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40 Lessons from 40 Years
I had a big birthday so wrote a big list
17 Career Rules (and counting)
There’s a saying that you’re everyone you’ve ever met. Here’s a few lessons I’ve learnt from some helpful chance encounters…
Stand By Me
Before lockdown hit, I went shopping with a customer to see whether how she said she shopped actually had any correlation to how she behaved. Spoiler alert: it didn’t.
Reading List
These are the non-fiction books that have shaped my perspective on the world, all scoring very highly on the controversial ‘page-corner-folding’ rating scale.
Arbitrary Units of Measurement
There’s something wonderfully human about the arbitrary objects we use to describe sizes that are hard to comprehend.
Everything Changes But… Everything
We’re all obsessed that everything is changing – when really almost everything is staying the same.
Stand and Deliver
Stringent policies and procedures frustrate your colleagues and customers alike. Often the best customer experiences come when employees feel they can stand in front of the rules.
Let Your People Go (And They’re More Likely To Stay)
Creating a team of identikit colleagues may well be good for compliance, but it’s not good for creativity. And after a while, your best people will get fed up, and leave.
The Myth of Customer Loyalty
As soon as a company stops being useful, customers leave. And that’s why customer loyalty is a myth.
Things can only get…worse?
We live in a world that is perfecting the functional experience at the expense of the emotional experience.
The Visitor
Another normal day, another normal commute, and I’ve got my normal standing spot by the bin-seat, a useful substitute for when my legs start to give way should one of those very-rare, nearly-never-happen, but-when-they-do-they-take-ages delays occur.
The Reality of Perception
We all see the world from where we stand, so to unlock real insight, you need to continually challenge your perspectives…
The Thick End of the Wedge
What can a failed newspaper teach us about the importance of truly understanding what customers want?
The Alice in Wonderland Guide to Career Planning
What can Alice and the Cheshire Cat teach us about career planning? Focus on the journey, not the destination…
The Descent to Average
Why do so many great ideas disappear into nothingness? The dreaded descent to average…
In Search of Certainty
I recently ordered a large plate of nachos. And that got me thinking about the need for certainty in our lives, whether as a customer, a career-planner, or a commuter…
The Way You Make Me Feel
If it’s true that the only thing that matters in life is how you make people feel, then what does this mean for a purposeful career and a customer-led company?
Why I Love Chiltern Railways
Ok, I admit it. I love Chiltern Railways. But when you read why, you’ll want to move to Buckinghamshire and travel with them too…
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