So, succumbing to the hype, I rushed out the other day and bought myself one of those new Nike FuelBands. I first saw one on the wrist of my colleague Gareth, who pronounced it the deus ex machina of exercise and weight loss reduction. I saw it and imagined myself tipping into a mid life [...]
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Why Your Brilliant Idea Just Got Watered Down to Nothing
What’s the reason so many great ideas turn out to be terrible ones once they’re out the door? Over time and many years, I’ve learned there are only a few reasons: “I did that” You know these people: they’re great at self promotion and talking loudly, but very poor at doing much else. They take [...]
Starting Up: London Vs. The Valley
These days, my job at Spigit has me spending 50% of my time in London, and the rest in California at our head offices in the East Bay area. This is very interesting, because it really illuminates the difference between startup world in both places. Firstly, the obvious: London may be a hot place to [...]
Protecting Customers not Corporates
On Twitter, Paul Vincent (@cybersecurer), one of the very few IT Security people I know who can claim their title isn’t Business Prevention Officer, asks this: Paul is referring, I think, to something I said in the book, namely: In the book, I go on to argue that since customers and competitors always seem to [...]
Innovative Government Won’t Come from Small Suppliers
Over at Management Matters, David Chassels has this to say about my guest post on my new book, : David is the CEO of a software company called Procession Software. He made a pitch to me and my team when I was Chief Technology Officer at the DWP. He continues in his comment to say [...]
Book Review: Inside Apple
I’ve just completed reading Inside Apple by Adam Lashinsky. Other reviewers elsewhere have noted it is a quick and easy read, and it does offer some fascinating insights into a company we all follow slavishly, no matter our feelings about its products. I read this book having completed Isaacson’s biography of Steve Jobs a few [...]
Dodging the PoopPiles
PoopPiles: defn: all those things people leave around which will derail your programme if you go near them. Don’t look forward, look downward! When you’re building brand new things, here are five points to note if you want to avoid PoopPiles : PoopPiles are everywhere. They’re strewn around like landmines, and, if you step in [...]
Professionalizing Innovation
I think the professionalization of innovation is something that companies must do sooner rather than later. One of the interesting things about working here at Spigit is you get to meet lots of different innovation teams, across many cultural, sector and national boundaries. Invariably, the innovators are people who’ve been thrown into the role from [...]

