ITV -- You know those shows you think might be worthy, but that you don't really want to watch? Like all of PBS in the US and many shows on all terrestrial channels in the UK...?

I'm watching a show about HRH The Duke of Edinburgh. And I am surprised what I am finding: that he's actually quite an inspiring guy. This is Phillip. Who many people love to make fun of. Who the press and others have made UK citizens generally dismissive of and -- can I really say? a little embarrassed by?

There's lots that the Duke has done. And I'm not going to go through any of it, but do look it up... You'll be surprised.

There are two things I've heard tonight that I find really interesting... And that I think can be cut across to managers and leaders in business too. (And you can start to roll your eyes now.)

1) He's actually quite a big softy, with a very thin skin. But he is desperate that no one know that. He's very sentimental, but he works to create this view that he's hard and uncaring.

THOUGHT FOR LEADERS: Why!? We constantly find people in business setting themselves up like "the great and powerful Oz". But they aren't. In fact, what they are is much more interesting.

2) He loves to paint and does it very well. When he gets around to it. He starts and stops at various ages of his life.

I have a clear bias. I love to paint. But I cannot often put things into the right context and timeframe to get things done.  So I haven't painted more than once since 1984.

THOUGHT FOR LEADERS: Don't avoid pleasurable things. Enjoy your work. And enjoy where it takes you and what it allows you to do. And don't apologise.

Life your life.

I know HRH doesn't immediately inspire people to think how they could be better at their "job". But he really didn't sign up for his job, and he's done it for longer than any of us will have to.

/df

P.S. Exemplary of how the Duke is seen as  fair game, this is a portrait which was commissioned by the Royal Society for the Arts, of which he is patron.  There was much embarrassment when it was delivered.  I saw it in the RSA last year.  Cut to just a head shot.