comes to expressing our dissatisfaction.
In this episode Mark considers the question of if our modern day ideologies are isolating us from wisdom and community
This blog is dedicated to another man named Brian, who ironically, may well have been a messiah, and once again he was misunderstood by the masses, except this time for being ordinary.
Every child, whether subtly or overtly, brings with them a gift. Something the world needs, but for the most part, we cannot see it, and from my experience, more often than not, involves being sensitive.
In this episode, Mark reflects on the value of choosing the way we experience our lives. “Life is not a problem to be solved; but a reality to be experienced.” Soren Kierkegaard
Sacred spaces can be places that we most connect with. Usually, but not always, they involve some connection with nature, aesthetics or a place that evokes fond memories.
In this episode, Mark talks reflects on recovering from a rare form of cancer and the capacity of faith and love to heal us.
If Stephen Hawking taught us anything, and indeed he taught us profoundly about science, physics, and the universe, he also taught us about faith. Faith in life, faith in love, faith in hope, faith in possibility. In this episode of THe Allegorical Life podcast, we talk about the many gifts that Stephen Hawking shared with the world.
In this episode, Mark discussed the opportunity we all have – to be the Architects and Authors of our own lives.
In this podcast, Mark reflects on what happens when blame becomes an overriding focus in professional landscapes and about the need to actively look for opportunities to practice compassion.
Trust is crucial in our relationships with friends, colleagues and the people that touch our lives. In this episode of the Allegorical Life, Mark Crosweller, AFSM, talks about how learning to trust your own instincts, even in the most testing of circumstances, can make you a better person and a better leader.