Blog


Welcome to my blog. I'll be updating it frequently and share views and ideas that I hope you'll find interesting. Message Turns Into Reality I’ve nearly changed my opinion about Milton Keynes. To be more accurate it was nearly changed for me. And how it happened is a lesson in communications. Recently I’ve been working with the excellent Stantonbury Campus in the “town”. A school that is on a sharp upward curve, and much more than a school too with a big range of community facilities and activities. Anyway, as many people will know, Milton Keynes can be challenging for visitors to get their bearings. So, in talking about catchment areas and the like, it was interesting to hear talk of “north of the city” and “in the west of the city”. Had I missed the announcement that it was now the City of Milton Keynes? I recalled that it had bid for city status but thought that it didn’t get the status. Read more ... Posted on: 10th May 2013. Apply Brailsford's Best For Dave Brailsford, Britain’s cycling supremo, there are several keys to success. Recruitment, targets, coaching, tactics, and innovation. Like most great leaders he has the ability to analyse how to deliver results, and to describe the path in simple terms. He has a clarity, and a focus unencumbered by any tendency to wander off from a central purpose. Read more ... Posted on: 15th February 2013. Artisan shows little word craft I can’t imagine you’d want to be thought of as a cliché. Tired, unimaginative, the same as many others. Who wants to be regarded like that? Who wants their organisation to be seen in that light? Apparently many do. And, what’s even more amazing, is that this is projected when they are attempting to promote themselves in a positive light. Phrases and words are used, very prominently, that only show a lack of creativity, a laziness of thought, and a slavish mimicry of others. Read more ... Posted on: 5th November 2012. Exams Failure If you ever wanted a class in poor communications then the recent (and continuing) debacle surrounding GCSE results is an excellent one. There have been mistakes by nearly, if not all, the key participants in the process. Unfortunately, as is so often the case, it has been the people at the end of the line, in this case the students, that have suffered. Let’s look at some of the players in the mess and what could have been done differently and better if basic good communications practice had been in place. Read more ... Posted on: 7th September 2012. We want an inspiring Head who can lead with vision and raise standards, say schools The identikit of a desirable headteacher is one who is an inspirational and visionary leader, and with the ability to improve a school’s standards. That’s the finding of a study into what are the characteristics and attributes schools looked for in a new headteacher, and what the priorities for the job are. Nearly two-thirds (63%) of ads identified Leadership Skills, slightly more than Inspirational ones (60%). Just over half (51%) wanted heads to focus on school improvement, and 46% said they were looking for someone with Vision. Read more ... Posted on: 3rd May 2012 in , . Why choose your school? If they’ve got a choice why do parents plump for one particular school? What are the criteria which influence selection? More and more schools in independent and maintained sectors, and at both primary and secondary phases, are finding themselves competing with others for students. Whether desirable or not, it’s a reality of education nowadays. Read more ... Posted on: 2nd April 2012 in . We're all the media now “Institutions that once had to go through media to deliver information are now themselves media”. So said Andrew Nachison a business writer and futurist. What so every organisation is now a newspaper or TV station? Yes and no. Read more ... Posted on: 12th February 2012 in , . Good is the enemy of Great “Good is the enemy of great ….the vast majority of companies remain just that – good, but not great”. That’s the view of one of the best writers on leadership and creating excellence, Jim Collins. Substitute, in place of “companies”, schools, colleges, councils, hospitals, charities or any other form of organisation and the words are still true. Read more ... Posted on: 6th January 2012 in . Help for...? Are emotions more important than facts in reputation building? Is the attention-grabbing headline more influential than an objective analysis of a situation? Read more ... Posted on: 14th November 2011 in , , . Excite, not satisfy. “You can’t just ask customers what they want and then give that to them. By the time you get it built, they’ll want something new”. The death of Steve Jobs, and the impact he had on society and business has filled vast areas of the media in the last week. I’m not going to talk about that – others are more capable – but will look at an aspect of his approach and philosophy that can apply to every organisation, not just Apple. Jobs’ quote above demonstrates his belief in always looking ahead. Read more ... Posted on: 11th October 2011 in . 1 2 3		Message Turns Into Reality I’ve nearly changed my opinion about Milton Keynes. To be more accurate it was nearly changed for me. And how it happened is a lesson in communications. Recently I’ve been working with the excellent Stantonbury Campus in the “town”. A school that is on a sharp upward curve, and much more than a school too with a big range of community facilities and activities. Anyway, as many people will know, Milton Keynes can be challenging for visitors to get their bearings. So, in talking about catchment areas and the like, it was interesting to hear talk of “north of the city” and “in the west of the city”. Had I missed the announcement that it was now the City of Milton Keynes? I recalled that it had bid for city status but thought that it didn’t get the status. Read more ...

Areas of expertise in education, schools, public and third sector marketing: