Enjoy, interact, comment

Service. Defend it with a smile In a world where standards of service seem to be degrading fast it's important not to surrender this high ground. A few things happened recently that made me think about service. Customer service to be precise. This is not a rant. It is however, a reasoned argument why those who thrive on giving great service should not easily, and not without great thought and consideration, give up a hard earned reputation for treating customers well and deli

Enough. I was recently reminded of the famous anecdote of author Joseph Heller (creator of Catch-22 ) at a billionaire's party . When told their host made more in a day than the book earned in its lifetime, Heller replied, "Yes, but I have something he will never have....... Enough". This post could go a number of ways. It can become an anti capitalism rant, or have an anti-entrepreneurial spirit vibe. It could veer to the left in support of socialism. It is not about any of

it's always time to celebrate the positives Amongst many others things that I am involved in ...... two interactions are worth a bit more thought and reflection. I spent a day recently with a group of people who all work for one organisation. They broadly shared something that is not always universally the case - they cared passionately about what they did, they focussed on what was important and how they could improve.... they were heart-warmingly and overwhelmingly enthusia

We have all heard of the leader who has annouced job losses through a text or a meticulously and carefully worded email (often written by some well meaning HR professional and checked endlessly by lawyers and marketeers). It's easy to shy away from giving bad news. Conversely it's easy to rely on your finely tuned prose to convey a positive message for the future, or to deliver a call to action, or sell an idea or course of action. In almost all cases, without the personal de

Leaders at all levels set the mood Leadership is about many things. One of the most important is..... setting the mood. Leaders do this sub-consciously by their behaviour, reactions and by their own sense of what's right (and wrong). They also do it consciously by being the example that they want people to follow. Leaders set the mood. Every meeting, every interaction, every day, every week. The reason that it's so important? As much as vision statements and values help expla

being yourself is not always easy They like to call it "authenticity" nowadays. It makes it sound like the subject has depth, subtle hues of great substance and layers of meaning with deep-seated values. Thus, allowing people like me to write about it; knowingly and wisely. I could even write a book about "being your authentic self". Maybe. It would be dripping with life lessons and advice. Or not. I do want to talk about ....... being yourself. One of my favourite pastimes i

I didn't see that coming? Its not a confession. But it will explain some things to some people. It would be better served as a pre-warning; but here it is as a post-rationalisation..... My tolerance curve is weird. Most people have a tolerance curve where there is a broadly linear and inverse relationship over time between the cumulative quantum of unhappy outcomes (performance, quality, results, poor behaviours etc) and tolerance for more of the same. In other words, whil

stop talking start listening Great Leaders usually lead from the rear. It's counter-intuitive for many but true nonetheless. We live in...

Look inside the business to find your biggest competitor. Competitors? Some are direct - offering the same product or service as you....

We all understand the need to measure; to take decisions based on facts, on hard data and the analysis thereof. Businesses increasingly...

Acronyms ..... a time saving short hand or a carefully constructed barrier to entry? I have always have a leaning towards plain...

We all have routines; when we get out of bed, when we leave the house, go on holiday, start a teams call, when we get to work, or pick up...

The challenge of sustainability. An old fuel cap with a sticker expressing a strong environmental stance. As I thought ahead re content...

I read an article the other day that shocked. Apparently the "Centrist Dad" has become an irrelevance. Brushed aside by the fast moving...

The picture is of an exhibit at the Summer Exhibition 2025 held at the Royal Academy of Art in London. It got me thinking. We never...

Are you wasting your time reading this? Hopefully not. Manage your time There are many books, endless tips and cheats and whole...

Decisions Decisions We live in uncertain times. With uncertainty comes risk. With risk comes gain or loss, delay, mitigation, hedging,...

Be Kind LinkedIn is the modern way to keep in touch professionally with people that you would otherwise lose contact with, or even...

Time: master or servant? Anniversaries? .....Meaningful milestones? or just a function of the Gregorian calendar which itself ...

bring the answer ... not just the problem Who are the people that you most value in your team ..... it's those people that bring...

making decisions is fraught with challenges Cognitive biases can have a profound impact on team dynamics and collaboration, often leading...

off-boarding also needs some attention I read a post on LinkedIn re an ulitimately distressing retirement process for a long term valued...

Think DESIGN What is design? Is it only a tangible thing that applies to physical objects like cars, phones, hairdryers (whatever they...

This is Mabel. She is a disruptive innovator. and, as it happens, occasionally a destructive one. "What possible interest is this to me?"...