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Charles Handy and his wife Elizabeth, who also has a photographic exhibition in Dublin on 28 June. Photocall Ireland

5 pieces of career advice we learned from Charles Handy

The influential Irish-born workplace philosopher is to make a rare appearance in Dublin next month.

THE INFLUENTIAL WORKPLACE guru Charles Handy is to give a special talk in Dublin at the end of next month. Born in Clane, Co Kildare, Handy started his own career in marketing for Shell International in the 1950s but went on to become a management and organisational behaviour expert.

On 28 June, he will speak about ‘The Changing Shape of Work and Home’ at the Mansion House in Dublin. He is appearing at the invitation of Relationships Ireland – his uncle Canon Handy was one of the founding members of the organisation which gives non-judgemental and non-denominational relationship counselling to couples and families. The organisation is celebrating its 50th year in operation this year.

Handy will give his insights into how companies, organisations and individuals can adapt to the rapid pace of change in work and home life. CEO of Relationships Ireland, Brendan Madden said:

Professor Handy’s key message is that change is hard but that those individuals and organisations who recognise the inevitability of change and prepare themselves are much better to adapt.

The 50th anniversary conference of Relationships Ireland takes place two days later, on 30 June, at the Mansion House and should give some timely food for thought.

Handy has proven to be ahead of the curve on workplace issues – and has frequently featured on the Thinkers 50 list of influential philosophers in various sectors of life.

Here are just 5 theories of his that have entered the business and career lexicon:

  1. “Portfolio working”: We hear more and more now of “portfolio careers” where a person has a number of different income streams from different clients and different types of work: Charles Handy coined the phrase “portfolio working”. So you might be an accountant who looks after the books for one business but also takes family photographic portraits on another day and teaches a yoga class on Tuesday nights. Congratulations – you have a portfolio career and are less likely to lose all your income stream at once as you would be if you were in one full-time job.
  2. The “shamrock organisation”: Handy, a bit like the legend of St Patrick, used the shamrock plant to describe the structure of an efficient company – one made up of managers, specialists and a flexible labour force.
  3. The “gods of management”: The title of his 1978 bestselling book, Handy helped us figure out the different type of managers that were suitable to different types of organisations. For example, an ‘Apollo’ manager is one which organises employees through order, reason and bureaucracy; ‘Athena’ prefers a task-based culture of expertise, wisdom and meritocracy; a ‘Dionysus’ prefers to lead through individualism, professionalism, non-corporate culture. In other words, the-then novel idea that a one-size manager does not fit all.
  4. ‘Careers for life’ are a thing of the past: Handy was one of the first to recognise this trend – he did so in the 1980s – and forewarned a generation to prepare themselves for the fact that they will have to move jobs, or change careers at least once in their lives. It has proven to be pertinent advice for this generation too…
  5. “Proper selfishness”: When Handy wrote his book The Hungry Spirit in 1997, he suggested that businesses and individuals reconsider where they invest their time and money. He predicted that a business which gets too large “can lead to a lack of focus, too much complexity and, in the end, too wide a spread of control”. Little did he know that in 2012, Ireland in particular would be living through the aftermath of just such a scenario.

Tickets to the Charles Handy talk at the Mansion House on 28 June are available here. There is an early bird special if booked before 31 May.

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    Mute anne leyden
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    Jan 31st 2025, 10:39 PM

    Poor Wales. It must be the worst Wales team in the history of rugby. . Not a great opener for the season. Dupont is a master of rugby. He could win the grand slam on his own.

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    Mute Don Johnson
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    Jan 31st 2025, 11:36 PM

    @anne leyden: France won’t win a Grand Slam. They just can’t shake the needless indiscipline from their game, very frustrating.

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    Mute Des O
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    Jan 31st 2025, 11:23 PM

    I thought that the ref was poor, and very home town focused. Yes, Wales werent great but give them the 50/50s at least….and why do we need a southern hemisphere ref to ref to ref hemisphere games….

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    Mute Des O
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    Jan 31st 2025, 11:24 PM

    @Des O: “to ref northern hemisphere ganes”

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    Mute Nerb
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    Feb 1st 2025, 8:17 AM

    @Des O: very much agreed. I thought Wales gave as good as they could and played to the end. That was despite the superiority of the team in front of them and having to play the 16th man.

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    Mute Me Me
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    Jan 31st 2025, 10:42 PM

    Why only 8 subs? Why not 15.? Change the whole team! We have red cards which are really just deep yellow. Crooked line out throws can be ok. Tries from forward passes are grand. Put into the scrum the 2nd row.

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    Mute Pat O Dwyer
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    Jan 31st 2025, 11:37 PM

    @Me Me: Putting the ball in to the second row has been endemic for years now…I just don’t understand why the rule isn’t enforced of a straight put in…you’ll never again here the phrase ‘heel against the head’.
    As a former forward it was a great chance to steal the opposition put in with a well time push as the hooker only had one foot on the ground.
    The physical aspect has been watered down too much.
    A penalty awarded for a ‘croc roll’ tonight when there was absolutely no danger whatsoever to the player being tackled…he was just caught around the waist and turned over…it’s getting like fn soccer now

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    Mute Mark Murphy
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    Feb 1st 2025, 1:31 AM

    @Pat O Dwyer: It’s almost like every scrum is non contested. I remember playing rugby in the 90s where you had a decent chance of winning opposition ball in the scrum if your scrum was strong enough, it seems futile these days.

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    Mute Nerb
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    Feb 1st 2025, 8:18 AM

    @Me Me: new rules. Crooked line outs are acceptable …… if not challenged by the opposing team

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    Mute Nerb
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    Feb 1st 2025, 8:20 AM

    @Me Me: scrum half stays where he is and waits for his team to move forward so that 2nd row is now in front of him and then puts ball in.

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    Mute Me Me
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    Feb 1st 2025, 8:56 AM

    @Nerb: I know the new rule, and it’s rubbish.

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    Mute Me Me
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    Feb 1st 2025, 8:58 AM

    @Nerb: And ‘waits for his team to move forward’?? Put in should be at the scrum position between the 2 front rows. Hookers are called that fir a reason.

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    Mute James T.Kirk
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    Feb 1st 2025, 6:22 AM

    Are we going to accept blatant forward passes this 6 nations, yes we are it seems.

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    Mute William Jennings
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    Feb 1st 2025, 1:25 AM

    As an Ireland fan, I’m not actually feeling too bad after that. France were of course going to win by 35+ points but their bench was actually quite substandard and lacked the energy and physicality of the starting 15. Le Garrec was particularly poor with his service from the base of the ruck and his goal kicking. If they bring that same bench out against us, we’ve got a decent chance of winning. Granted, France do have a few injuries but if that’s the best they can put out and perform against Wales in the second-half with the current crop that they have, our bench definitely has the edge. If aren’t able to keep the focus against the worst team in the Six Nations, I doubt they’ll be able to do it against us at the Aviva Stadium. However, we have to win tomorrow first before any of that.

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    Mute Jerry LeFrog
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    Feb 1st 2025, 12:40 PM

    @William Jennings: they didn’t keep hammering to the end because the game was over as a contest at half time and they just saved themselves for next weekend which will be a different intensity. A wounded England at home will want to avenge the 50 points drubbing from 2 years ago. And most of the bench came on in one go before the 50th min, that’s unusual nowadays at that level.
    Although you’re right, Le Garrec brought the speed down a few gears when he came on

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    Mute Peter Byrne
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    Jan 31st 2025, 11:55 PM

    Welsh Rugby has been poor for years. Swansea and Cardiff have been promoting soccer in the heart lands of rugby for years

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    Mute Fergus O'Connor
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    Feb 1st 2025, 9:54 AM

    @Peter Byrne: Love to see it.

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    Mute Marius van Niekerk
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    Feb 1st 2025, 9:21 AM

    Wales never had a chance but the ref lifting his arm twice even before a non try was scored, not blowing or checking for forward passes? I love the French camera work. They never do a replay of a French infringement.

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    Mute Toca Stories
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    Feb 1st 2025, 10:20 AM

    @Marius van Niekerk: one of the tries definitely looked like it came from a forward pass and yet no TMO check…very unusual to be fair.

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    Mute Jerry LeFrog
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    Feb 1st 2025, 12:43 PM

    @Marius van Niekerk: to be fair, the Irish replays are also very good at hiding Irish infringements, or feet in touch before a try is scored… Par for the course I guess

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    Mute Dan Murphy
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    Feb 1st 2025, 7:23 AM

    That was just a starter the main meal is today.

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    Mute Martin Ridge
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    Feb 1st 2025, 10:24 AM

    Worst Wales team in there history

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