The furore around the workplace style of the former Deputy Prime Minister and Justice Secretary is both fascinating and scary. Politically it seems terrifying to me that the party of the establishment, in power for 13 years, might use this episode as an excuse to try to politicise Civil Service roles because of a vaguely-defined … Continue reading Making the hard decisions
Category: Themes
Some background hints and tips for anyone working with me. Feedback and observations on the content are most welcomed because I don't know what I don't know! Conditions I like to work in For individual working (writing, jockeying spreadsheets, preparing presentations) I’m happiest in my home office. I find this sort of work hard in … Continue reading My User Manual
There is a danger when one creates a new product that, as the saying goes, if you only own a hammer then every problem looks like a nail. But as I look at the tsunami of hype about generative artificial intelligence that is currently engulfing the world of information technology, and soaking the general media, … Continue reading The time for play is now
I was chatting to a friend at the weekend who works in a field about as far away from the hi-tech world of crypto as one could imagine. Her business, a traditional business with a heritage stretching back 100s of years, went "all in" to NFTs last year, believing it was the future of their … Continue reading Components
Yesterday's first coffee companion runs a business involved in managing waste more effectively. We talked about: the importance of finding space to meet with people without agenda the process of "divorcing" from a business partner shifting from being a software business to a professional services business the pressure of tech investment (and how the business … Continue reading 54th and 55th of 100
You may have noticed that I talk a lot about the importance of play and playfulness at work. I've even created a product to help people develop playful skills. (Do you ever give it a rest? - Ed) When I talk about Play, people will often respond with something along the lines of "Oh, we've … Continue reading Play ≠ Gamification
There's a wonderful piece of software that I use as part of the production process for WB-40 called Descript. It allows me to edit audio through a transcript and also can do clever things like "de-umming" our recordings. But there is one part of the user experience that I am finding increasingly frustrating. I use … Continue reading Developers vs User Experience
A vivid memory I have from growing up in the 1970s was my father's what seemed like annual slide deck preparation. This is, of course, in the days before Harvard Graphics, let alone PowerPoint. Dad was a lecturer at the University of London. He had to prepare lectures for his MSc students, and prepared visual … Continue reading Slide decks
I've spent quite a bit of time this week trying to make agile projects look like waterfall projects to help clients get various pieces of work through financial control and procurement processes on their side. It's kind of frustrating. The world has know for around a quarter of a century that software development works better … Continue reading Financial agility
How very Douglas Adams. Today's coffee companion is a leadership consultant. We talked about: our respective career histories the PlayCards the way in which playing cards allow people to interact with ideas differently the importance of playfulness in work leadership, and why Servant Leadership is such a strange term to use the importance of leaders … Continue reading 42nd of 100
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