I travel a lot with work. It is not glamorous. I’d love tell you that when I said I was in K.L. I meant Kuala Lumpur, but unfortunately it is far more likely to be Kings Lynn (for those of you who are not from the UK, Kings Lynn is sometimes, albeit unkindly, referred to […]
How to Sink a Ship
Come at once. We have struck a berg. It’s a CQD, old man You have heard this story On the 15th April 1912 the Titanic sank on her maiden voyage from Southampton to New York. Whilst steaming at high-speed through an area of pack ice she hit an iceberg and broke in two. Over fifteen […]
92 People Die for Lack of Trust
In 1974 TWA flight 514 was flying into Washington Dulles airport. As it came into land the air traffic controller said “cleared for approach”. The flight crew thought it meant one thing (we will guide you in) but the control tower meant something ever so slightly different (guide yourself in). It was simple miscommunication. Flight […]
Blame Culture: More Dangerous Than You’d Think
In January 2001, 18-year-old Wayne Jowett died whilst receiving treatment for Leukaemia at the Queens Medical Centre, in my home city, Nottingham. The chemotherapy consisted of two drugs: Cytosine, a drug that is injected directly into the spinal fluid and Vincristine, a drug that is injected into the patient’s blood. A tragic accident The doctor […]
Boring but Deadly: Roles and Responsibilities
I am a good boss I run a fair-sized team. I like to think I am a good boss, reasonable, fair, open-minded. Perhaps I am kidding myself. There is however one thing I do that drives my team nuts, makes them apoplectic, I have an infuriating habit of asking two people to do the same […]