My old boss once told me that he hated clock watchers. It was a long time ago and the memory has stuck with me. The inference was clear. He wanted people who stuck with the job through thick and thin, who started early and worked late and would see things through. He hated those people … Continue reading Clock watchers
Trust is not a control
Trust is not a control. That is what I have been told. You can’t measure trust, you can’t hold someone to account on the back of it and perhaps you can’t even describe it. Trust is a funny thing, hard earned and easily lost. It’s something we all think we understand but is an intangible … Continue reading Trust is not a control
A boredom index
Mark and I were having a conversation about resilience and how people can make it through austerity intact and fit for an as yet unknown future. Somehow as a workforce, we must be ready for all possible futures yet at present there seems to be more uncertainty than ever. He told me how he was … Continue reading A boredom index
More time at work
How do I create more time at work? My diary always seems to be full though this is mostly my fault. I tell myself that there are some things that I must attend and there are others that I would like to. The truth is though that if I wasn’t there life would still carry … Continue reading More time at work
A SWOT analysis
Business Durham sponsored one of the work streams at Dynamo 16. It was held in three sessions. I led on the first one with help from Dom at Geek Talent and I helped Dom with the next two. It’s confusing but they were from the same company but two different Doms. Sessions two and three … Continue reading A SWOT analysis
Is there really a skills shortage?
Is there really a skills shortage? I’m not so sure. I here this so often in more or less every place I go. It must be true then yet still I’m not so sure. Aren’t all skills in a dynamic? It is a very fine balance between having too few skilled people and too … Continue reading Is there really a skills shortage?
A binary question
The people have spoken. Actually they haven’t. Just under fifty two per cent of those that voted said one thing and just over forty eight per cent said the opposite. But twenty eight per cent said nothing. Whatever you feel about the result of last week’s referendum regarding the UK’s membership of the European Union, … Continue reading A binary question
Self-organising meetings
Somehow the meeting room we were waiting outside had been booked out by someone else. Some generous soul said it had been double-booked and others thought it was just an oversight. It turned out that the date for the meeting had been moved but the room booking hadn’t been carried with it. There was a … Continue reading Self-organising meetings
Big commerce, big government
There are some great things going on across the North East region these days, especially in tech. If you have been reading this blog or following my Tweets over the last fortnight or so you will know that I seem to have been at an endless stream of conferences and trade shows. It’s funny how … Continue reading Big commerce, big government
CIO or CTO
At last week’s launch of the Harvey Nash CIO survey we got round to talking about job titles. Is there a difference between a Chief Information Officer and a Chief Technical Officer, a CIO and a CTO? There was also talk of a CMO, a Chief Marketing Officer, which is one I had never heard. … Continue reading CIO or CTO
Thoughts from a Guerrilla Worker 