A few months ago, I went to an event hosted by the Behavioural Insights Team, also known as the Nudge Unit. They are in the business of trying to “apply behavioural insights in support of social purpose goals”. A practical example would be by prompting people to join the Organ Donor Register using reciprocity messages (‘if you needed an organ, would you take one?’), which added 100,000 people to the register in one year. Clever stuff.

The group was celebrating its new home, and successful transition from being part of Government to being a limited company, housed within Nesta.

The team talked a little about the origins of the unit, and made reference to a recommendation by one of its founders, David Halpern, that a future Government should set up such an organisation.

My mind began to wander as I wondered what sort of unit might be needed today…

I think I know…

It strikes me that the single most powerful thing you can do to solve a problem is to introduce two people.

Some people excel at this – we call them connectors.

We need a Connector Unit. 

This Connector Unit would do a series of useful things;

1) Map. Who is already connected and to whom? It would do this using a range of tools, including Twitter and LinkedIn. Why? Partly to understand who the super-connectors are within a sector or industry and cultivate those relationships. Mostly to understand who isn’t connected, and, where useful, to do something about it. My strong hunch is that Government is not currently doing this in any sophisticated way.

2) Make introductions. Day by day, pair by pair, the unit would identify, and connect. All introductions would be tracked over time, using a tool like Intros.to,  and would come with the appropriate health warnings – by making a connection, the unit would not be guaranteeing that all due diligence on both parties had been carried out.

3) Ask Questions. What problems are people facing and who would they like to meet? By more clearly understanding the challenges people face, we can be better connectors.

We know that creative breakthroughs occur when people from different worlds connect. We know that connectors are valuable. And yet we put up with the ongoing complaints that “things just aren’t joined up”, “people don’t talk to each other” and “everything happens in silos”.

The process of connecting is too fundamental and game-changing to be left to a few generous souls. It needs a dedicated unit. In time, all civil servants will receive tips on making useful introductions.

Where in Government could you start such a thing?

Might this be a future spin out?

I’d welcome your thoughts on this.

My own hunch is that you wouldn’t start it within Government at all.

You’d start outside, independent and entrepreneurial.

You’d prove your worth, show value and build trust.

Then you’d spin it in.

 

 

 

“Words are, of course, the most powerful drug used by mankind.” So said Rudyard Kipling, and with his exceedingly good phrase in mind, I spent an intoxicating evening in the company of the most recent Wayra cohort.

In case you don’t know, Wayra is the accelerator programme which invests in, houses and connects technology start-ups across 14 countries. Because hundreds of hopefuls apply, the selected groups tend to be made up of highly ambitious, energetic individuals.

Sitting in the Wayra Academy, just off Tottenham Court Road, I am reminded of some of the 150 companies I’ve travelled with over the years, on overseas trade missions. From San Francisco to São Paulo, Bangalore to Boston, one of the greatest challenges facing founders has been their two minute pitch.

To be concise and not vague, confident without seeming arrogant, determined yet open-minded. Whether pitching to potential investors, partners or team members, it’s a tough job, and someone’s got to do it.

Having listened to hundreds of pitches, and given a fair few myself, these are my top tips. They are purely personal opinions, rather than golden rules. A few thoughts which I’d share with anyone who has to give a short, sharp pitch or presentation about their organisation;

The rest of this post can be found over on StartUps.co.uk 

As a child, one of my favourite TV programmes was Mr Benn. I was a fan of the funny little man, long before his uncle started selling rice. You may remember that he used to be a regular at that dressing-up shop, run by the fez-wearing chap who may, with hindsight, have been Geoffrey Durham. Each week, our hero would don a new costume, sneak out the back of the changing rooms, and have a bit of fun. He discovered what it was like to be a spaceman, a pirate, a clown and a wizard. It was the stuff that dreams were, and still are, made of.

Last month I heard that Tony Gallagher, former editor of the Daily Telegraph, had started a new job. Perhaps unaware of any local dressing up shops, he tipped up at a swanky and delicious London restaurant, called Moro. There, he could be seen chopping up vegetables, lifting boxes and generally mucking in. This completely inspired me. Too few people spice up their working life with this kind of change. I began to wonder why not.

John Le Carré said that a desk is a dangerous place from which to view the world. That said, he probably hadn’t done many all-night-shifts on pot-wash. In fairness to JC, his life was neither safe, nor deskbound. Before writing his successful novels, he used to creep about as a spy called David.

Other famous career changers from history include Harry Hill (a doctor), Jim Bowen (a school-teacher) and Daniel Day Lewis, who has taken various sabbaticals in his time, one of them as an apprentice to some Italian shoemakers. Which may well be cobblers.

Perhaps it was the Littlest Hobo, a singing dog, who put it best;

“Every stop I make, I make a new friend, can’t stay for long, just turn around and I’m gone again”.

As someone who continually lost out to the better-looking Lassie at Crufts, it’s this kind of attitude which, even today, makes the heart beat faster.

Let’s hear it for the career shifters. From Mr Benn to Tony Benn (who worked as a radio producer), it takes courage and a sense of adventure to pick out a new costume.

In his recent example, Tony Gallagher’s new job has got me thinking. Perhaps it’s time for a personal career move.

Maybe to Moro.

 

I was asked this recently;

• We would like you to send us the two pieces of advice that you wish you had known when starting out.

• What two tips would you offer a budding young entrepreneur to give them the confidence and go-getting attitude to build a world-class business? 

Great questions!

Here were my replies;

Advice I wish I’d been given earlier…

1) Exercise. Great for the body and the mind. It unleashes all kinds of positive energy and ideas.

2) Write to people you admire and ask to go and pick their brains over a quick coffee. You may be surprised who says yes. Similarly,  if you’re in the same room or corridor,  say hello and you never know where it may lead.

Tips.

1) Travel. Get outside of the UK to absorb different ideas and ways of living.

2) Choose your reaction. If something challenging happens,  you don’t have to react negatively. It’s your choice. That was probably my single biggest realisation. Taking that one step further, make a conscious decision to act in a positive way. It makes all the difference.

What would your answers have been?

January should be a month of new beginnings, of positive energy, and of big thinking. But if you’re not careful, it can be a time of scoffer’s remorse, of rain-soaked days and bleak expectations.

To cheer you through this, the first month of the year, I am going to suggest a little something which may seem more at home in the party season… I propose a game.

Don’t worry – this one doesn’t require silly hats or the removal of any items of clothing. In fact, it involves getting into bed with a well-known entrepreneur, being a multimillionaire, and running the country.

Sound good? Read on.

I’m going to ask you three questions. You don’t have to tell anyone the answers and you can return to this, or change your mind as the year goes on.

You may want to ask friends or colleagues the same questions. It’s up to you. I have found that the second question in particular makes for quite a good pub game.

Are you ready? Here goes:

To read the rest of this post, please click here to be taken to StartUps.co.uk