I’ve been told that Durham is the ideal place to site your data centre. It’s something to do with the ambient temperature. You don’t need air conditioning - you just need to open the doors. Those of you down south paying over the odds for expensive cooling take note. We’ve been applying this principle in … Continue reading Unfolding plans 10 – Durham is the ideal place to site your data centre
Unfolding plans 9 – the title of the picture is belief
The title of the picture is belief. It is a portrait large enough to fill the wall, a pastoral scene with lush meadows folding away into broad-leaved forests. The dominant colour is green yet the hills in the background have a bluish tinge and are veiled in mist. In the middle of the picture, just … Continue reading Unfolding plans 9 – the title of the picture is belief
Unfolding plans 8 – coming together isn’t just about doing things
The work with our neighbours is taking shape. It would be easy to talk about the projects that are underway. They are tangible, they can be measured and they can be accounted for. We have several up and running. They are big and meaty and it will be great when we see them through to … Continue reading Unfolding plans 8 – coming together isn’t just about doing things
Unfolding plans 7 – Was it Wanamaker who once said that he knew that half of his advertising was wasted?
Build it and they will come. Perhaps they will but many won’t. Demand stimulation is an essential part of our Digital Durham programme. Without it we would have nothing. A modern and effective broadband infrastructure would be of no value without people who use it. We’re building it and we need to encourage them to … Continue reading Unfolding plans 7 – Was it Wanamaker who once said that he knew that half of his advertising was wasted?
Unfolding plans 6 – Mentoring is something I’ve never done before
Mentoring is something I’ve never done before (third or second thing this year?). Last year the Senior Leadership Team was asked if this is something we could provide and towards the back end of last year we all attended some training and offered our services to the wider management group. Everyone was offered a first … Continue reading Unfolding plans 6 – Mentoring is something I’ve never done before
Unfolding plans 5
The country needs a public sector. I’m not going to argue about how big it should be or what the right proportion of the gross national product is. I will leave that to others and there are many of them better able than I am to speak on such matters. It needs to be somewhere … Continue reading Unfolding plans 5
Unfolding plans 4
The meeting went well with Mike on Monday. I like what he does and the way he approaches his work. Our conversation reminded me of what I had heard Ade McCormack say at the back end of last year. ‘Business will continue to change. We’ll continue to be automated out of work (as we have … Continue reading Unfolding plans 4
Unfolding plans 3
I’ve restructured our Senior Leadership Team meetings. Today we did something that I’ve wanted to do for some time but never got round to it. We had our first meeting entirely dedicated to the customer. It was a sales meeting or a commercial meeting or a focus on growth. I’m going to take this as … Continue reading Unfolding plans 3
Unfolding plans 2
The English language is a funny thing. Nearly every word has both a positive and a negative connotation. Take the word flexible for instance. As an adjective it can mean capable of being bent or susceptible to modification or adaptation. As an adjective there is a whiff of the sinister. I can take something that … Continue reading Unfolding plans 2
Unfolding plans 1
I’ve thought long and hard about whether or not to keep my blog going. Writing every day has been an interesting discipline. At times it has been a chore but thankfully not often. Most of the time it has been an opportunity to unload my thoughts onto the screen, defragmenting the chaos of the day … Continue reading Unfolding plans 1
Thoughts from a Guerrilla Worker 