My Christmas gift was a very generous book token. It came with a caveat however. All purchases needed to be approved by Neil, one of my team. The note said that to avoid disappointment it is unlikely that he would approve any non-fictional text in the area of management. The message was clear. I needed … Continue reading Unfolding plans 18 – All purchases needed to be approved by Neil
Unfolding plans 17 – Who remembers the future?
Who remembers the future? We were going to be living in the sky, with hover cars to get us about and robots to do our bidding. We were going to wear futuristic clothes, usually in silver and have pills instead of meals. Do you remember that happening? In the movie ‘Back to the future’ 2015 … Continue reading Unfolding plans 17 – Who remembers the future?
Unfolding plans 16 – Keeping a blog is a gift and a curse
Keeping a blog is a gift and a curse. Having to think of something new to write every day can be a chore. It can become an obsession, a fetish perhaps that consumes all of your waking moments. Everything you see and all the experiences you have are played out in your mind as sentences … Continue reading Unfolding plans 16 – Keeping a blog is a gift and a curse
Unfolding plans 13 – I’m railing against the machine
I’m ranting again. I’m railing against the machine. I’m banging on and on about those issues that keep tripping us up, the rocks in the stream that disrupt our flow, the sand in our shoe which causes us to limp and the pea under the mattress that gives us a restless night’s sleep. We had … Continue reading Unfolding plans 13 – I’m railing against the machine
Unfolding plans 11 – In the future all business will rely upon technology.
It was an interesting meeting with Durham BID. Their offices are in the centre of Durham, just next to Greggs in case you are wondering. BID stands for business improvement district and they have the role of trying to improve the lot of the businesses, all four hundred and sixty of them, within what is … Continue reading Unfolding plans 11 – In the future all business will rely upon technology.
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 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
A year of work in progress – day 223
Day 223 – 24 December 2014 So here it is, the last working day of my year and so the last day of this blog. I managed to get there without missing a post and without running out of things to say. Sometimes the words tripped off the ends of my fingers and there were … Continue reading A year of work in progress – day 223
Thoughts from a Guerrilla Worker 