Nicholas Bate

Managing a Business in a Crazy World, 33

Agility.

When teams are presenting their plans for next FY, ask how they plan to improve, develop and execute improved agility.

It’ll be key for an AI-soaked 2024. 

On Writing, 90

If you want to write. Fiction or non-fiction. A block-buster or a slim volume of poetry, commit to grabbing those small chunks of time. Waiting for an appointment, twenty minutes on the train, even while coffee is brewing. Every word helps a sentence. Every sentence helps the paragraph. Every paragraph helps build a chapter. Chapters create your magnum opus.

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Coming Soon. Love, Life and Legacy:  three short stories.

The Time Machine: what would it be like if you discovered your very own functional but limited use time machine?;

In Memoriam, Mr. Rock Star:  ‘What Makes the Most Money for This Business? Dead Rock Stars.’ Courtney Love.

La Résistance: It’s 1940. It’s Paris.

A shadow fell, Jacques looked up from his newspaper, balanced his Gauloises Caporal and opened the door.

‘Merci. Et bonjour, Jaques,’ said Alain.
‘Ca va?’ He added.
‘Oui, ca va.’ Replied Jaques ‘Good to see you.’ He closed the door, scanning the street as he did.
‘And you.’ Replied Alain.

A well-practised move saw Jacques retrieve his cigarette before it began to burn the Formica table-top; he turned the barbershop chair and invited Alain to sit.

‘A good week?’ asked Jaques.
‘I’m here!’ Smiled Alain as he stared at the matches.
‘The projects went well?’
He nodded silently. The shop was empty, but they were paranoid.

From The Zen Blogging Master

Seek those moments.

More Music?

Here.

The Most Powerful Productivity Tips, 77

Not all time is the same. Use your peak times for the challenging tasks. 

Pensieri; Reflections

A collection of popular posts including:

• Hunter-Gatherer 21 Century: The Complete Two Score & Ten
• 22 Things They Still Don't Teach You At Business School

and many, many more.

Now in handy PDF format.

Pensieri 

Saturday is a Great Day to Plan your Great Escape

It may be a while since you have seen The Great Escape. Perhaps you have never seen it. 

There are some useful learnings:

1. You have a duty to escape (from the cubicle).
2. Three plans (Tom, Dick and Harry) are better than one.
3. Planning an escape is not just for the end goal. It is a motivator in itself.
4. Stay fit.
5. You will occasionally suffer from panic attacks. Get back to the surface and fresh air and a clear horizon.
6. Be patient. The quick fix plan invariably leads right back to a similar job in a similar culture. Or the cooler.
7. The right theme tune for your endeavour is essential.

 

It may be a while since you have seen The Great Escape. Perhaps you have never seen it. 

There are some useful learnings:

1. You have a duty to escape (from the cubicle).
2. Three plans (Tom, Dick and Harry) are better than one.
3. Planning an escape is not just for the end goal. It is a motivator in itself.
4. Stay fit.
5. You will occasionally suffer from panic attacks. Get back to the surface and fresh air and a clear horizon.
6. Be patient. The quick fix plan invariably leads right back to a similar job in a similar culture. Or the cooler.
7. The right theme tune for your endeavour is essential.

Bram, A Spy Story

Free for 48h on amazon kindle.

‘Once you start reading this book, it’s difficult to put down. Initially, you are immersed in the delights of Oxford academia, only to then be exposed to the starkness and brutality of Moscow during the Cold War. Bram, a brilliant Oxford chemist, turns spy whose mission is to save the world from a highly dangerous and ubiquitous threat.

This book is characterised by most of the attributes of a good spy story with action, heroic exploits by a larger-than-life protagonist and a strong plot. Well worth a read.’

Managing A Business in a Crazy World, 32

Whatever you automate or delegate to a robo, ensure a ‘thank you’ or ‘well done’ or ‘awesome’ is delivered personally and from the heart.

Disaster

Looms…