These notes are a tool I use for reflecting, remembering (to counter my SDAM), networking within my profession, and public accountability. Read more here.
I am 50.
Out to pasture. Past it. But (as can happen) also in the best shape of my life. My main gift, from me to me.
Also me (to counteract that brag): I put my back out the other day scooping some Ben & Jerry’s.
I feel like I should be sharing some mid-life reflections. The 50 best things I’ve done, my 50 life lessons, top 50 things I hope to yet do.
I’ve written none of those. Life’s busy, time has elapsed and here we are. In the now, like always. But I heard about anti-bucket lists the other day – listing all the stuff you’re glad you’ll never do – which appeals to me as a fan of the JOMO.
For example, I will never host a party.
Instead, for my 50th I did:
- nice stuff on my own (a 90-min massage, a proper cafe breakfast)
- nice stuff with my wife (Jon Ronson live, gourmet dinner at The Clink HMP Brixton*)
- nice stuff with my wife and kids (films and fun food on the sofa, local Thai restaurant)
- nice stuff with friends I’m most myself around (board games in Nottingham)
*Clink postponed to early Nov because of a late-running refurb (them) and then LFF (me).
My firstborn is leaving for uni within weeks, and our dining room is now full of homewares for his halls. This Pam Ayres poem of all things had me in absolute bits. You have been warned.
Btw he just launched his latest game, free on Steam: Mr Twiddle’s Wee Diddy Farm (Deluxe) (newly made since his BAFTA-winning Kompis and the Wells of Fontis). It’s as weird and witty as it sounds, and has thousands of downloads and several good reviews from the kinds of people who get that, including this one:
“I was going through a divorce, death of parents, and loss of testicles, then I found this game, and now I have all the women, all the parents, and all the testicles” – cassiusmilne
Quite pleased with the new artwork in our new home gym.
What I’ve been up to at work
With support from dxw’s Alex Nisbett, Lola Harre and Liam Hooker I’ve spent 3 weeks steering and participating in a set of inception workshops with several of BFI’s top brains. The goal was to refine an idea for doing things differently, and to plot a path forwards through complex constraints and risky assumptions. It’s been hard, time-intensive, but with good progress made and we have some clear next steps.
My younger son came in for two days of work experience, one with HR and one with my team (with a new starter onboarding and intranet focus, as a useful orientation into corporate life).
Around that, the usual spate of Exec boards, DDaT Committee, all-hands meetings, some team-led show and tells, one to ones, some stakeholder relationship management on more turbulent topics, and working on deficit-busting plans (for an all day off-site tomorrow) and future operating model thinking.
On the whole, I’m too thinly spread across some conflicting, tricky and ambiguous stuff that is highly pressured and tough going, and when this email from Ash Mann hit my inbox I almost wept, I felt so seen: A bad system will defeat a good person every time. (I was a bit tired, I feel better now).
A lovely colleague passed away suddenly and that’s been a lot too.
The 70th London Film Festival ticket launch went smoothly (phew) and I’ve planned my own viewing. Subject to any changes of plan I’ll be seeing 11 films between 7 and 18 Oct, but sadly not managing to make Godzilla Minus Zero so I’ll have to catch that another time:
- Elsinore
- Wild Horse Nine
- Primetime
- Artificial
- Being Heumann
- Ink
- Fatherland
- Josephine
- Tender Loving Care
- Klara and the Sun
- The Debut
A reminder that BFI Player really is awesome and you should sign up and tell everyone. To quote one happy customer: “I’d rather spend my money with the BFI than Jeff Bezos, to be honest.” Damn right. The current season of Claude Chabrol films is a cracker – he’s France’s answer to Hitchcock.
External chats
Good coffee chats with Russell Davies (about the BT Tower, product leadership, and open comms) and Rob Cawston (this was especially cathartic on our similar challenges), and a meeting with Emma at BAFTA, gently exploring ways our teams might work together.
🔎 Found, interesting 🧐
Via Steve Messer:
- The Amber Trap
- Latest | Opinion The myth of Treasury control: What’s wrong with the UK’s public spending system and how to fix it
- How to end the cycle of mistrust between the Treasury and everybody else [paywall]
- An AI- armed public could bring the British government to a halt
Via Matt Jukes:
Via Rob Cawston:
Via the wife:
Via Ash Mann:
- A bad system will defeat a good person every time.
- FIRE: A New Framework for Understanding Digital Audiences
- What we tell AI
Via Emily Webber:
Via my algos:
- Scottish Parliament month notes 1 excellent 30 days diagnostic by Ross
- Paper CRM research – I’m into this
- 20 Unfiltered Operating Takes
- The Netflix keeper test
- Why I still write
- The three narratives of board assurance
- Susie Dent on affect labelling
My colleague David:
Cultural highlights
📺 Maternal Instinct on Netflix was pathological liar rubbernecking fun until it took a dark turn that shocked me to my core. I’m not easily shocked but holy fucking shit.
📺 Fresh Meat. Loving this. Passed me by at the time but is perfect viewing as we send our fresher off to the fair. And finally solves the mystery of Jack Whitehall’s popularity!
🎤 The Cure live at Wythenshaw Park. Specks in the distance at the worst outdoor venue I’ve ever been to. (Which is not many tbf).
📺 Dance 100 from 2023 on Netflix (a watchable reality flop), the current Project Runway season on Disney, and Taskmaster on 4.
While watching Dance 100, Joy introduced me to the phrase “vocal fry” – that raspy affected Kardashian-esque creaky voice young(er) people are increasingly using performatively. It drives some folks mad with rage. I’m noticing it everywhere now she’s pointed it out, so this doesn’t bode well for my grumpy old man era.
📓 I loved The Criminal Mind by Duncan Harding and I am currently loving The Secret Barrister by the Secret Barrister even more so. Can also recommend The Castle by Jon Ronson based on his book launch event.
🎲 New (birthday) board games: Tzolk’in and Arcs, both excellent additions to my shelf.
🎬 Ish on BFI Player is a well observed, well made debut feature.
🎧 Timeless by Prince. Shameless, more like. He’d turn in his grave, if he had the hip mobility.
Distractions
Thanks for reading, have a happy autumn! 🍂🎃
