Learn to influence without power and be empowered
I would like to write about influence. I guess it is something we would all like to have more of, because to be more influential is a good thing, right? However I want to write about a specific aspect of influence, less generic, less “of course”. I want to suggest that being influential without power… More
I am so bloody furious and it is my fault.
I have made so many mistakes. When elderly relatives have shared thoughts on “those Germans” or on “why should they get any benefits” or “why does no-one speak English”, I have shuffled uncomfortably and tried to change the subject. When England football fans have chanted “Two World Wars and one world cup” or shouted down… More
I have my vote and I will use it to vote “Remain”
I will vote purposefully, but uninspired by the debate (such as it is) which feels unconnected to my needs and miserably narrow. I suspect my grumpy middle-age has made me sceptical of nearly every opinion, but our adversarial political tradition is hopelessly unsuited to an electorate looking for insight and an issue that needed civilised… More
Put the stick down
I have come to the view that the tone of everything is wrong. The noise is too much, the analysis is too shallow and the conclusions are too easy. However, before I go on (and I will), I need to put a disclaimer around my remarks. I am a middle-aged male with a Nokia 6230.… More
Are you busy missing opportunity?
Barclays, Volkswagen, Tesco are three massive businesses in three significant, sophisticated and important business sectors. Each one of these highly successful and long-lived businesses has access to significant in-house legal expertise, each is capable of paying for the best legal advice money can buy, each has invested heavily in risk management. And all of them… More
A small person’s adventure
Being loved and living in a stable family environment where potential can be fulfilled is never something to take for granted. Looking around the world today the percentage of children who can say this describes their world is still depressingly small. When I was a teenage boy I never took my parents’ love for granted,… More
Fighting a good fight
Last year in the UK, lawyers came under scrutiny from the Government. The line, simplistically, was that Legal Aid lawyers were too expensive and too inefficient. Politics of course thrives on such simplistic arguments. While there may be some kind of truth in some such statements, the arguments are too easy to promulgate and will… More
Hello 2016 pleased to meet you
It is the time of year when commentators, consultants, “futurologists” (whatever they are) and those with more time to chatter than those who must do, rise up to share their predictions for the year ahead. I am one of those people. I’ve not had a proper job for years. I seem to swan about making… More
a few quiet words on work and love
…you know sometimes you just have to write without caring where it goes. Let it go where it wants and see if you are brave enough to share when you are done. I have a thought, it is not complete, it may be really dumb, but I need to write about it. It is about… More
A new role and a sinking feeling…
I speak to a lot of people who have recently moved into new roles. It is a tough period and after three months there is often a striking contrast between their negative emotional response to their new role then, compared to the anticipation and excitement they felt on joining their new company. Very often they… More