Last December I was at the airport and looking for something light to read during the flight. Working on the Baz Luhrmann principle (listen to “Sunscreen”: don’t read beauty magazines. They’ll make you feel ugly!),I decided to avoid the women’s magazines and instead picked up Country Walking magazine. And that’s how I came across the Walk 1000 Miles campaign. It was love at first read!

According to several studies, plants make the workplace calmer and a generally nicer place to be. The concluding statement of research carried out by the Australian nursery and garden industry reads: “This study shows that just one plant per work space can provide a very large lift to staff spirits, and so promote wellbeing and performance”.

The jury’s out on whether a messy desk is a sign of disorganisation and lower productivity or an indication of creativity. On the one hand we have Albert Einstein, who said: "If a cluttered desk is a sign of a cluttered mind, of what, then, is an empty desk a sign?"

The Chinese curse “May you live in interesting times” seems to have settled heavily over the UK. At the moment I feel it would be nice to have a little gentle dullness and get on with our lives. This week we learned that the government proposes to ask for another Brexit extension. It’s not good news for the UK. Uncertainty is an economic killer and UK business owners and managers are desperate to have clarity and certainty.

You might think that there is no career downside to being intelligent. While it is certainly an asset, it isn’t everything. During my years in HR I have come across people who were undoubtedly very bright - but almost robotic.