lame blogger - don't give up the day job!

25 years and more outside the comfort zone – every single day cutting trail – you do need reference points – and they’re not complicated: do as you would be done by, behave with integrity, challenge and test, focus on what really needs to happen, get up early and work hard. Sounds cod philosophy but when the world seems to be going mad outside, you do check your values. Part of me wonders whether maybe the Moron has the new way of doing things – noise winning over content; or “flipping” businesses with no regard for other than self will be the way of the future. I wonder if past incarnations of this shallow self-gratification were the well-springs of religions. Come forward Yoda – needed you are.

Since September (some can manage 2600 tweets in a year alongside the day job – am clearly lacking) we’ve had some really cool moments :

Just love the fact customers (end-users, consultants and manufacturers) ask our guys to jump on a plane and go and sort out issues in Jordan, Lebanon and Saudi – these are three + hour flights and not inexpensive – to go and resolve issues. So proud of the guys and so proud of Paul, Eddie and the local team who’ve made us THE technical team for 1000 miles.

Honoured to have been involved in the Award Judging for both the Chartered Quality Institute – the redoubtable Estelle – and, once again for Dave Richards and the British Qualify Foundation. It’s fascinating learning from fellow judges – and the hugely impressive candidates for these awards. And a chance to give back for the various events we go in for – Thames Valley and PFM the most recent

January

What is it in the water? Last arrival last week – Lacey - the third for Chris and Sally Pike and the sixth McFT baby in 8 weeks!!

Looking forward to welcoming Terence back – now graduated from Hanze in FM and coming back to help us with our mad international plans – how’s the Arabic coming along Terence? And this year, keen to see if, alongside our regular two from the Netherlands, we can develop more intern opportunities for Lithuanian, Belgian and more Bostonians to follow Mike…

Sad to lose Louise from the team – after a glowing 3-year ISO audit, review and renewal – and coming up highly commended in the Fleet Awards, Henley Festival’s gain – but delighted to have Ed Fitzgerald back keeping us straight on ISO.

December

Quiet Christmas with the office ladies in Dubai – the noisy boys have come home to Blighty – or in one case on to Singapore – for the hols – and it’s not a particularly busy time – a chance to catch up, draw breath and think on next year’s upheavals – in the quiet, professional company of Teresa, Marie and Jeanette.

Pleased to be asked by Geoff Prudence – the unique and colourful – to join him at a Rumford Club dinner – and promptly signed up as a member…a curious gathering of building services engineers – started 70 years ago, who meet monthly for a dinner at the National Liberal Club – and a talk from an eminent colleague. Last one was Mark Downes of Engie – great insights in spite of the projector glitch – and a common wish around the tables that the recent demise of Carillion might lead to more enlightened and responsible procurement. Not holding my breath tbh…

December team lunch with Team North; burgers at Revolution rather than turkey and trimmings – but great to catch the guys – and a change to introduce not just Paul Collins on the business development front but James Chapman who will be coming back in February and lending weight to the pack! Great to have Mark challenging, in his laughing but blunt Yorkshire way; that’s the reason for getting out and about – people to ask questions and get answers; more insights in our job chats Mark!

Would love to know how many of our peers – and indeed customers – carry out Business Continuity tests…I guess we’re only shouting because the tests worked – but then we did work up to them, the first attempts were not so successful – under-sized generator allowing the UPS’s to continue to alarm in anticipation of a slow collapse..This time, with uprated cabling as well as genny a/ we showed we could operate (phones, server and computers – and stand-by lighting) for as long as wee need in the event of a power outage. And just as impressive, we can download our entire server system and restore to working condition in 15 minutes. Taken some time (and money) to get there –but we are now ROBUST.

November

The Pic of my career; if only I could remember the joke…and, needless to say, remarkable honour to pick up the Princess Royal Training Award – testament to the work which Paul, Matt and Laurie have put in, especially on our technician training – but also our Office NVQ’s and our EngTechs, not to mention our interns and grads.

Honoured to join the panel at Henley Business School to talk about Establishing a Business Intelligence System – alongside some eminent experts and statisticians, the insight I had to offer was that Intel had to mean something and result in action – otherwise it’s academic, not business. We normally come along en masse to Jurek’s evening events – an hour or so of presentations on various aspects of entrepreneurship – followed by pizza – or in this case Toby’s Carvery.

October

Enjoyed the whistle-stop tour to Host – with GRS and Dan “Bones” – does wear out the shoe-leather. How is it that this – and the NRA – have nixed every other national show? Olympia ain’t what it was (that said, I thought the Restaurant Show had upped its game this year), Equip’Otel is a shadow of what it was. Looking forward to Intergastra and Internorga – have been the best of the rest.