The highlight of my week, this week, has been a chat with Graham. Aside from learning that he too is a fan of Doctor Who (replete with childhood visits to conventions!), he gave me what I think was intended as a compliment:
“I think your leadership style is a bit like Doctor Who.
“You have an idea and then somehow you manifest it.”1
The Doctor always appears not to have a plan. In fact, The Doctor often says they are “just a mad man with a box“. Somehow, though, they always manage to deliver. Admittedly with a tiny bit of luck, but also boatload of brainpower, and really having most of a plan all along – just a plan that adapts to the circumstances. Very agile, you might say.
I say that I think this was a compliment because there is a fine line between “mad man with a box” and “reckless bluffer that’s making it up as he goes along“. I don’t think Graham meant the latter; or at least I hope he didn’t.2
On reflection, I think that is my leadership style. I often have a sense overall of where I’m taking people. I often figure out the details as I go. And I bring a fair whack of skills and experience to the table now too. The metaphor kind of works, and even if it doesn’t, I enjoyed it anyway.
And maybe “mad man with a box” is another mantra to add to my growing collection.
This week I have felt like I am under siege from every direction. I had received 20 emails before I’d even logged on at 09:00 on Monday, and my in-tray has been out of control ever since. On top of that I’ve been trying to work through multiple thorny problems, all of which feel like they are getting harder and more complex to deal with.
Let’s hope that the “mad man with a box” approach figures it all out as it evolves.
I’ll be attending the European Identity Conference in Berlin in May, and delivering a keynote on the UK’s approach to digital identity.
If you’re going, and you’d like to meet up, get in touch!
Of course, with international travel comes the admin of getting approvals, booking hotels, flights, and the utter insanity of figuring out how to do it all in the right order so as not to breach departmental policy.
I think I’ve now figured out that I have to:
- Access a non-departmental website run by the Foreign Office to get access to the expenses policy and the hotels I’m allowed to book
- Book the hotel first (because that can be refunded if anything else goes wrong)
- Apply for security approval to go
- Book health insurance
- Undertake a health and safety assessment
- Wait for the security approval to come back (that should take 5 days)
- Wait for the health and safety approval to come back (that should that 2 weeks)
- Search for flights
- Get approval to book the flights
- Then book the flights (this happens last because they’re non-refundable)
That’s a lot of admin, but also our intranet does not explain that this is the correct sequence. You’re just left to kind of figure it out.
You also have to know that you need to start this process at least 5 weeks in advance of going anywhere or it will all fall apart.
Even worse, this process is more complicated than it was 12 months ago when I was booked to attend exactly the same conference but had to cancel it due to the election being called.
When we’re talking about finding efficiencies in government this is the kind of nonsensical process that wastes taxpayer’s money. I’ll probably waste about 4 to 8 hours of my time figuring out and then doing this process over the course of the next few weeks. That’s 8 hours I could be spending doing something that adds value to the taxpayer!
The weather has been so nice this week that I’ve been for a run for the first time in over a year.
Last time I went for a run, I tripped up a curb and ended up in A&E for 9 hours waiting for stitches to be put into my chin. No such disaster this time – a small win for the week.
It was a nice way to clear my head after a frantic week, and a change to my exercise routine that had recently been getting a bit monotonous.