Smit's wisdom

One of the benefits of having some unexpected, enforced time off work (hello gastroenteritis) is that there's a chance to catch up with unread books and articles, unwatched telly and the like.

Into the former category falls 'Business at Oxford', the magazine of the Said Business School, which in its current Winter 2008 issue has an edited transcript of a lecture there by Tim Smit, of the Eden Project. Its pearls certainly perked me up, and are worth a gander. Highlights include:

1) The 'Tinkerbell' theory: If you can get four people to believe in something as passionately as you do, it will almost certainly happen.

2) Be the 'last man standing': 'If you have a certain amount of charm and people know you're not going to go away, they will eventually pay a large sum of money to make you go away.'

3) Tell 'future truths': Have your idea, gather all the people you admire together and publicly say you will do this. The shame of not doing it will make you succeed.

4) Accept every third invitation you receive: to meet people you otherwise won't meet.

All sound pretty damn good to me