The woman behind the counter asked me a very unusual question. You see, I had popped into Boots the chemist near the Monument in Newcastle. I wanted to buy some pain killers and for some peculiarly British tradition there is a ritual that we have to go through. The tablets contain codeine, which can be … Continue reading A woman at the chemists
Welcome pack
When I was in the office products trade I came up with what I thought was a cracking idea. At the time I was the general manager of the depot in Newcastle and it was my job, among others, to make sure that the business grew and returned a profit. The idea was not original, … Continue reading Welcome pack
Wearing out shoe leather
I am wearing out some shoe leather. Ever since I started on my own I have found myself tramping the streets, walking between appointments with people I need to talk to. My feet are hurting and I have lost pounds. When I talk to anyone who has ever been in the same predicament they nod … Continue reading Wearing out shoe leather
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
Remember when we had banks
Oh no, I have got a cheque. I’ll have to traipse down to the bank and put it into my account but there hasn’t been a branch of my bank in Morpeth for years. The nearest must be ten kilometers away. I’ll leave it until I go into town next. Even though the branch on … Continue reading Remember when we had banks
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 