In a conversation about the death of Archbishop Desmond Tutu with my husband this morning, he shared a YouTube video of the Archbishop with the Dalia Lama. A joyous collection of warm and colourful images that give us a glimpse of the relationship between these two spiritual icons.

The conversation moves seamlessly from death to joy and back again. Half-way through the 2-minute video the interviewer asks what it is about their friendship with each other that allows them to have this kind of extraordinary joy. The response from both men is playful to start with. “He’s always troubling me” Desmond Tutu jokes.

They become more serious and reflective, even holding hands at one point. “He’s there for us as a beacon” Desmond Tutu adds with a tone of reverence. I was captivated by the intimate display of spiritual unity. Then, just as the short video ends, the Dalia Lama turns to Desmond Tutu and says with utter conviction:

    "I've never been to anything like this in Scotland…where people get up on stage and bear their soul".

 The words of an intrigued John Swinney, Deputy First Minister of Scotland.

He had joined the ULab Scotland community gathered at Pollock Halls in Edinburgh to watch the final Live session of the 'Transforming, Business, Society and Self' programme. People were getting up on stage to share their inspiring ULab stories and they weren't holding back.

Yes, perhaps it was 'un-Scottish'. But it's another indication that it's a Scotland in transition.....towards a more compassionate, equal and resilient society.

So what is it about ULab that makes you want to share your innermost thoughts?

 The week between Christmas and the New Year often takes on an ‘other-worldly’ quality. Retreat and introspection are nestled soporifically between festive book ends. The world slows down creating space for reflection. 

This kind of benign introspection doesn't take much effort. It would be easy to discount festive downtime as 'cerebral idling'. But it serves an important function in creating distance and bringing perspective to our otherwise hectic lives. 

For those committed to life-long learning and continuous improvement, reflection plays a central role. Margaret Wheatley sums it up in her customary no-nonsense manner:

“Without reflection, we go blindly on our way, creating more unintended consequences and failing to achieve anything useful”  

Reflection in a work context is more situation-specific. It requires an explicit evaluation of self and is bound by time and place. Our own backgrounds, assumptions, feelings and behaviour influence how we view things and need to be brought into the mix. Stretch the lens to include the wider systemic context and the foundations for reflexivity are laid. 

How do we extend the benefits of these quiet festive moments into our normal workday lives? Here are some of my reflections.