Lessons from The X-Factor

1. Life isn't fair 2. Despite quotes to the contrary, wanting it lots isn't always enough 3. Not everyone achieves their dreams (and those that do don't always enjoy them as much as they thought) 4. The person with the most money in the room can wear their trousers however they like 5. Just because …

Otter sex and observation

So... otter sex My daughter is four years old and in the last year we've given her the opportunity to see otters twice. The first time was at a wildlife park last year. As we approached the otter enclosure there was a sign saying how shy they were and not to be disappointed if we …

Same old song in recruitment.

I read this post today pondering why so many job adverts still require a degree, even though there are other ways of gaining expertise and experience. It seems almost like a default. And I think part of the answer is that it is a default. This isn't a glamorous macro answer reflecting on the value …

Superquick thoughts – more splodges

1. Which companies are building a lasting legacy? 2. Is helping others have a better working life a legacy? A life is temporary 3. How much does legacy matter? Is it important to be remembered or to have contributed? 4. We have been learning for thousands of years - isn't it odd that we still …

Plane silly – when common sense takes flight

Occasionally  I use my blog to highlight examples of great customer service. Occasionally I use it to highlight less than great service.Occasionally poor service can be triggered by systems and occasionally it is a direct result of interactions by people - and quite often it is people feeling unable to overcome a poor system.My wife …

The future of work?

A great overview by Richard that has placed mr Berkun’s book higher up my reading list

Up the Down Escalator

This week I have been reading The Year Without Pants by Scott Berkun. This is one of those rare beasts – a book about management and leadership that had me engrossed in every word.

The book is Berkun’s account of working for Automattic, the company that built and runs WordPress. It’s really about how someone with a traditional management background at Microsoft coped with leading a team of techies at a company with no email, an open vacation policy, no offices and few conventional rules.

It is a fascinating insight to a futuristic work culture that many of us would love to experience.

There are no formal interviews for jobs in the company and they are not interested in CV’s. Automattic hire via a trial process doing real work with real tools. If you do well, you get hired. Simple.

Induction? Like all new Automatticians, Berkun spent his first few…

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why so serious, HR?

Great post from Broc on what happens when specialists in ‘the people bit’ (otherwise known as HR) forget that people tend to, you know, like to have fun like…um…people

fool (with a plan)

The Killer HR Robot, destroying fun in the name of credibility!

HR has a credibility gap. We just don’t get the respect we deserve. Or, at least, it seems HR likes to think HR has a credibility gap. There is no shortage of HR folks who think they don’t get the respect they deserve. Maybe they don’t, but it’s interesting to see what they think will create credibility.

I attended the Illinois State SHRM conference recently (a great conference that’s worth crossing state lines to attend) and a participant, fairly new to HR, expressed concern that we weren’t allowed to have fun in HR. Um, pardon? Apparently her boss and other HR leaders in their community felt that having fun destroys credibility. They felt executives wouldn’t respect HR if we were ever viewed as having fun.

A significant part of my career has been in leadership development and I’ve traveled…

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Superquick thoughts – choices

Superquick thoughts on Neil Morrison's blog on 'choice'. Here's some stuff it would be good to choose or have a say in. Maybe My own IT My working hours How I present information My manager How I learn Whether I have a manager The balance of my remuneration package Where the company off site is …

I love social media because…it’s random

Just some of the things that wouldn't have happened  to me without social media Getting to explain to Marcus Buckingham why I used to have a picture of him in my wallet Getting to ask Dan Pink if I could move in with him Getting to interact with Tom Peters about change management and project planning …