Nicholas Bate

The Tools of Excellence for a Brave New World, 1: The French Press

Man is a generalist. No harm in that: he/she is remarkable at adapting and to enhance this process has created a batch of tools which allows him/her to perform to the highest levels. In a Brave New World where planet Earth undergoes several adjustments in the way we act and think, ensure such tools are all easily accessible in your portfolio.

When push comes to shove, what are the essential Tools of Excellence?

1: The Coffee Grinder & French Press

Coffee should be smelt and seen as well as tasted. And it should be worked for: as with much in life, with appropriate effort comes extra appreciation. Hand grind your coffee to the perfect dimension and amount as you contemplate the next stage of your day. Then place in a scrupulously clean glass French press and add ’just boiled’ water. Watch the brew, pour your cup and return to excellence.

Of course great beans need to be selected. But the best of beans are often spoilt by becoming stale or being over brewed.

Get the tools you need to do a great job.

Think Big

Fashion sets.

Brave New World 32

Stage 1 was lock-down.

We’re now in stage 2, roller-coaster.

You’ll need to make decisions. Base those decisions on primary sources. Search deep, read wide. Many ‘experts’ are selected for their sound-bite, their support of the ‘narrative’; you need more than that.

Get ready for stage 3. The World: the same, but different.

Michael Wade

Blogs for you. Don’t miss it.

Brave New World 31

Set a reading goal. Pages a day. Stick to it.

Your head needs to get out more. 

Monday Melange 12

How to Escape the Bunker.

Stay STRONG

Just say NO to PPT

Who are the rogues?

Post Covid Business Essentials.

Redundancy

Covid-19, 101

Hunter-Gatherer 21C

Manage that career

Be Bold 101

Lock-down goals.

You still haven’t read You, Only Better?

Productivity 69

The closer you can get to someone, the easier it is to get the full commitment that you seek. In the Old World of Work if a fellow project manager were being a little obtuse then a good strategy was to wander round, grab a chair next to them, ask for a little time and talk eyeball to eyeball. You could register the body language, notice the tone and words chosen and reach some kind of solution.

In the Brave New World Of Covid-19, distance has plunged into our lives. The literal physical distance of working from home and Perspex barriers, the distance induced by Zoom and digital interrupts and the distance caused by uncertainty. 

A huge aspect of productivity is knowing that an agreement will get done. With any contact spend some time on process (how we will work together) not just content (what needs to be done). It’ll be a brilliant investment.

Brave New World 30

A nasty virus blew around the wonderful planet called Earth. It was not good (at all) for the inhabitants but the great thing was it did no damage to the inherent spectacular beauty, grandeur and jaw-dropping intrigue of the spinning mass.

It was time to get out more.

Basics 7: How To Escape The Cubicle. Even If It Is Now A Bunker.

1. Re-configure the cubicle/bunker. See life in the cubicle/bunker as boot-camp training to make you as tough as you can be. Relish it, it's not for life.
2. Wander the grounds. Get out of the cubicle and make yourself known. Don't hunker down in the cubicle trying to avoid hassle: you'll just be be forgotten. Volunteer for stuff and do amazing work. Maybe somebody will give you a job in the library or the hospital from where it is a whole lot easier to escape.
3. Do what Jason Bourne would do. Never let anyone at any stage faze you. Look around and there is always a solution, always a way e.g. out of the the crappy meeting in which you are sitting.
4. Get a map from those who have escaped. Others have done it. What did they do? How did they do it? Copy the excellent strategies and tactics of practitioners.
5. Do press-ups every 45 minutes. When your opportunity comes you will need to run hard, scale walls and swim in cold water. Get and stay very fit indeed. Now.
6. Be beholden to nobody and no thing. They are wearing you down with the Zoom meetings: you know that. Anyhow: look what it has done to the jailers. 
7. Look out of the windows. Sure they are sealed and need a good wash. But look beyond that, out at the horizon: that's your goal. Not the next deep PPT deck.

Zen & The Art of Cubicle Freedom Protocol here. 
The Escape Manual here.

Basics 7: Your Personal Play List

1. Track 1: My Mission. Loud rock 'n roll. Very loud.
2. Track 2: Fresh Resolve. Classical, pastoral, committed (and lengthy at 7.42)
3. Track 3: Passion. Beatlesesque, Revolver period.
4. Track 4: Regular Blue Moon. An unusual rapped track about habits and commitment. A grower.
5. Track 5: I Did It My Way. Funky Sinatra cover.
6. Track 6: Love That Navy Seal. An ode to self-discipline.
7. Track 7: Fresh Notes. A soulful acoustic of lyrics of frustration yet learning.