Now is the time to reflect on the last year. What went well? What went badly? What have you learned? What should you have learned? What new skills have you developed? If you are not happy with your answers, you need to try harder in 2026. You have to do better. You can't expect others to
I've been using AI systems for a while now. I mainly use Chat GPT but I have tried a few others to see how they compare. My executive summary is that particular systems may be better at specific tasks but ChatGPT is the best all-rounder. However, these systems are not perfect. I have had problems with ChatGPT failing
There has been a tendency since forever for companies to hire new people that are like the existing people. This results partly from both conscious and unconscious bias but also from a 'reasoned' argument that like people will get on better so the new staff will not disrupt existing relationships snd cultures. This is still taking
In the UK (snd many other Western countries) companies find it difficult to plan further ahead than their next 3 month reporting period. If their reported performance drops, so does their share price - end their value. This makes long-term planning difficult for CEOs and Boards of Directors. This results in what is termed 'short-termism' Now things
A lot of people spend a lot of time fixing problems. Of course, you have to do something about a problem that has occurred - especially if it's one affecting our customers. Burt the real key to problem-solving is to identify the root cause of the problem and sort that out. This prevents the problem
I’m interested in both technology and productivity so naturally I have an interest in how technology can underpin improved productivity Like lots of people recently, I have been experimenting with AI software. What becomes clear very quickly is that ‘there is a lot of it about’. Most people are aware of the existence of ChatGPT but
What makes a given process or situation more productive is often a set of factors, some of which are relatively simple and others complex and perhaps hidden. Assume you work for a forestry company. How do you make the forests owned or managed b y the company more productive? You might think of trying different fertilisers,
As a productivity professional, you get into the habit of asking 'awkward' questions - why do we do that?; why do you do that in that way?; But there are other questions that can be just as useful in uncovering the reasons for lost productivity. Occasionally, you've should go to the key points in a
Being introduced to one of the new AI services (ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude, etc.) is like meeting a genie who offers you three wishes. What should you ask for? The power of AI seems so immense that it is difficult to think of the prompts to give your AI or the questions to ask it. So,
AI is certainly ‘the next big thing’ with many claiming it as a transformational tool. Whether it is or not, only time - and productivity statistics - will tell. However, the sheer volume of publicity being given to AI means that most organisations should be aware of AI’s capabilities and potential. Before you go running to