Creating Positive Impact for People, Organizations and Work.

I used to write a lot. It was pretty personal stuff, about the impact of my explorations on work and life. It struck a chord with a lot of people and it was fun. Sometimes things went wrong, sometimes they went really right, but I documented it all, because it was useful to people (and myself).

Then I stopped.

The offer to write a book came in and I went head-first into a crazy period of writing The Human Workplace. It was an eye-opening experience and I seemed to create something of…

Sometimes things happen. Change happens — whether you like or want it, or not.

That doesn’t mean the future is set in stone.

This morning, like many in Europe, I woke to find myself in a parallel universe I didn’t expect to find myself in. I don’t like to discuss my opinions on politics, but my view on this was pretty clear. As the first wave of shock washed over me, there was a feeling of loss — a fundamental shift that pushed me into mourning. Things will never be the same.

As my early morning train flashed through the…

Suddenly I seemed so alone.

I looked up from the frantically scribbled notes I’d ripped from my notepad earlier and had, for the last ten minutes, been staring at without actually absorbing anything they said. The cavernous, buzzing central corridor of the amazing conference centre had emptied, leaving me virtually alone in its halls and deafened by the silence.

With just over an hour to go before I was due to play my small part at WorkHuman 2016, I couldn’t shake a feeling I’d had all morning. Up until that point, I’d thoroughly enjoyed the event, immersing myself in the…

Dear Boss

You invited me to work here because you thought I had something to contribute and I came here because I thought the same. Together, everyone here wants to create something amazing and any opportunity to help us do that better should be taken.

The world is changing fast. Now we’re in the post-digital, post-information community age, there are forces at work that make creating an amazing workplace a different proposition to the way it used to be. It’s always good to hear about people innovating and changing the game.

Here are some of ideas I’ve heard about:

Organisations Built on Innovation

The…

In 2014 I ran an event that changed my life. All About People was a two-day exploration of creating amazing workplaces. Beyond the amazing presentations, ideas and conversations that emerged over the two days, many of us who attended were left with the feeling that something happened here.

As a direct result, over the months that followed I took my life in a new direction and started The Work Project. The ensuing adventures brought me to where I am today, via many adventures in the world of work and workplace.

After the first All About People, I started to…

This might be one of those reflective startup pieces that seem to be all over Medium, but equally it’s an insight into organisations and employers — the transition they’re realising they need to make and the self-imposed barriers that still stand in their way.

You might recognise or identify with some of this, but most importantly you might be able to work with us… me, Lee and Peopl. We believe in openness, transparency and the influence of others, so everything we’ve done in the last few months is laid out here.

Creating Peopl.

According to Gallup, 87% of people are disengaged with…

Late last week, the high court in London ruled that Uber’s app was legal there. The case had been brought by Transport for London (TfL), who argued that the app constituted a taximeter — something only licenced black cab drivers are allowed, in return for the huge amount of knowledge and training they amass.

In short, TfL and its drivers felt threatened by Uber and instead of taking direct action by competing, they spent far more time and money attempting –and failing- to restrict the threat on a technicality. TfL is positioned perfectly to compete head-on with Uber, in fact…

Earlier in the year, I asked a selection of people a question (what is work?) and filmed their responses. It was really insightful and although some clear patterns emerged, everyone had their own personal definition of ‘work’.

To take that spirit and open it up into a new creative challenge, I’m starting #6WordWork and I’d love you to be involved.

Let’s create a collection of short perspectives on work, consisting of six words.

It’s inspired by Six Word Stories, which itself was inspired by Ernest Hemingway’s ‘best work’.

#6WordWork will run on Twitter and will include contributions from anyone who…