Technically lonely

I've been thinking a lot about loneliness.  It is the scourge of modern living.  The paradox is that in a time of dense population and high net migration there is a growing number of people who suffer from social isolation.  It is a complex problem which cannot be solved with simplistic answers.  Very few can, yet … Continue reading Technically lonely

Creating a joint vision

I've talked about this before in my blog.  We have been running some joint management sessions with the ICT Leadership team and that of one of the services.  Not that we haven't met before, both teams know each other on a one to one basis but we haven't always met as a collective. Using this … Continue reading Creating a joint vision

Dynamo energy

The room was full of energy at last night's Dynamo North East event. They are held monthly but with all of the other things I have to attend I haven't been able to make it for a while. This time it was held at Northumbria University.  I was running a little late as I had … Continue reading Dynamo energy

Global reach

There are one hundred and ninety-six countries on the world.  One less if you don’t count Taiwan (don’t tell Trump).  Last year, at least one person read my blog from eighty four of these sovereign states, up from sixty-four in the previous year.  That means my blog has covered over forty-two per cent of the … Continue reading Global reach

Durhack

Sometimes it works out that people can’t make the meetings that have been arranged and so you end up with some spare time to catch up.  Not that you can ever catch up as there is always more to do but it helps.  This is how it was this morning with my first two meetings.  … Continue reading Durhack

People are not assets

The words got stuck on the tip of my tongue.  They wanted to come out but I didn’t want to let them.  I wanted to say resource when I meant people and somehow it just felt wrong.  Later I realised that I’d got myself hung up on semantics and the real phrase that I don’t … Continue reading People are not assets

Right in front of me

I think it was Warren Berger who said that ‘When people fail to see what's right in front of them, it's often because they stopped looking too soon.’  How true and I think I have been caught out by his words.  In case you are interested Warren Berger is an American journalist and author of … Continue reading Right in front of me

The function or the service?

I like to visualise. I like things stuck on walls that show what it is we are trying to do. White boards, interactive or not, with pictures, do more for me than a whole bunch of reports. It is true that a picture is worth a thousand words.  I admire those people who can get … Continue reading The function or the service?

Channel shift in action

We are witnessing channel shift in action.  OK, the customer contact centres were closed over the Christmas break but guess what…  The Internet was open and so was our new CRM system.  In spite of us not advertising it more widely yet, (you always have your opening event once things have settled down a bit) … Continue reading Channel shift in action

Fruit based products

I have resisted the temptation for too long.  Having got out of Blackberry almost as soon as I arrived in Durham I have managed to hold out on the onslaught of Apple fanciers for a long time.  What a fool I have been. What am I saying?  Have I become a convert to shiny toys?  … Continue reading Fruit based products