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Bosses: Gods, Monsters, and Mortals
One of the best compliments I was ever given was from someone who thought I was a pain in the arse.
He was the FD at a big agency who said to my then-boss, ‘You can say what you like about Christine Armstrong’—clearly he did—‘but you can’t deny that people really like working for her.’
Never be boring!
60 seconds of tips to light up your audience when you present research, data, thought leadership, or slides.
Featuring a badger coat.
Three day weekends & spiritualism anyone?
One of the benefits of working for myself is that I can design working days that ensure I Get Shit Done as quickly and efficiently as possible. Which, for me, means working short but intense days with deep thinking tasks early in the morning. I share this as I reflect on author Emma Gannon’s recent tweet…
“Women have won the pandemic”
Saturday at 3pm was when my world turned dark. Child two was sent home from a party vomiting. By 4pm, the youngest was at it. By 6pm it was me and then our oldest was sent home from her sleepover. It was REVOLTING.
Toxic leaders, Amazon rumours & my mistakes
Ten years ago I resigned from a workplace that made me anxious and miserable.
From the first Monday morning meeting on my first day, I knew it wasn’t for me. The most senior person in the room belittled a dynamo of a woman I’d already clocked was a radiator of great energy and insight.
Great hybrid meetings? Think ‘MORE’
If you’d asked Kirsty Lewis (Founder of the School of Facilitation) a year ago if hybrid workshops could be productive, she’d have told you not to bother. Do them online or offline—not both.
Death of hybrid: greatly exaggerated?
Before Christmas I spoke at a finance event, and in the front row was a Charles Dance lookalike who seemed quite cross. And the more I spoke, the crosser he became.
2022. Buckle up with a fighter pilot.
Happy New Year!!
We all need a boost this week to I went to visit Mandy Hickson, former RAF fighter pilot turned motivational speaker, to get her advice on how to soar into 2022. She was full of laughter, despite being unable to book into her regular spinning classes, due to all the New Years Resolutioners turning up to hyperventilate (aka me).
Finding JOY in a Slush Puppie
Last week I said I’d share our research into ways of making hybrid work within organisations, but with the week we’ve had—Omicrom tidal waves, WFH guidance, canned Christmas parties, and Mr Big and his Peloton—let’s save the worky stuff to January and focus on JOY.
Hybrid: how bosses are struggling
Obviously Boris WOULD announce a work from home order as soon as I get these findings, but I’m just ignoring his dead cat bounce for the moment.
2/3 of your colleagues don’t trust you
This morning my husband said sorry to me… for something that happened ten years ago, inspired by a conversation we were having.
HYBRID: 9 practical solutions
The research on how to hybridise—at scale—isn’t out yet. So, here’s what I’ve gathered from my interviews and reading.
(When the research comes in, I’ll update you!)
Disability and ‘the soft bigotry of low expectations’
Kate Nash OBE, creator of Purple Space, shared her thoughts with me on why disability so often takes a back seat to gender, ethnicity, and sexuality in our discussions at work. Particularly as those with disabilities make up about 15% of the workforce, even if not all of them are obvious to others.
An idiot’s guide to the Metaverse and Web3
Jeez. Mark Zuckerberg makes a weird film about the Metaverse and suddenly the damned word is everywhere! As is the term Web3 which may—or may not—be the same thing. I’m having flashbacks to the early 2000s when my techie housemate Pete told me to invest in social networks… and I told him not to be boring 🤦🏻♀️.
Why is pay spiralling?
Last week, accounting network @MGI Worldwide invited me to speak and host panels in Asia, Europe & the Americas… in one day. Interestingly, almost every market reported challenges with keeping talent and escalating pay rises. In interviews I’ve heard of people being offered pay rises 50% or more for senior jobs.
Collaboration overload: What would Kevin Bacon do?
Amidst the endless books about hybrid and remote-first working, launches Rob Cross’ Beyond Collaboration Overload (Harvard Business Review Press).
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…
The Great Resignation: Value vs. Churn
I’ve been interviewing people who have resigned, are about to resign, or expect to resign in the next few months. It’s a hot topic right now: Microsoft’s research shows that 41% of employees, globally, are considering changing roles in the next year, and leadership teams everywhere are reporting significant churn. The UK has more unfilled jobs than ever before.
A Diptyque triple-wick pushed me over the edge
Last week, my husband lit my new Diptyque candle for our seven year old’s bath. It is the most beautiful candle I’ve EVER owned (a moving gift from a friend) and I hadn’t had a chance to light it myself yet.
Hello world! Navigating the tricky new etiquette
This week I’ve done seven speaking events, plus kicking off a nationwide research tour, which has demanded navigating the world as it wakes up.
It’s a complex place!