We all know that technology is transforming the world of work, in terms of where, when, how we work, the type of work we do and the way that we are organised to do work. This change is profound but is it a positive or negative? Technology is, in itself, neutral. It’s how we choose […] Read More…
In a recent interview, Seth Godin stated that Managers are a dying breed and that what we need are more leaders. His point is that if someone can give you instructions on how to do your job then it is capable of being automated away and as managers essentially give the instructions, their role becomes […] Read More…
A long time ago I wrote a blog about what we get from work, as I was trying to make sense of the transition from employment to working for myself. I came up with this list (in no particular order): Financial Reward Connection Belonging Identity Status Structure Activity Information Feedback Purpose Opportunity When we are […] Read More…
“You must innovate to survive” has become something of a truism in today’s business environment and yet many companies and large organisations are hopeless at innovation. It doesn’t matter how much the leadership team say they are going to innovate or how many team away days, corporate hack-a-thons, suggestion boxes or way-out schemes they try, […] Read More…
My favourite business book of the year is Be More Pirate by Sam Conniff Allende. It is a clarion call for change, for action, for us to ‘break the rules and replace them with better ones’. It is a movement for change and I just love the spirit it is written with. So I decided […] Read More…
We tend to look upwards for leaders, don’t we? I mean, that’s where they, at the top of organisations, isn’t it? Heading up companies, schools, political parties, charities, councils, the NHS, the CBI – well, the government and the country (hello, ma’am). But actually, I think leaders are all around us. They are everywhere, and […] Read More…
Ah, Uber, the taxi service that we love and hate in equal measure. Well, I do, at least. The service is great, of course. The ease of using the app, the speed of getting a car, the lack of hassle – and the price, of course. Uber is cheap, right? (except when it’s raining and […] Read More…
It turns out there is bullying going on in Parliament. No shit, Sherlock! Who’d have thought it? As Guardian columnist Gaby Hinscliff put it, “…putting a bunch of power-hungry people into a culture of near-obsequious deference in a building that looks like Downton Abbey was always going to end badly.” It’s not just our ridiculously […] Read More…
The ‘No Arsehole’ rule has been of great benefit to me but it has it’s limitations. You see, whilst it rids MY world of arseholes, it doesn’t rid THE world of arseholes. Not that I think it’s possible to rid the world of arseholes but we should be aiming to significantly reduce their numbers. Who […] Read More…
I have a rule now that I work for myself. It’s the ‘No Arseholes’ rule. I don’t work with people who are arseholes. I don’t work for people who are arseholes. I don’t tolerate people behaving like arseholes (because, let’s be fair, we all have a little arsehole inside us that sometimes takes over, even […] Read More…