Monthly Archives: May 2015

Unit of One [Thousands]

I’m in New York, a unit of one: alone, but not lonely. I feel lucky: i get to travel, but i have a wonderful home and friends around the world. I’m sat in Irving Farm Coffee Roasters: it’s one of … Continue reading

Posted in Adventure | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Change or Churn?

As organisations try to change, they start with intent and move to action: it’s a process rather like throwing the engine into reverse on an oil tanker. You get a lot of churn. The water is thrashed into life: there’s … Continue reading

Posted in Change | Tagged , , , , , , | 12 Comments

What’s With Words?

It was with some pride that i first introduced myself as a writer, although it took a number of years before i stopped feeling too fraudulent. It was a badge, i figured, i had a reason to take. I write … Continue reading

Posted in Words | Tagged , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

States of Jersey: remnants of rust and relevance

I remember in an early episode of Band of Brothers, we see one of the young American soldiers taking a gun emplacement as they role into France: once the trench is secured, he drops a bag of dynamite down the … Continue reading

Posted in Adventure, Exploration, History | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 9 Comments

Layers of Storytelling

I’ve spent two days working with different organisations around Jersey, exploring how they can get fit for the Social Age: there are common themes. The need for agility, the need to transform culture, the need to drive change. But change … Continue reading

Posted in Stories, Storytelling | Tagged , , , , , , , | 31 Comments

Microcosm

I’m working in Jersey and Guernsey this week: two islands off the South coast of the UK. Crown Dependencies, which means aligned with, but not governed by, the UK. Part of the family, but with separate identities and a unique … Continue reading

Posted in Ideas | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

From Aspiration to Culture: the erosion of values

A startup is a blank sheet: no systems, no process, no legacy. To some, it’s anathema: a lack of reference points, a lack of structure, a lack of support. To others, it’s freedom, a freedom they could never experience within … Continue reading

Posted in Culture | Tagged , , , , | 13 Comments

Groundswell: waves of change

The Social Age is about amplification: but it starts with one. One idea, one voice, one story. Or, as Freddie said, One Vision. In this case, let’s think about how organisations change: so a vision of a better future. Ideas … Continue reading

Posted in Change | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 9 Comments

Handshakes

Not the ones exchanged in meetings, where we gauge the strength of grip, the number of shakes and the dampness of the palm, but rather the ones between experiences. Working this week on the design of a programme for new … Continue reading

Posted in Choreography | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

The Story Machine

Stories don’t come from a machine: they come from people. They’re not stamped out of steel, but rather crafted around a campfire. Or in a corner. Or on the train. Or over Facebook. Stories are not available on demand, but … Continue reading

Posted in Stories, Storytelling | Tagged , , , , , | 3 Comments