Weeknote 431: Rupert

This week I have learned: Rupert Bowater and I first got in touch with one another after I had delivered a short presentation about the madness of measurement in my strange few years at Microsoft. We corresponded on Twitter, and caught up every so often at events in London and down at Silicon Beach in … Continue reading Weeknote 431: Rupert

Weeknote 430: co-floundering

This week I have learned: I appear to have gone from three co-founders to one founder at an alarming rate of knots. Hey ho. Professional game designers. Fascinating. I ask for a room to use for the afternoon. God answers. The Grief Curve is a funny thing. Especially when combined with relief. I love Decathlon. … Continue reading Weeknote 430: co-floundering

What three questions?

I love simple questions that have complex and nuanced answers. In a conversation with my dad at the weekend, we came up with three that might for the starting point for a deep dialogue with a group of people about how they work together. The first one is one I've used a fair bit already, … Continue reading What three questions?

Weeknote 429: FA Cup

This week I have learned: the magic of the cup the magic of an organisation that can pay an invoice within two days of it being submitted (well done BEIS) the magic of video calling on a global basis (even if the work eventually will be in the East Midlands) the magic of radio the … Continue reading Weeknote 429: FA Cup

What if “commodity” IT isn’t a commodity?

Fungible is one of those words that sounds like it should be onomatopeiac but isn't. It does, though, represent a crucial element of what makes something a commodity: fungible means that you can swap in and out without concern. For example, I can buy Tate and Lyle white sugar or Silver Spoon white sugar, put … Continue reading What if “commodity” IT isn’t a commodity?

What if your systems are the result of your culture?

Semiotics is something in which I'm becoming increasingly obsessed. The study of signs and signals to understand underlying culture and beliefs, it's a method of interpreting the world around us at more than face value. In my work over many years now I have regularly heard the words Culture and Behaviour used interchangeably, and the … Continue reading What if your systems are the result of your culture?

10 questions to ask about collaboration

I'm currently working with colleagues at the Leading Edge Forum to pull together some of the work that I've done with them on the concept of collaboration. Checklists of questions are often a useful tool, so here are 10 questions you can ask when thinking about improving collaboration in your organisation... 1. How well does … Continue reading 10 questions to ask about collaboration

Weeknote 428: saying it out loud

This week I have learned: the challenges of being a founder can start before you've even begun say it out loud. It helps. for all the planning it's not until you're actually in the room with people until you know whether things will work or not. My Dad Wrote A Porno is probably the least … Continue reading Weeknote 428: saying it out loud

The problem with “free”

Would Microsoft Teams be used more effectively if customers had to pay for it rather than it being bundled for "free" into Office 365 packages? Here's my logic... The successful adoption of any software depends on good change management around its introduction. The amount that is spent is directly proportional to the overall cost of … Continue reading The problem with “free”