The thing we need most is each other.

Polls are no substitute for leadership because, at its very essence, leadership is about giving people what they don't already have - a sense of vision, inspiration, or even an adequate grasp of a particular subject.

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

But the rule seems to be that the bigger and more life-changing the decision, the less it will seem like a decision at all.

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

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.

Universal literacy was a 20th-century goal. Before then, reading and writing were skills largely confined to a small, highly educated class of professional people.