Digital leaders: Working with Stakeholders – Dealing with expectations and understanding
This is an extract from a chapter in my forthcoming book for digital leaders I'll be publishing in 2019. ...
High performing teams focus on outcomes not outputs and 9 other traits
High performing teams have a number of characteristics and undertake activities that help them to stand above the rest. Here are 10 key characteristics that can play a big part in their success. 1. They have a shared understanding of the direction they are heading High performing teams have a shared vision. The vision...
Meetings – how to save time, money and stay sane
Does your time in meetings feel like your life is being drained away? Do you feel they are killing your organisation’s productivity? If so you’re not alone… “Office workers spend an average of 4 hours per week in meetings. They feel more than half of that time is wasted.” (source: Opinion Matters, for Epson...
The 7 Red Flags to Help You Spot “Agilefall”
“Agilefall” is a term used in the industry where an organisation claims to be using Agile methodologies but they are still in waterfall (e.g. Prince) mindset, mixing methodologies resulting in the organisation and employees getting in a bit of a muddle. Understanding Agile There are a number of Agile methodologies. Agile itself is not a...
The trouble with good ideas
One of the great things about the internet is the amount of opportunity there is to build new products, to create new websites for practically anything, whether it is a site for you to trip out on running dogs or a forum to debate political issues, and of course then we have millions of Apps for entertainment, productivity or...
How do you measure the productivity of your development team?
I was asked a couple of interesting and understandable questions by some colleagues today. “How do you measure the productivity of your development team?” and “Can you benchmark them against other teams in the industry to measure how they are performing?” The answer to the second question was quite easy. A comparison would offer...
Digital Myths
This is a collection of common digital channel myths and misconceptions. Myth 1: Digital platforms are best run as a project or programme Digital platforms and culture needs to be at the heart of your business. This is your lifeblood to success in delivering to your customer’s needs and keeping up with the competition....
The 5 Habits of Highly Effective Product Owners and Managers
Being a Product Owner or Manager is challenging. We are continually bombarded with opportunities, demands on our time and ever changing expectations of customers and stakeholders. Sometimes it can all feel a bit overwhelming. I’m not a big New Year’s resolution person but I thought I would share the five key habits I have...
The Six Books to Transform your Mind, Health, Work and Approach to Life
I’m lucky to have a happy family life with a busy and demanding, yet rewarding job, as well as my own sideline business. Our wonderful 11-year-old son has special needs which present a variety of challenges for him and us as his parents. The biggest challenge being a lack of sleep — which is...
How to discover your passion and be happy at work
There are many books, articles and podcasts on the subjects of disruption, entrepreneurship, start-ups, and life coaching. A theme that runs throughout a lot of them is finding something you are passionate about. Unfortunately for many the term “follow your passion” has become a bit clichéd and can be a turn-off. However, one of...