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Sudden hearing loss can be terrifying. I know – I’ve been there. During the pandemic, I had three bouts of Covid-19. During each of these, my hearing

Some will tell you how valuable great content is for the development of your business – and yes, of course, it can be in terms of sales, prospects and

Why do we enter awards? On one level, the reason’s pretty obvious. We enter awards to win them! For any firm, winning an award boosts morale, improves

I’m talking quality, not quantity nor metrics, important though these things are. Here’s 5 reasons why you may need a content quality audit… To rema

When I set up my business 10 years ago, I feared failure. What if no one wanted to work with me? What if I couldn’t earn enough to pay the bills? What

I’ve learnt something about the power of switching on and off in these recent troubled days. The more we have all been appalled by the terrible events

Back when I was a magazine editor a few years ago, I thought I was a good listener. I interviewed people. I asked them questions. I heard their answer

I am regularly asked how the pandemic has changed thought leadership content – and whether any changes will prove permanent. My answers are “a lot” an

In the last few years, we have been finding that more and more businesses are building thought leadership strategies through content to show their exp

I came across this quote by chance yesterday and liked it. It also reminded me of a book that changed my thinking. The book is “Extraordinary Popular

Interesting stuff on the power of long-form content by Raman Mittal. New business models are creating a fertile environment for longer-form content, i

I am very proud to say that today marks the completion of my 100th month running my business Merriborn Media. I thought about this monthly landmark wh

Why do we enter awards? On one level, the reason’s pretty obvious. We enter awards to win them. For any firm, winning an award boosts morale, improves

Thought leaders. Many of us would love to be one, but what exactly are they? From my experience of helping many business and political leaders find th

Hearing the Prodigy’s “Firestarter” again recently inspired this short blog. “Firestarter” is often what I feel like when asked by clients to start an

Do you want your blog to improve your reputation, rather than diminish it? Of course you do. And do you want to do this by telling people directly how

I have been, am and will always be unashamedly passionate about the value of great content for your business. You can – and must – pay lots of time an

There is no doubt. Short words have a power that long words do not. Phrases with short words stick in our heads. We repeat them back – they touch us b

Many small businesses that use social media to grow more quickly go through an initial pain barrier. Few understand its benefits straight away: many t

The way that each of us approaches new circumstances has a big impact on our working lives. There’s no doubt about it – our “mindset” makes a huge dif

Many online communities go through an initial pain barrier.They are launched in a wave of enthusiasm yet without sustained commitment participation ca

Have you ever felt bewildered by the number of social media and online community options you have? I have, though I now have 3 questions I can use to

Earlier this year I was privileged to be involved, through our local cricket club, in a fundraising initiative for two local hospice charities, #Renni

You may be feeling frustrated this morning, perhaps even a little angry. You may not be making progress with a project, or perhaps your colleagues are

High-quality, well thought through content has never been as important as it is now, yet it’s never been harder to find. The evidence is all around –

It’s September – and your own “Back To School” feeling may be with you after a long summer break. Are you feeling optimistic – or pessimistic – about

Clear messages and great stories always shine through There’s no world shortage of content – and yet quality content has never been scarcer. I have be

In recent days, I have been proud to have played a small part in a great #team experience. 19 cricketing Dads from #StAlbans have walked close to 100

Sound – I’ve been back on the radio again – talking animatedly on regional and local stations a lot in my spare time this week, promoting our imminent

On Wednesday I made a BIG decision (for me) – I decided not to listen, read or watch any news on the dreaded “B” word for 10 days. Then, on the mornin

I love making lists. Especially “To Do” lists. So does David Mellor, business mentor par excellence, whose book launch I attended this week. He’s brou

How do you balance your time between current clients and new business? I’m SO proud to still be running my own business after nearly 8 years. People k

High-quality, thought-through content has never been as important as it is now, yet it’s never been harder to find. The evidence is all around – we’re

Yesterday for me was all about technology and talent – as will many days in future, I suspect. I couldn’t get to a great FuelX19 conference, so the te

It’s so important to stop and celebrate what goes brilliantly in the workplace. Last night we did just that, with the Top Employers Institute and seve

When you go to a conference, some things stick and others don’t. Last week, I had the pleasure to go to the excellent Merit Summit in Vienna. The keyn

How do we make sure we never forget the lessons that we always used to remember? Last weekend, huge crowds in St Albans queued for hours to see a stun

How do you get your CEO’s backing for a more collective approach to creativity and innovation in your organisation? CEO sponsorship is so important –

How many online communities are you “part of” but rarely frequent? Or have you started an online group only to let your efforts wither? We start with

Do you have what it takes to be an entrepreneur? It’s a question I struggled with for years before I found the courage to start my own business. Seven

There’s an excellent report just out – “Guidance for Collaborative Working” just out from the Centre for Effective Dispute Resolution. – that provides

If you think you can’t write, why not speak instead? For those who struggle with writing – and every day I hear from people who tell me they do – I re

I am heading off today to the CIPD Learning & Development Show at Olympia today. It reminded me of an excellent presentation recently from the CIPD’s

I want this blog to remind everyone of something important – GDPR is actually a “good thing”. There has been much moaning at the extra workload that t

Have you read “The Art of Stopping Time” by Pedram Shojai? I would encourage you to do so – I got it at Christmas and it’s been a revelation to me. As

A new week: Are you feeling optimistic – or pessimistic? How are you feeling right now, as you read this? It’s good to be aware of how you feel, but d

Are your collaborative efforts with workplace colleagues all show and no substance? How good are you really at collaborating in the workplace? And wha

This weekend, ask yourself this: Am I missing something really obvious? It can be really good to stop and think about this. Three things occurred to m

You may have already heard about a new law coming to the EU governing mass emailing and email marketing. It has created concern among many companies s

I spent part of my summer holiday reading Boris Johnson’s “The Churchill Factor: How one man made history.” Love or loathe Johnson as a politician, he

Last weekend’s British Grand Prix was really exciting to watch – I love this time of year, when Wimbledon, The Open, Test cricket and the Tour de Fran

Two weeks ago, we had a pretty big adventure. By “we” I mean 20 middle-aged men from Garden Fields Cricket Club, from #StAlbans, #England, enjoying hi

This week I’m indebted to the Learning Technologies Summer Forum for blog inspiration – and it came in the form of a great new piece of research on us

Yesterday, I took my 10 year old son to school. We discussed why the dirty football kit was still in his school locker, the baffling contents of his p

Like many people this week, I found it very difficult to sleep on Tuesday night, having woken to such dreadful news from Manchester earlier in the day

Three years ago, I found myself in a new role I hadn’t dreamed possible. Eleven boys of mixed ability, complete strangers to one another, were thrown

On Wednesday this week, I had the good fortune to attend the excellent Learning & Development Show run by the CIPD. Every year, this show is flooded w

We are thrilled to gain not one, but two top spots as Collaborative / Social learning evangelists 2106 in a recent study by JollyDeck Ltd, “What WILL

It was my very great pleasure to help to coach a session on building your professional reputation through #networking with the #Women4Tech group at th

I am greatly encouraged by the reaction to this series of blogs on collaboration in the workplace. In the first, we showed that the cleverest organisa

There’s a mighty battle brewing…. between the cultures of business and politics. Between collaboration and confrontation. And between smashing down

It was great to get such an excellent reaction to our blog last week – “Why it’s time to smash down the walls that damage and divide your business” –

By now most of you will have been back at work for a few days. Perhaps your initial optimism about the year ahead has waned a little. Maybe you have a

I feel a great sense of optimism about 2017, in spite of meeting friends during the holidays who spoke of the year ahead with a near-apocalyptic sense

Look closely at the image above. Do you know what it is? Is it sophisticated modern art? Is it one of those pictures that suddenly looks different whe

I’ve always thought that middle managers get a terrible press. Squashed from above, prodded at from below – they are pilloried for stifling initiative

I had the good fortune last week to attend the CIPD’s “Coaching for Business Performance” Conference. The quality of speakers was excellent – for me p

There are some stories around that are so all-engulfing that they dominate our mental landscape. To write about them, as I have been doing with Brexit

Do you care that Melania Trump is accused of plagiarism when making a speech in support of her husband? Mrs Trump and her speechwriters may be squirmi

I recently attended an excellent presentation by Professor Angela Duckworth at the London School of Economics. Duckworth told us about her life’s work

High-quality, thought-through content has never been as important as it is now, yet it’s never been harder to find. The evidence is all around – we’re

Do you collaborate as much as you should with colleagues at work? You may well think of yourself as a good, sharing type. Stop, though, and have a goo

I am very proud in my career to have played a part as editor of the wonderful HR magazine, which celebrates its 25th birthday at this time. And I was

By the time you read this blog, you’ll have had an earful, or maybe an eyeful, in the media about the BBC needing to redefine itself in this way or th

Last week I attended 2 trade show seminars – the contrast could not have been greater. Readers of my blogs will know I’m strongly in favour of a probl

We are so excited to be launching our paper “Surfing the Collaboration Wave” in collaboration with our friends at 10Eighty today. The time to surf the

In one respect, there is nothing new about the idea of collaboration. Humans have been collaborating with one another for many thousands of years. It’

You’re not alone. The time to act on a great idea can be so fleeting. We’ve all been in meetings when eyes light up around the room at a good idea. Th

More than once this week, I’ve had a conversation with a client that begins something like this:- Me: “Happy New Year! Did you get back Monday?” Them:

As I write, I feel a sense of optimism about 2016 – but not for the reason you may assume. My brand of optimism isn’t about deluding myself that the c

It’s taken me a while to get around to writing this piece. I’m not even sure I should be doing it now: I’ve got so many other more important things to

This week’s Collaborative Learning Weekly is full of tips and tactics for helping us to work better through leading and learning together. But when yo

I was really inspired the other day by watching “The Martian” at the movies, starring Matt Damon. It’s based on a book by Andy Weir and here’s what th

As the Volkswagen top brass lose sleep and their buyer communities lose trust, perhaps we should look to two famous Americans who knew a thing or two

My favourite part of the Monty Python classic, The Life of Brian, finds its hero addressing his adoring crowd. “You are all individuals!” he shouts. T

I’ve been running my business for 3 years now. During the first year I was driven by fear of failure – the fear of not being able to survive and put f

You may be feeling frustrated this morning, perhaps even a little angry. You may not be making progress with a project, or perhaps your colleagues are

It is easy, especially in tough times, for leaders to feel responsible for absolutely everything that happens in their team. It is highly likely that

Being able to think strategically is a valuable career skill. To think strategically means that we are opening our minds to thinking in an alternative

The huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but teh wrod as a wlohe This sentence of jumbled words hopefully caught your attention, but you p

In 2014, I am avoiding “Blue Monday” stories. These are everywhere, as resolutions falter, bad weather sets in and the cost of Christmas mounts. I urg

A lovely warm fuzzy feeling to be “back” in my Alma Mater – HR magazine – albeit commenting on a great article about the role of HR in social media. W

I saw a fascinating article in the Sunday Times yesterday -”Let’s hear it for the small talk!” Personal relationships, it says, are vital in cultivati

So the votes are finally in and Scottish No Campaign is celebrating. Looking at their efforts through our politically neutral Clever Content lens, how

It’s taken me a while to get around to writing this piece. I’m not even sure I should be doing it now: I’ve got so many other more important things to

Many leaders sign up to change and attempt to lead from the front by demonstrating new behaviours. All too often, however, the end result is that noth

It’s hard enough for people to get into a change mindset. But how do we stay in a change mind set once there, rather than slipping back into old ways?

As employers gather for CBI 2012, we are hearing familiar complaints of a young workforce lacking the right skills – familiar and misguided. Let’s be