I have recently learned to code with words.

Why? Because I did not want to erase entire forests to print learning resources for my leadership courses, and the electronic copies felt clunky.

So, I braved a tentative step into the world of coding. Not the writing of HTML, CSS or JavaScript of course. That remains foreign to me.

More precisely, I learned to develop software through natural-language programming with AI assistance. In other words, I would tell the AI what I needed, and it would write the code for me. Simple.

Or so I thought.

Image: Joshua Reddekopp / Unsplash

Attention, adaptability and the practice of leadership

Dragonflies have captivated my imagination since I was a child.

Perhaps it is the delicacy of their transparent wings, or the way light reflects from their iridescent bodies. Or maybe it is their breathtaking ability to hover in mid-flight with an almost impossible stillness, then change direction with purpose.

Here in South Australia, we are fortunate to have many species of dragonflies and damselflies, their smaller cousins, including the Australian Emperor, the Blue-spotted Hawker and the Blue Skimmer, Orthetrum caledonicum.

To me, dragonflies are the epitome of grace. Yet their beauty is only one part of their story.

Photo: Blue Skimmer (Orthetrum caledonicum). Photograph by Toby Hudson, via Wikimedia Commons. Cropped from the original. Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.