Whether it’s a coach giving a commentary on a slow-motion video of a runner’s stride, an editor’s suggested changes to a manuscript, a driving instructor observing a learner’s manoeuvres, or a manager giving performance feedback to a staff member - feedback can be immensely powerful as a tool for learning and improving.

But unless you know your feedback is both valuable and likely to translate into improvement, be aware that giving it might be counterproductive, especially if hearing it harms the self-confidence and motivation of the recipient.

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The more specificity and certainty you demand in advance around what will be delivered in order to achieve the outcome, the lower your chance of achieving the outcome.

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The amazing Grace Hopper once said “it’s better to get forgiveness than permission”. 

And I’ve seen plenty of leaders try to cultivate this philosophy among their teams - often feeling frustrated and wanting them to just crack on with what needs to be done instead of seeking permission and waiting for approval. And I feel it’s an admirable ambition in big bureaucracies with traditions of defensive permission-seeking (aka ass-covering).

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There’s a default assumption in much of the public sector that risks should be prevented or eliminated wherever possible.

The management of this risk through compliance and rules and enforcement is hard wired into how these organisations work and usually imposes a heavy administrative burden - sometimes costing more than the risks themselves would, had they materialised.

And as much as a compliance mindset for risk management needed and prudent and responsible - it crowds out thinking about other types of risk.

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Leaders don’t do everything. If you take everything on, you're not going to be leading, you're going to be swept along with current (or back-to-back Teams calls).

Here’s what you need to learn to do to get out of that trap.

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It’s not uncommon for companies to have a relatively solid gender split at whole-company level but a steady decline in the % of women in leadership positions as you work your way up the ladder to board level, where the ratio can be downright embarrassing.

Women aren’t getting the opportunities they need to build their profile.

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80 years after the Simple Sabotage Field Manual was published by the predecessor to the CIA, these self-sabotaging behaviours are still alive and well in the modern workplace. 
But calling out these behaviours - naming them as a form of sabotage undermining the organisation’s ability to deliver - is the first step in addressing them.

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There are design research methods you should use to make sure your content and services are useful, usable and used, by the users you’re targeting, to achieve the outcomes you’re seeking.

Why wouldn’t you want to do that?

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The analogy for your services should be building a house, but establishing and maturing a garden. Or even a public park!

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I’ve spent quite a lot of time reflecting on burnout, workplace trauma, and how we think about “how things are going” at work.

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Whatever you feel passionate enough to write about is worthwhile.

Your voice, your unique perspective, makes it so.

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Declarations of the death of design are really just another variant of the complaint that designers don’t have a seat at the table.

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Responsible leaders need to make conscious decisions about their strategic intent for their service portfolio.

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Your workplace might not be comfortable with it yet — but if you want to work in the open more, don’t let your first “no” (or fear of getting one) stop you trying.

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The benefits of learning to express yourself well in writing are worth the cringe you’ll feel when you start sharing your work.

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I’m two weeks into my new role with Public Digital and I wanted to share some reflections on how much of a difference a good onboarding process makes.

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I’m often approached by leaders mulling over what a service-oriented approach would look like, for their responsibilities and their organisation. This is what I typically share.

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Let’s unpick this oft-cited statistic, so that we can really understand what it is telling us.

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This statistic, and various versions of it, is peppered all over design literature. But if it is true, what is it actually saying?

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