Is it possible that literacy standards are falling because young Australians are growing up in a culture in which they can be entertained and informed, and in which they can communicate effectively, without having to master any but the most rudimentary literacy skills?

The yearning for strong leadership is more about strength of purpose - clarity of vision - than about merely 'getting tough'.

One of the most important responsibilities of leaders in any setting - including business organisations - is to tell us our own story; to explain us to ourselves; to help us weave some meaning and purpose into the fabric of our lives; to illuminate our understanding of where we have come from; to paint word pictures of our future onto which we can project our aspirations.

It seems inevitable that the magic of the written word will fade.

A strangely reflective, even melancholy day. Is that because, unlike our cousins in the northern hemisphere, Easter is not associated with the energy and vitality of spring but with the more subdued spirit of autumn.

Nothing is perfect. Life is messy. Relationships are complex. Outcomes are uncertain. People are irrational.

No one welcomes chaos, but why crave stability and predictability?