Reflections from Creative Place Shaping Together
Last week Creative Estuary brought together stakeholders from South Essex, North Kent and beyond to think about trends, opportunities and challenges for the area’s communities at its Creative Place Shaping Together symposium. Here are my reflections.
Book Review: The Arts Dividend Revisited: How Investment in Culture Creates Happier Lives
Recently, I noticed that Arts Council England CEO, Darren Henley, has released a fully revised edition of his book, The Arts Dividend. With arts and cultural organisations across England preparing their applications for National Portfolio Organisation (NPO) status, this felt like the perfect opportunity to delve into the mind of the Arts Council’s top official. Here I explore some of the book’s key insights about arts and arts funding in England.
How do you identify the essence of a place?
I often find myself wondering: what gives a place its essence? What makes a place distinct and unique? How do you really know the character of a place? Honestly this stuff is on my mind a lot. In search of inspiration I phoned some wise friends for advice.
Where are the kids exhibitions? Exploring a gap in the museum market
At the end of 2024 I was commissioned to survey and analyse the paid exhibition market across London’s museums and galleries. I reviewed almost 150 exhibitions staged between 2021 and 2024 at 16 attractions.
Book review: Reset by Dan Heath – a practical guide to organisational change
In Dan Heath’s latest book, Reset, he explores how organisations can drive effective change by identifying leverage points and reallocating resources to maximise impact. Through anecdotes and frameworks, he presents a playbook for leaders looking to drive transformation at a systems level rather than an individual level.
X: should I stay or should I go?
Since the US election in November clients have been asking my advice about withdrawing from X and other social media platforms. This question has of course been bubbling since Elon Musk bought Twitter in 2022 but seems to have come to the boil more recently.
Navigating change: communicating effectively for success
Effective messaging during a period of change can make all the difference between a smooth transition and a rough journey. Here are some practical insights on how to craft the right message, avoid common pitfalls and utilise internal communications to guide your team through transformation.
Reflections on Chairing the ‘Shout Out’ Conference: Key Takeaways for Museum Marketing and PR
Yesterday, I had the pleasure of reconnecting with my roots in museum marketing and PR as I chaired Shout Out: Successful Marketing, PR and Social Media Strategies for the Museums Association. Here are my key reflections from the conference, along with some actionable insights.
My summer 2024 audiobook playlist
Here’s my handpicked work audiobook playlist for Summer 2024. These books have inspired me, and I’m confident they’ll provide you with valuable insights too.
Navigating change: a simple exercise for success
This summer has been a season of change. I’ve had the privilege of supporting leaders from various organisations of various shapes and sizes, supporting them through different change initiatives. Drawing inspiration from these projects, here’s an exercise I’ve developed to help if you’re planning or currently experiencing change or transformation.
PR lessons from the 2024 election
I never intended to write a post about the general election. But then I listened to the When It Hits the Fan 2024 election special and there was too much good advice not to write about it. And in many ways this isn’t a post about the election or even politics. It’s about what PR can learn from political communications, inspired by the latest episode of When It Hits the Fan, the BBC podcast about PR blunders.
Tech trends you need to know - part 2
A few weeks ago I wrote about two tech trends (Generative AI, aka GenAI, and the end of cookies) featured in the first two parts of HBR IdeaCast’s Tech at Work special series. This post is about the third and fourth parts in the series covering digital collaboration tools and spatial computing.
Coach yourself to power up your marketing and PR team
In this follow-up to a previous post, I put on my coach hat to suggest some self-coaching questions to help you and your team become a strategic function rather than just a support team.
Boost your marketing and PR from a support team to a strategic function
How might you transform your marketing and PR team into the best, most strategic team you know you can be? Here’s a framework that might help.
Top five leadership reads
In 2019, I became a Clore Leadership Fellow. During my fellowship, I devoured numerous leadership and management books. Four years on, it's high time I share some of the books and ideas that have made a lasting impact on me.
Tech trends you need to know: part 1
I love IdeaCast, the weekly podcast from Harvard Business Review. And if like me you try to keep up with the tech and digital trends that affect your work you’ll want to listen to IdeaCast’s new Tech at Work series. Luckily I listened to the first two parts so you don’t have to.
Is your brand suffering an awareness issue?
Last week I wrote about five questions to kick start your marketing strategy. This week I continue along the same theme. Here I go into more depth about the marketing obstacles you might face and how to overcome them.
Five questions to kick start your marketing strategy
If you’re looking for inspiration for your next marketing strategy these five questions will help you prepare to design a strategy right for your organisation and its business needs.
Communications strategies for culture wars
Lately a number of my clients have asked for advice on how to respond to or prepare for "cultural wars" style issues. For anyone wondering about this too I highly recommend Celia Richardson's recent piece in the Guardian about the National Trust's approach.
Review: The Future-Proof Career by Isabel Berwick
On a recent trip to Portugal I got hooked on the audiobook of The Future-Proof Career by Isabel Berwick.