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On Saturday, I wrote a post about oven clocks. (Yes, really.) My point was that when the clocks go back — like they did in Europe this weekend — most people don’t bother changing the oven clock. Because it feels like hassle for no benefit. That's a neat little behavioural reminder: if something seems pointless or awkward, we’re less likely to do it, even if we technically '𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥.' I linked that idea to compliance: if a rule feels unnecessary or requires excess effort,

In Europe the clocks went back last night, and once again, our phones, laptops, and smart devices quietly did the right thing. No prompting. No effort. No fuss. Everything else? The microwave. That wall clock. Still both likely to be blissfully out of sync. And let’s be honest, most of us will just leave them. We’ll squint, shrug, and mentally add an hour. Because it’s fine. It’s not worth the effort. That small act of 'can’t be bothered' says everything about human nature. W

I asked GenAI to create an image of a watch showing 𝟴:𝟭𝟱. It gave me 𝟭𝟬:𝟭𝟬. So I tried again. And again. And again. Six separate attempts. All showing the 𝘴𝘢𝘮𝘦 time. And it’s not just 8:15; try asking for any time, and you’ll probably still get 10:10. 𝗪𝗵𝘆? Because GenAI isn’t pulling from real life. It’s pulling from what it’s 𝘴𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘰𝘴𝘵, and for watches, that’s not photos of 'real' people wearing them, it’s ads. As Richard Shotton explains in 𝗧𝗵

When event organisers ask for a bio, I always double-check why. The last thing I want is for them to introduce me by reading it out loud. Sure, my past roles matter — they’ve shaped how I think — but if people only listen because of my CV, I’ve already lost them. A bio’s fine for the 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘮𝘮𝘦 (though even then, I like it to hint at 𝘸𝘩𝘺 the audience should listen, not just where I’ve worked). But when it comes to the 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘳𝘰𝘥𝘶𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯, I say: '𝘛𝘦𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘩

People were surprised I’d built new slides overnight to connect the previous day’s discussions to my topic. Surprised I’d had time. ...

The most valuable thing I got from my time at UBS wasn’t the money, though that was nice. It was the freedom — taken, though not always...

Because they happen 𝘣𝘦𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘦 I ever speak, run a workshop, or deliver training. They happen during onboarding. Not employee...

I sometimes get that question.  On the surface, it makes sense. But... Yes, there's no travel; I just show up for the session, so...

Lots of people are sharing stories about border controls. Here’s mine, complete with a 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗶𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗹𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗼𝗻. I have Global...

I spotted something brilliant in a  Waterstones  shop recently. Instead of having separate 𝘏𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘺, 𝘛𝘳𝘢𝘷𝘦𝘭, and...

We’re in the final week of Lent, and on my train travels through Germany, I’ve been reminded of something deeply human: When faced with...

Last week, I was in Vegas — speaking at the  World Game Protection Conference (WGPC) . Definitely Vegas, but not as I knew it. Unlike my...

I was recently asked if I could share my slides after a conference talk. I had to say no — not because I was difficult, but because I...

When I give client keynotes, I sometimes hear the organiser telling attendees to put away their devices. It's conventional wisdom; keep...

I love epiphanies. Those moments when everything just clicks. When a bolt of inspiration strikes, or someone reframes something in a way...

This year, I’m not making any New Year’s resolutions. Not because I'm perfect, but because I know I won’t stick to them.  My resolutions...

Whenever someone has a 20-minute discovery call with me, something interesting happens. I start working on their problem. Immediately....

In a recent post, I defended divas — people who insist on having the perfect conditions to perform at their best. 𝗕𝘂𝘁...

Van Halen demanding bowls of M&Ms with all the brown ones removed.  Beyoncé needing her room at exactly 78 degrees. 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗱𝗶𝘃𝗮𝘀!...

I’m sometimes asked, “𝘞𝘩𝘺 𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘯’𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘺 𝘤𝘭𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘭𝘰𝘨𝘰𝘴 𝘰𝘯 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘸𝘦𝘣𝘴𝘪𝘵𝘦?” It’s not because I...