We live in strange times. I reminded of this watching an interview of Barack Obama by David Olusoga the other day. Obama talked about the concept of “truth decay” — a phrase which both fascinates and appals me. There are many definitions out there. In summary, it is about the diminishing role that facts and figures play in public life.
And it rings true. We live in a world where public and private figures are trolled, cancelled and doxxed on twitter. Scientists’ patience is being tested to destruction by the persistence of flat earthers. And someone has written sarcastic anti-vaccine…
Who would have thought two years ago that conferences would have moved online? Not me, that’s for sure. And I think a virtual conference is quite different to meeting IRL as an experience. I miss meeting people in the flesh. But hey, its better than the alternative. And it does have plus sides too. It is a way to get over geographical challenges and inequalities within attendees. It is also easier to attract speakers outside the normal geography, who no longer have to commute.
I had my first virtual conference chair gig last week. It was day two of Community…
How financial appraisals are not necessarily as objective as you might think.
I have been wanting to write about this for some time. There has been increasing awareness that bias exists in business decision making recently. A close relative of mine works in the tech industry, as it happens. They have personal experience of the unpleasant biases of software developers manifesting in the end product that the customer could see. The tech industry is starting to become aware that its algorithms suck. See this picture of Barak Obama below put through de-pixelator if you don’t agree!*
In this article, I’m…
Hello again. I thought it would be good to do a short summary of the year. I’ve enjoyed writing weeknotes and blogs. Its been a very helpful discipline and I have got better with some practice. Writing as a process helps me get clear on what I truly think about a topic. This kind of reflection becomes even more important as of course 2020 has made it much harder to talk in person.
It certainly has been a year of change. I’ll leave some of the 2020 cliches to others better informed than me. But I do think the adage…
An exploration of surpluses, reserves and risk in a not for profit context.
I have wanted to write about this for some time. The relationship with surpluses, levels of reserves and risk is a common issue. It happens in all sorts of not-for-profit contexts, so it is surprising there isn’t too much written on it.
My definition of not for profits is pretty broad, I should add. I’m including charities, the social housing sector, social enterprises and similar. I suspect it will be of relevance in for-profit organisations too. They need to make similar decisions about dividends and what to…
Revelations and suggestions on how to deal with Bikeshedding
Have you ever been in a meeting where you seem to spend an eternity discussing something relatively trivial, and then microseconds on something significant?
If the answer is yes, the chances are you’ve been Bikeshedding…
Bikeshedding is the common name for Parkinson’s Law of Triviality: … ‘the amount of time a committee will spend discussing an item is inversely proportional to the importance of that issue’.
So, if the issue is huge, complicated and really important, the meeting will spend far less time discussing it than something that is straightforward and…
As we tidy up our files after the AGM, and the leaves fall from the trees, it feels a bit like the end of term here at Valleys to Coast. I am keen to share our progress on governance in the last year. There has been a lot going on!
We have made great strides in the last twelve months or so. We have new rules approved (2017 model sector rules), as part of the channel shift right across the sector. This has allowed us to move to a truly skills-based and remunerated Board. The benefits of that have been…
So, I’m back. I have really missed my weeknotes column and this topic has been brewing in my head for most of the week now. I have clearly got the bug! This is a personal reflection — feel free to disagree. And it’s a simple one — how come email stinks and what can we do about it.
The problem
I do hate email — I must confess. I open it with a sigh, at best, and sometimes a bit of dread each morning. And I can’t wait to close it again. I don’t love it at all, but at…
Firstly, a wrap of the week. Been a good week this week in summary, some interesting conversations, particularly on leadership (in discussion with our new leadership coaches, who are putting together a leadership development programme, and it was comforting to know we are not the only ones grappling with change) and also on equality and diversity, where we have started to get the ball rolling with the champions, using collaborative tools to do so. Working well so far, but will be interesting to see if all of the colleagues adopt it and are comfortable with it. Also made some progress…
This week the themes have been very much about wellness, and equality, diversity and inclusion. It kicked off with a productive conversation on equality with the Board. As with all of these things though, its the preparation before the Board meeting which really adds the value, and not just the meeting itself. We have also been giving a lot of thought to wellbeing and how we work smarter this week.
I have also had two weeks annual leave — hence the week notes break of course, which has much recharged my batteries and allowed me bit more perspective and thinking…
Sarah Prescott
Experienced Chief Finance Officer -track record in Welsh social housing and third sector. Chartered Accountant (FCA BFP). Views my own - my space for blogging.
