Each year I aim to compete in a couple of triathlons. “Compete” maybe overstates it somehow or gives the impression that I run the risk of winning. That is certainly not the case, I would say the social element of the triathlon is as important to me as the competitive element. As I approach my … Read more …
I love cars. I enjoy driving. I love driving cars that are new in the market. So, you can imagine the build-up of excitement as I waited to take delivery of my new Audi E-tron Sportback. I’m now at the point of having owned the car for a number of weeks and have clocked up … Read more …
Since the pandemic, companies have been setting out their expected new working patterns, with a full spectrum of reactions ranging from: The new normal being identical to the old normal, set out by the likes of the Goldman Sachs CEO, who has gone on record saying “It’s not a new normal. It’s an aberration that … Read more …
Build a foundation of trust Leadership is about empowering your people and one of the main ways to do this is to trust your team to make responsible decisions – just as they did in an office-based set-up. In a remote office model, it’s important to trust them to make good judgements about time and … Read more …
The importance of having a culture of learning This is my third and final post in a mini series, “What do woodworking and running a business have in common?”. The previous two posts pick up the themes of having the right tools for the job and learning from failure. This post looks at having a … Read more …
The importance of learning from failure This is my second post in a mini-series, “What do woodworking and running a business have in common?”. If you haven’t already, it’s worth reading the previous post where I talk about having the right tools for the job. This next post however concerns the second of three lessons … Read more …
What do woodworking and running a business have in common? As the nights started to draw in this winter and the latest lockdown was imposed, I felt like I needed a new hobby to stop me going to stir crazy. My default choice would normally be to go out on my road bike, but I … Read more …
Hardly a week goes by without some 20 something grabbing the headlines (and subsequently people’s social media feeds) for doing something remarkable or amazing. Last week Amanda Gorman stole the show with her recital of the poem she had written for Joe Biden’s inauguration: The Hill We Climb. At 22, she is the youngest poet … Read more …
I don’t know about you, but I have a pretty rotten commute. 110 miles of M25 (round trip). I say rotten, but strangely it is one of the things that I missed when we went into lockdown earlier on in the year. It turns out those seemingly endless miles on the motorway serve as very … Read more …
My mother was recently down from Scotland visiting, and we were all sitting having dinner together with my mate Jon. Jon has been a friend of the family for 10 years or so, and he took the opportunity to see if he could try and dig up some dirt on my earlier years. Basically, searching … Read more …