Unfolding plans 14 – We need more women working in ICT

We need more women working in ICT.  It is a male dominated industry and at times can lean towards misogyny.  I did not put them in any order but this the first thing on my list of things to achieve this year.  Actually this is not a gender issue though it certainly manifests itself this … Continue reading Unfolding plans 14 – We need more women working in ICT

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 10 – Durham is the ideal place to site your data centre

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 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 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