Gavin Barwell’s excellent book “Chief of Staff” is about his two years from 2017 in Theresa May’s government, and much of it is dominated by Brexit negotiations. In one chapter … Continue reading Let’s be thankful for hierarchy
Category: General management
Two sides of leadership
When you’re a leader, it’s fine to ask hard questions of your bosses. Maybe you even have fiery conversations with them. These are also fine in moderation (or at least … Continue reading Two sides of leadership
Unbiased questions for everyone
I was speaking once to a user researcher about her work. One of the things she mentioned was the importance of asking unbiased questions. When she said this she was … Continue reading Unbiased questions for everyone
Don’t just change what you know
I love brown bag lunches, when someone talks about an interesting subject while (traditionally) everyone else eats their lunch around a table (or on the other side of their video … Continue reading Don’t just change what you know
Neglecting the small stuff for lack of the big stuff
It’s true that producing stuff (eg developing a digital product) without an overall strategy is problematic. All that producing-stuff without clear purpose or direction is probably not entirely wasted, but … Continue reading Neglecting the small stuff for lack of the big stuff
Models as the basis for a conversation
The other week I sat down to work out what on earth was happening in our economy. At the time the (now former) Chancellor of the Exchequer and (now former) … Continue reading Models as the basis for a conversation
The benefits of a second class mind
The other day I was discussing with a friend the collapse in value of the pound brought about by a prime minister and chancellor who launched a significant, sudden and … Continue reading The benefits of a second class mind
Showing you can do the hard thing
Sometimes people don’t always act the way that’s expected of them. This might be someone in our team breaching rules of what’s acceptable, a business partner violating an agreement, or … Continue reading Showing you can do the hard thing
Learn to disagree well
Is it okay to talk about politics in the workplace? If so, what are the limits? Or are there none? In some private sector companies it’s forbidden (and that’s been … Continue reading Learn to disagree well
Operating in adversity
Adversity isn’t welcomed, but if we are forced to recognise it we can use it to our advantage. I was thinking about this recently after one tech leader commented to … Continue reading Operating in adversity
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