Five thousand years ago the Egyptians buried people under pyramids. Businesses have been doing the same ever since. It is an old joke. The first time I ever heard it though was from Stephen Kelly, CEO of Sage and he was giving the keynote presentation at that year’s Dynamo conference. Everyone laughed yet it is … Continue reading Don’t bury people under pyramids
Housing shortage
Housing shortage, what shortage? Every time I turn on the television or follow a news feed there is someone banging on about a housing shortage. It is clearly true to a large extent. There are not enough homes available in the UK for people to buy. This is is reflected in the cost of housing … Continue reading Housing shortage
Three types of fun
There are three types of fun. I heard this on Countryfile (don’t judge me) but I did not catch the presenter’s name. Type 1 fun is something that is fun all the time, from start to finish, fun now and fun later. Type 2 fun however is something that doesn’t seem like fun at all … Continue reading Three types of fun
Lessons from La Vuelta
La Vuelta a España for me is the second most important of the three grand cycling tours of the year. I have been watching the Tour de France for many years and it has defined the start of the summer proper, while the Vuelta has come to mark the end of the season. I have … Continue reading Lessons from La Vuelta
Perception of who I am
For some reason I had the impression that, when I was at Durham, everyone in my management team was bigger than me. There was an element of truth in that as I am not exactly amongst the biggest of people. I believe however that I am of average stature. Looking back there were two tall … Continue reading Perception of who I am
So what – now what
I think this is going to be the end of my Thinking Digital 17 stories. I could probably scrape up a few more if I tried hard though. It was such a great conference this year, with so much to remember and talk about. I know it was only in May yet I cannot recall … Continue reading So what – now what
An expert
According to David Clutterbuck , co-founder of the European Mentoring & Coaching Council, ‘An expert is someone whose existing knowledge hinders their new learning.’ Hearing this takes me right back to my University days when learning about evolution. During that time I realised that specialisation is the last stage before extinction. In the animal kingdom, … Continue reading An expert
Growth through Mentoring
I’ve been doing a lot of networking lately. Since leaving Durham I have thrown myself headlong into seeing as many people as possible to try and gauge what opportunities may be out there. It is amazing how kind and generous people are. One of them is Helen from the North East LEP. There is enormous … Continue reading Growth through Mentoring
A sock strategy
Don’t you have one? Then read on. At the latest Socitm North East meeting we had some excellent speakers. Robert’s presentation really stood out for me as it was a story told from the heart. The message was clear. The theme of the meeting was regional resilience and Robert gave us his thoughts representing the … Continue reading A sock strategy
What can machines do better?
You would think it is an easy question. What can machines do better than people can? Most people could answer it though they had to draw breath first and repeat the question while they thought about it. I was at the excellent Northumbrian Water Group Innovation Festival at Gosforth Park Racecourse. I was only able … Continue reading What can machines do better?
Thoughts from a Guerrilla Worker 