Recently I visited 3 Berlin museums in a single day, impressive I know, 6 hours of intensive learning and culture. These were all good learning experiences; however the best one was delivered by someone Welsh, Shaun from Aberystwyth! I’m not being biased here, there are good reasons I’ll explain. I’m not going to give you a […]
Sherry and Twiglets vrs Fence Building. How shared action builds relationships, and why I want a walking coach.
This might seem like an odd admission but…… I have always dreamed of having a boss that would take me out walking in the Brecon Beacons once a month. There, I’ve said it. Now let me explain why…… I’ve got a new neighbour, who’s doing lots of renovation work on the property including fence building. […]
Flipchart foraging and why its worth trying the Draw Something app
One of my pastimes is checking out the abandoned flipcharts I find in the variety of offices and meeting rooms I get to frequent. It’s quite a revealing pastime (possibly about me unfortunately). Occasionally you do stumble across sensitive material, obviously this goes straight in the confidential waste bin, or back into the hands of […]
The staff don’t understand, quick draw them a picture or something…
Suspend reality and imagine this strange situation… Boss: “The staff here are a huge problem. They just don’t get my latest initiative, what’s wrong with them?” Smithers: “Ah yes Sir. The words in your manifesto document are so beautifully crafted, truly inspirational, and it’s printed on the finest paper” Boss: “Well here’s something that might […]
Please don’t shoot the Piano Player……….. just provide a bullet proof vest
The good old expression, shoot the messenger has been around for ages, but it’s still very relevant, particularly to me. Basically the (blameless) messenger, bearing bad news receives some form of punishment, just for being the unfortunate individual that delivered the message. Enough said, a pointless act, but it happens. Here’s how my situation plays out. […]
Laughter turns strangers into friends………… sometimes
This week I’ve been attending the Distinguished Lecture Series at Cardiff University where I heard Professor Robin Dunbar (yes, he of Dunbar’s number) talk about some incredibly interesting topics. I aim to post a few things about the whole lecture series, but for the minute here is what’s grabbing me, the importance of laughter and […]
Court Room Drama – how environment influences behavior, so use it.
Last week I was in Court, don’t get excited, it was as a witness for the prosecution. A couple of things made an impression upon me: Fantastic support from the Witness Support Team (I’ll say more about this again) and; the really high ceiling in the Court Room (it must have been 25ft / 8m tall). This […]
Bikeshedding: Organisations spend too much time on trivial decisions. Parkinson’s Law of Triviality.
Decision making has always been a challenge . Way back in 1957, to describe his ‘Law of Triviality’, Cyril Northcote Parkinson created the word bikeshedding. Parkinson was hugely experienced in the workings of Government and Academia. He was also responsible for a number of other ‘rules’ you might be familiar with like: Parkinsons Law No.1 ‘work expands to […]
Meetings Sabotage, Additional Field Examples
Lately I’ve been spending time in committee meetings. We love our committee meetings here in Wales, although if you’d like an alternative view, here’s Seth’s Blog on “If committees told the truth”. The one thing committees are great for is spotting sabotage and the meeting saboteurs at work. I thought it would be helpful to […]
Silence is………. really uncomfortable
Facilitation toolkit essential? This week I have been mostly facilitating. Doing it for real Monday, and learning how to get better at it the rest of the week. Check out Plas Menai near Caernarvon, North Wales if you want a great venue. The main learning point to take away …….. shut up! (me that is). […]
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