Driving 800 miles with a stranger

This week I’ve been to Aberystwyth, Newcastle, London and Edinburgh. A lot of that travelling was in filmmaker Graeme Mill’s Ford Fiesta. Graeme and I have worked together a few times over the years, but never spent whole days driving and chatting…

What a revelation!

⚡️🔋 The Power of Talk

It’s been so long since I spent hours talking to someone whose backstory I don’t know. It reminded me that it takes between 80 & 100 hours with someone before we call them a friend (although you can share much longer than that together and turn out NOT to be friends…).

The experience reinforced my understanding of the Microsoft study showing how small our networks have become over COVID. We talk to fewer people—those we know better, more often—but miss out on new connections.

🕰 Connections

And what I see as I travel is that, where new people can connect, it creates a crazy, electric, buzzing energy. You can hardly capture all the words people have to say to each other: they are so keen to talk.

Likewise, I’ve spoken at a few conferences recently when I have been booked for the 9am slot only to find chunks of the audience looking pale and sweaty. People too sensible for wild nights, confess to 4am martini finishes, catching up with with old colleagues and friends.

Yet, despite all this pent up desire for connection, the return-to-office experience is still mostly lacking in the joy and buzz people want.

📈 You’ve seen the news

Despite the UK Covid numbers being so awful, I decided to post this because we still have the chance to make the most of the autumn leaves, have a coffee outside, see someone we might enjoy spending time with, or even talking to a stranger. But obviously we need to do it safely—and get that booster.

Next week:

I’m delighted that we’ll have Rob Cross, author of ‘Beyond Collaboration Overload’. He’ll tell us how to get collaboration right, without squandering time or burning out. And we’ll find out if he approves of those martini nights…


Christine