All of a sudden it seems to be events season (yes there is an event season). I have been on the road quite a bit recently, and away from the office.

Whenever this happens what always strikes me is just how inefficient all this travelling is.

At your desk, it seems easy to keep up with all the tasks, but step away, once you are stuck on a train or in a live presentation and the whole routine falls apart…

However let’s face facts, you just cannot get through the same volume of work…!

These days it certainly feels like there is a lot of pressure to be busy.  Getting lots of things done, ticked off on the to do sheet, feels good.  We like it and we like it when those around us at busy too. If there is an email we need to respond quickly, if something needs to be done we get to it straight away… speed sometimes seems more important than accuracy.

Many years ago Albert Einstein said, “If I had an hour to solve a problem I’d spend 55 minutes thinking about the problem and 5 minutes thinking about solutions”…

Our modern-day equivalent seems to be more “If I had an hour to solve a problem I’d spend 10 minutes responding with quick solutions, 10 minutes bouncing ideas off colleagues on the local WhatsApp group checking what I said was correct followed by 20 minutes sketching out initial implementations followed by a further 30 minutes ‘ironing out’ issues so it sort of works” (it does not add to 60min I know!)… I blame social media.

I feel all of this need for speed leaves little room for considered thinking and decision-making. With a premium on responding quickly, rather than responding accurately, this can be problematic.

Fortunately, at the end of some of my recent journeys, I have been lucky enough to listen to some great speakers.  Some of these have been from more academic pursuits and it struck me how thinking things through carefully can really help in building innovative great solutions.  It does however take some time and with all of the chatter of the day to day, in the office, this is something that is all too easy not to do… especially when that next deadline is due.

Yet, watching SpaceX ‘catch’ their rocket last week, it really brought it home.  Spending the time to think and plan can build some amazing things.  It was indeed an impressive sight…and for those not aware the machine is huge… for example this photo here.

https://x.com/MarcusHouse/status/1846683558070603951

These achievements are of course more than just one person, a great team, and it is not just a one-off. 

Just take a look at the evolution of their rocket engines for example… again, this is impressive, both in terms of specialisation and simplification (and no doubt cost and reliability).

https://twitter.com/EvaFoxU/status/1819650208734548303/photo/1

… and it turns out the thinking process they use is fascinating.  Yes this sent me down a rabbit hole… pointers from Elon Musk

• Make requirements less dumb.  Requirements are often too generic. This is a reason for failure. Take time to plan, test and really understand any assumptions.
• Delete the parts of the process.  Delete to the point your need to add stuff back in.  If you are not having to add stuff back in you have not deleted enough.
• Simplify or optimise the design. Take a holistic view simplify what is needed, make sure you are optimising only processes that are needed.
• Accelerate cycle time. But, make sure you are moving in the right direction first.
• Automate. Again make sure it is actually needed.

Throughout there is this focused emphasis on thinking through the problem (often from first principles) and then slowly, deliberately taking action, each step, once correct, building on the next. 

It doesn’t sound like rushing around.  It does sound an awful lot like deliberate, careful, compounding activity to build amazing things.

So now back in the office… with all busy activity back underway… it is something to reflect on.

How to build small, smart steps that build on each other… be less busy, more deliberate and get a bigger result.

It sounds like I may need another trip and time out of the office to think about it… 

… well it is event season!

Have a good week everyone.

It’s been a hectic few weeks; there seem to be events everywhere.

It really does feel like there is a ‘conference season’. As overwhelming as these can feel, by listening, closely, we can often use these to pick out many new ideas, so something to embrace… and for me it started last month.

Coffee, Cake, Repeat

To be honest, I am still feeling somewhat burnt. Generative AI, a topic, in reality, that had been around for a while, only seemed to get attention when ChatGPT burst onto the scene in 2020. Suddenly, because we could all see it, access it, and seemingly do fun stuff with it, did we all become excited.

Before this, it was academic, stuffy and more inaccessible… maybe something for the future, but still a long way off.

I wish we had been able to flag this better the first time around. With this in mind, I have vowed to make sure I double down and look even further ahead…

What are the latest ideas and academic discussions today that could result in the next wave of innovation tomorrow?

The ‘conference season’ is as good a place as any to start… So what is going to be the next big thing? Can we anticipate the future?

Quantum Technology: Exponential Potential?

First off on my slate of events, last week, Quantum Technology. Quantum is one of those ‘sexy’ sounding words that, like AI, is thrown around and added to sentences to make everything sound cutting edge.

Could this be the next ‘Cloud’, ‘Blockchain’, or indeed ‘AI’?

I went to the QuantumTech conference to get a better understanding and find out.

Quantum technology, in reality, is not just software; it is complex hardware, involving sophisticated mathematical algorithms to make it work. There was certainly lot of Big T tech going on, and much of this was hard, not easy – albeit with some hype around the edges… it has not reached the ChatGPT marketing moment yet for sure.

I walked away feeling very informed, and yet with the feeling that implementation for widespread use still appears to be several years away – likely five to ten years – particularly for areas like financial services.

Quantum technology is indeed promising but still relatively nascent, so was still in the watching brief category for me.

Behavioural Science: More Pervasive Than We Realise

The rest of the week involved discussions around behavioural science.

This is another field that has been around for some time, particularly in fast-moving consumer goods; however, in areas like debt collection, we are only just starting to realise the untapped potential by building systems to handle the data and manage the complexities of this in a complex customer journey.

… and, the session clearly got me thinking in new ways!

For example today I bought lunch and noticed I could either buy:

• A ‘Grab Bag’ packet of crisps/chips – 45g for £1.10, or
• A ‘£1.25’ packet of crisps/chips – 75g for £1.25

Same vendor, same shop.

Clearly, the second is more economical, but using my new ‘behavioural mindset’, I realised which one I bought really probably depended on my behavioural archetype. Ie am I in the:

• ‘In a rush, at work, grabbing lunch’ mindset and go for the grab bag (and be less price-sensitive)? Or am I in the,
• ‘Looking for value’ mindset, noticing the price and going for the latter?

Today, it turned out I was the latter, although I also found I am in the ‘finding it impossible to eat only half a bag’ category too – so maybe I need to rethink my choices next time !

All of this to say, behavioural science is not as uncommon as we may think. We see it every day already.

So can we use this to influence positive outcomes, such as guiding people towards better debt solutions in the collections space? It did feel like there is untapped near to medium-term potential here.

NPLs: Looking ahead

Lastly, this week, I have been at the Non-Performing Loans (NPL) Global Conference. NPLs are very much at the back end of the process of lending money. It is after all the process that takes place, when all else has failed, and lenders have largely given up and need to work out the loan.

Yet, despite being at the back of the process, this group also has a unique vantage point… one from which they are used to seeing everything in front of them, especially what is coming down the pipe. This includes a good view about the economy.

The picture painted unfortunately was not very rosy – a downturn in the US and Germany, likely impacting across Europe, increasing volumes and pressures on costs.

Technology and data however offered a bright spot. This is a potential solution and given the timelines something we still have the time to react and adjust for.

Rethinking Efficiency: Working Smarter, Not Harder

All of these discussions got me thinking about our workplace practices.

Can we use technology, data, and new ways of working, not just to be faster, but to also be smarter? Do we have a clear view of future tech?

When facing challenges, our instinct is often to ramp up activity – to push through more volume.

However, as the behavioural science discussion illustrated, we may be able to do things smarter. The quantum tech discussion showed there may also be new things around the corner that could change the game completely.

So as we potentially head into an economic downturn, my takeaway was that we may need to refocus, take a step back, explore new methods and new technology to enhance productivity and effectiveness… and all the while also keep our eyes firmly on the future horizon to anticipate what may arrive.

More ideas and events in November too… should be interesting.

Have a good weekend, everyone.

This week I was at the annual CSA conference, held this year at St George’s Park in Burton, Derbyshire.

An interesting agenda and discussion of course… albeit with a slightly disturbing update on the economic outlook for the UK. It sent me into a bit of a spin over dinner… for which I must apologise to my fellow dinner guests… I am sure it will be fine 🙂 … honestly. These things also come with a bit of political analysis and update too… often, and in contrast, strangely reassuring.

It is not to say you necessarily agree or disagree with any of the policies, however, to have the curtain lifted slightly and be given a sort of peak underneath to see the balancing act of political decision-making is always fascinating. Less ‘dark-arts’ and more ‘fact-based’ calculated decision-making than you would think… for me at least the hard-nosed rationality of it all really is quite comforting (esp in contrast to what is said by everyone else on social media).

[If you are interested in the report back from the conference – read about it here].

However, outside the conference itself… what also really struck me this year was the venue.

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Unfamiliar to me prior to this visit, St George’s Park, is not just a conference centre but also a home to English football. Apparently having been built by the FA for $105m in 2012, it is a world-class training facility.

Now I am not particularly a fan of football, however, even I was excited… the whole facility was quite remarkable. Perfect pitches, manicured grounds, first-class facilities and a nice hotel, it really was a very impressive high-quality environment.

Admittedly I got lost trying to find a car park and then the entrance at night (getting my 10,000 steps in)… and even the staff car park (where I ended up) seemed nice too!

This great location for sport, got me thinking about the role of quality and competition in driving performance. Having such excellent facilities, training, teaching and performance data has undoubtedly allowed the teams to stay focused and strive for excellence.

It may not have happened immediately, but over time the culture grows and performance improves until eventually (and in some cases hopefully) they win tournaments.

Looking at all the facilities laid out and the investment made (and no doubt also at the local level), it really helped explain much of the team’s in England (improved) performance since the 2010s.

Clearly, it was not just luck, but also a good deal due to the investment, skill and focus that has been made to strive for excellence. The hard work pays off.

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And, all of this is applicable in business too… an environment of excellence and indeed competition, makes a difference. Trade conferences and award evenings, just like this one, are a good example. These meetings are always an opportunity for people in the same industry to get together.

Just like the teams and players, they are also often competitors, looking to win, going after the same business and even making pitches to the same clients. On a day-to-day level this competition can be tough, with hard-fought wins or indeed hard-to-take losses.

Yet, like in football, this competition also drives the whole industry to higher standards, greater excellence in the delivery and design of products… and investment in excellence amplifies this further delivering even more gains over the longer term.

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Looking around the world you see this effect elsewhere too… the development of Singapore or Dubai, the food culture in Italy or Japan, excellence in education/research in Oxford or Cambridge… it is about focus and investment, which then leads to a virtuous cycle… tending to even more excellence.

Yet, to take the warning from the economist, sadly the opposite is also true. A lack of investment or competition can lead to high prices or poorer service… look no further than my local bus service as an example, or even the rise in 1st class postage rates rising again this week. It is something to be careful of.

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Yet rather than risk me getting sucked into another doom loop (again!), there was a lesson from this location.

Keeping our eyes on the prize and making sure we continue to invest in excellence is clearly critical and it demonstrably works.

We need to remember it is not only about just bettering ourselves but also creating an environment where we are all encouraged and strive to improve… to generate better outcomes. These conferences and locations are always refreshing and a great start…

We need to continue to create spaces and systems around us to inspire and perform at our best… something to remember no matter how tough the environment in the future gets.

Have a great weekend everyone.