A year of work in progress – day 161

Day 161 – 25 September 2014 I decided to come back to work a couple of days earlier than planned, not because I had a bad holiday, far from it but rather to save a couple of days for later. Without these I would have had no break until Christmas (a first world problem). Two … Continue reading A year of work in progress – day 161

A year of work in progress – day 160

Day 160 – 19 September 2014 Dawn breaks on another day in history. It looks like Scotland has decided to stay after all though a significant number of the populace said yes to separation. Was it a genuine desire to see a split or just brinkmanship? Is the nation state an outmoded concept in an … Continue reading A year of work in progress – day 160

A year of work in progress – day 157

Day 157 – 16 September 2014 I’ve been in management for over thirty years. You would think that I would be quite good at it by now. It’s a cliché I know but learning to manage people is a journey, a one without end and that is what makes it so fascinating. You have to … Continue reading A year of work in progress – day 157

A year of work in progress – day 156

Day 156 – 12 September 2014 Today we had an untitled training session (or should I say learning) with the Senior Leadership Team and the Senior Project Leads. It was untitled because we blended a couple of topics – building rapport and building potential. Steve started us off with a passionate introduction about why he … Continue reading A year of work in progress – day 156

A year of work in progress – day 155

Day 155 –11 September 2014 I struggled to get started this morning. I don’t know if it was because I gave blood last night or the mist that hung in the air. Today is pregnant with history, is it really thirteen years since the attack on the twin towers? The world seems to be caught … Continue reading A year of work in progress – day 155

A year of work in progress – day 154

Day 154 – 10 September 2014 BT had put on an event called ‘Powering Public Services’. Janet persuaded me to go but I was not that enthusiastic after yesterday’s disappointment. This was a much more intimate event with only a dozen of us, six from BT and six from the client side. The agenda was … Continue reading A year of work in progress – day 154

A year of work in progress – day 153

Day 153 – 9 September 2014 The news is filled with talk of Scottish independence. The referendum is only a week away. The whole thing reminds me of the book ‘Nudge’ which told the reader that the answer you get can be influenced by the way that the question is asked. People can be nudged … Continue reading A year of work in progress – day 153

A year of work in progress – day 152

Day 152 – 8 September 2014 I was a bit stiff this morning when I got up, not from taking part in the Great North Run but putting up a shed instead. It was a thing of beauty though more difficult to erect than it looked. As for running, I’m not built for speed though … Continue reading A year of work in progress – day 152

A year of work in progress – day 151

Day 147 – 5 September 2014 You can never get ahead. I realised this long ago. It doesn’t matter how much you get done, the vacuum you create will suck more work in. That’s the way the system works, just as money attracts money then work flows to the busy. I thought I’d cleared the … Continue reading A year of work in progress – day 151

A year of work in progress – day 150

Day 150 – 4 September 2014 It’s cycle to work day. Perhaps you are amongst the three quarters of a million people who regularly commute on their bikes. What they don’t tell you is that it is cycle back from work day as well. I managed to make it on two wheels but only because … Continue reading A year of work in progress – day 150