Mea Culpa (w39-24)
After taking a new job my writing was meant to become more frequent again. Instead the opposite has happened. Largely because I’ve been enjoying myself so much. It’s been about 12 weeks now and I’m glad to say I’m having a whale of a time: New clients to work with, new products and audiences to think about and new challenges to solve. You forget how tiring but exhilerating it is when you’re learning new things. And whilst it’s all grist for the mill, you still actually have to find the time and energy to put it down on paper. Things that haven’t been in abundant supply.
Anyway. Here is the latest in a long line of posts which basically does the same thing - an admission of guilt. Of not committing to the process and practice of writing as much as I should or indeed, want to. The image above, which came from a post on Linkedin from Alex Dunsdon spurred me into action. I too had to renew my hosting and domain for another year recently and whilst I’d be loathed to lose the content I’ve posted on this blog, I did think about whether i’m getting the value for money from the expenditure. The easy answer would have been to pull the plug. The actual solution is just to start writing more frequently again.
I have a couple of blog posts in sketch form which I need to flesh out. I’m going to start the weeknotes thing again - as well as being an informal diary, they’re a useful way of unearthing topics that are more interesting and warrant deeper examination. Whilst I’m here though, it probably makes sense to spell out some things I’ve been thinking about in the last 2-3 months, mostly prompted by the perspective afforded to someone going into a new working environment.
The job for strategy is to project into the future, not to describe the present. That’s scary, but liberating. And necessary.
A wrong answer, presented with a clear set of assumptions, is almost always better than no answer at all. Don’t let being right stand in the way of attempting to start solving a problem.
Matt Webb was on the money when he said that businesses come to resemble their materials in the way dog owners come to resemble their dogs
Businesses like to deal in certainty - often at the expense of building the future they desire.
A stupid question almost always results in a useful answer. Intelligent naivity is a remarkable thing. Use it to your advantage whilst you still can.
Phil Adams was on the money when he said the ‘best definition of culture in a business context is ‘what things are important and how things get done’ - he’s also on the money about ideas being data about the future.
