This device was my world ! https://www.theguardian.com/games/2025/nov/18/sega-master-system-nintendo-entertainment-system
5 years at Birmingham Museums Trust
Five years ago today Sara and I started our co-leadership journey. We started during the pandemic at an organisation that could have folded. We rolled our sleeves up with all the workforce, Trustees and amazing partners and got to work. We were in classic turnaround mode. Since then we have achieved a lot together. If you ever gave us advice, worked with us, challenged us, cheered us on, visited our sites, thank you. We came to make a ruckus and we have work to do. The marathon continues.
Nipsey Hussle – Face the World would be my song of the period.
National Army Museum identifies black Waterloo veteran in rare 1821 painting
Frank Chimero: Beyond the Machine – Creative agency in the AI landscape
Office nomad – deskless
After nearly five years at Birmingham Museums Trust it has only just dawned on me I don’t have a desk. With nine locations plus lots of travel i’m never in any one place for very long. The stereotype is the more senior you get the bigger the view/desk/. I like to judge myself on how many people I have helped. How many projects have shipped. I do like being socialable in the office and that’s what I largely think “being together” means. When people diss working from home I often think they really mean “I need to be sociable”. I’m thinking hard about how to get the best out of myself and others when together. And then leaning out of the boat on how “I” best work. No mouldy cups here. No cactus plant. No planting of a flag to mark my patch here.
“Excuse me, is anybody sitting here?, I won’t be long.”.
Excel turns 40
The tool we all love and hate turns 40. Respect. https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/w3ct74n7
Captain it’s imperative you listen
The captain (boss) gets the final say. It’s important there is clarity about who is in charge. However being the boss doesn’t mean every decision is the right one. You (first officer) need a way you can convey your point of view if the decision(s) being made could have a very bad outcome. At work we follow the sociocracy workflow that has a principle of raising “critical concerns”. In aviation they say “captain, it’s imperative you listen” which is their code trigger to ensure the captain pays specific attention. Everyone needs ways to raise important questions. The boss may still choose an alternative course of action but at least both parties know how to raise their concerns.
Having a clear procedure for this type of communication may save time/money/ avoid a significant risk to you or others.
Snakes and ladders
Every interaction is like a roll of the dice. You aim to move forward. Yet in the game Snakes and ladders a roll of the dice can move you forward but then suddenly back down the rung of a ladder. A little way down or nearly back to square one. Every time your boss changes, your contact leaves at the place you had influence or the world around you changes it can feel like your tumbling back to the beginning. Better to know that and know the conditions of the rules than to keep focusing on changing the game just because you don’t want to play. Expect to tumble and go again and again.
Museums in films and TV
- Heist in Despicable Me 3
- Base of villian in Paddington
- Heist in Black Panther
- meetimg place in Janes Bond
Other people’s reading lists
I try to document every book I read. This post will be a collection of other people’s lists who’s work I like. Maybe there is an overlap or maybe not.
Patrick Collison, CEO of stripe (I started using around 2015)