Just over a couple of years ago, a strange and intriguing thing began to happen.

I began receiving messages.

The notes were personalised, and posted to a club which I have frequented for some time.

They were cryptic and often made up from cut-out pieces of paper.

Yet they were not threatening.

Instead, they were uplifting.

They would contain positive words and quotations.

All were signed with one, simple word:

Nuncio.

At the time, I did not write about this.  I told no-one except for a few friends and colleagues.

Then, one day, a book appeared.

Musty-smelling, it was an old copy of the Art of Living, by Andre Maurois.

Again, it was personalised.  As with several other messages, my name had been cut out and made from single letters.

On the inside back cover was a signature.

Nuncio.

Inside the front cover was written: P 14.

On turning to page fourteen, I began to see certain letters, underlined in red.

They made up a series of sentences, and by piecing the letters together, I began to make out;

“You are a great leader.  Yet you have the capacity to be greater”

All of this, broken up over perhaps twenty pages.

As the book continued, so did the message.

Inside the back cover, a well-known symbol, drawn from a deck of cards.

The messages and the book fascinated me.

More than perhaps anything else I have ever been sent, they had me thinking.

To this day, I have absolutely no idea who sent the packages.

The mysterious sender has remained hidden.

Partly for this reason, I am keeping some of the details between us.

The exact messages, the symbols, the postmarks.

As a mark of respect.  Because this post is not intended to spark a detective hunt.

In part, this is my only way to say thank you…

One day the notes stopped coming.

Perhaps the message had been relayed.

Had I done the wrong thing by telling somebody?

This, of course, is more than saying thank you to Nuncio.

Secretly, I am waiting for the next message.

Have I heard the last from this mysterious messenger?

I stumbled across a document today, written over four years ago, and titled “Thoughts on Failure”. Written in February 2008,  it was about Make Your Mark with a Tenner, which as friends may know has been under lock and key for some time, pending the upcoming announcements from the trustees of Enterprise UK. 

To cut a VERY long story short, having come up with the idea for Tenner (where thousands of school pupils are handed ten pounds and have one month to “make money and make a difference”), I partnered with Enterprise UK to make it happen.  Without the support of many amazing people (including Tom Savage, Scott Cain, Shaa Wasmund, Andrew Reynolds, NESTA, Michael and Xochi Birch, The Big Lottery Fund, Peter Jones, Luc Benyon, Martha Jennings, Richard Strudwick and countless other BIS and Enterprise UK team members and trustees), it grew to engage over sixty thousand participants.  

Following the end of Enterprise UK,  a formal procedure must be followed to find parties wishing to ‘take on’ the scheme.  All being well, that procedure will begin again shortly.

Here is my note from 2008.  It rings a bell, for various reasons;

On his journey to inventing the light bulb, Thomas Edison said “I’ve not failed.  I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.”

One good thing about giving 10,000 school pupils a Tenner was to allow them to experience a range of things that ‘didn’t work’. Very often, the schemes which made the most money came from a second or third attempt.  I reckon we need to give more people the chance to experience things not going according to plan.  Yes, it can be disappointing – it can also be exhilarating!  There’s a big difference between ‘things’ not working out and ‘you’ not working out – I think it helps for people to experience the difference. 

Some people are terrified of being judged entirely on the basis of their most recent activity.  That’s bad enough if you have a track record.  It’s a nightmare if you’re starting out because, with that mindset, your first venture will determine what those watching think of you.  So what’s the solution?  Well, one idea is to beat them to it, and create a reputation for yourself which goes beyond any one venture, whether that’s through your kindness, your bright ideas, your helpful suggestions, or anything else you can think of. I have seen people achieve this and it’s amazing to watch!  Against that backdrop, people see one ‘business’ as just one of a series of adventures that someone embarks upon – pretty refreshing!  

Marie Curie reckoned that nothing in life is to be feared, it is only to be understood.  The way you can break down misunderstanding in business is through conversation with people who have been where you want to go.  So the number one way to reduce fear is to create connections between people.

More than anything I’ve ever worked on, I hope that Tenner can find the partners it needs to succeed and become a worldwide phenomenon.  Forgive the ambition – I would like it to be the next Comic Relief.

As one of life’s optimists, I’m confident that the best days for this simple idea are ahead.  If you’re reading this, and have a lightbulb moment, I’d love to hear from you.

 

There are some people you just have to meet. 

If you are lucky, they are easy to find.

When I read about Professor Theodore Zeldin, I knew I had to meet him.  Fortunately for me, following the feature in the Times newspaper, tracking him down to his Oxford chambers was far from tricky.  His researcher was charming and a meeting was arranged.

Central Casting would approve of Professor Zeldin. The philosopher, sociologist and historian is brilliant, curious and thoughtful, with wispy white hair and a twinkle in his eye.  I had been inspired by the way in which he was bringing together gatherings (feasts, in his words) of strangers, and giving them menus of conversation to work through.  Our meeting was ten years ago, and yet I remember it like it was yesterday.   

As I followed his work over the years, I picked up some gems;

“The unit which creates movement is the meeting of two people, and the force behind change is the encounter of two people and their intermingling, and the production of ideas which they would not have had if they had not met.”

How could a Speed Networker not fall in love with that? 

In one of his speeches, I heard a line which made me stop in my tracks;

“Life is a search for people”.

It has stayed with me ever since.

 The question which fascinates me is the extent to which we have the tools to find each other.

*****

Refugees United is an organisation which exists to bring people back together.  It is  a family tracing service that “helps refugees, internally displaced and stateless people to search for and reconnect with their missing family or friends”. I heard about them at the excellent Wired 2011 conference, where their founder, Christopher Mikkelsen, spoke.  Back in 2005, He and his co-founder (brother David) helped a young Afghan refugee, who had lost his parents and five siblings as they escaped from Kabul and the Taliban.  Eventually, Christopher and David’s efforts  helped Mansour to find one of his brothers.   The process highlighted just how underused collaborative technology was (and still is) in this challenge, faced by thousands.  A charity was born.

Last weekend, the good people at Rewired State organised a ‘hackathon’ for Refugees United in which a group of coders gave their time to create useful applications and additions to the charity’s work.  The fruits of their labours can be seen here, and the gathering was yet another great example of bringing smart coders together to solve problems worth solving.

*****

As I write, the most read story on the BBC website is the incredible tale of Saroo, the young Indian boy who fell asleep on a train and ended up getting separated from his family.  Twenty five years later, from his new home in Tasmania, he has managed to locate his old home and reunite with his mother.  The secret to the successful story?  Google Earth, which allowed Saroo to estimate how far that fateful train had traveled, then to zoom-in to shots of where he grew up as a boy, culminating with a visit and an understandably emotional reunion.

Stories like this certainly make you think.  Our ability to connect with each other has never been greater.  Whether for powerful reunions or for first connections, the web is enabling us to find each other. 

There are some people we have to meet.

If we are lucky, they will be easy to find.

If we are even luckier, they will find us.

 

“That’s the trouble with young people today”.

So begins a complaint heard all across the land…

“The trouble with young people today, is that they all want to be TV PRESENTERS”.

“Either that, or they want to be famous”.

I take a slightly different view. 

I think that all young people should want to be presenters.

Going further, I think that all young people should be presenters.

Madness?  Here’s my thinking;

Two weeks ago I was standing in a San Francisco hotel room, flicking through what seemed like several hundred TV channels.  My eye was drawn to PBS (the non-profit network), possibly in a misguided attempt to avoid the adverts.  Tuning in, I saw what I assumed to be a highly polished actor championing the benefits of a healthy lifestyle.  Blast, I thought.  An advert.  Our hero explained that Diabesity is coming to get us (and our little dog, too).  He was slick.  But he was an actor.  Wasn’t he? 

He wasn’t an actor.  He was a medical doctor.   And he was very, very good at presenting.

The thought niggled me the next day as I watched a series of British companies present their wares to a room full of Silicon Valley investors.  Every one of them had something fantastic to offer.   Every one of them saw their presenting skills improve, with practice, as the week went on.

Which brings me back to schools: We teach young people to read and write, with arithmetic thrown in for good measure.  We don’t, as far as I’m aware, teach them to speak.  If we do, we don’t go far enough. 

School pupils should be taught how to speak in public.  To pitch themselves and their ideas. If we don’t equip them with this basic ability, we are letting them down.  This shouldn’t be reserved for the few, as they blow the dust off the lectern during debating society.  It should be experienced by every pupil, in every class, in every school.  It may well require outside helpers to support the teachers and give constructive feedback.

What is the use of aspiring to be the most inventive nation on earth if we can’t communicate with the rest of the world?

Having visited dozens of schools and having had the most incredible conversations with hundreds of pupils, I’m worried. 

I’m worried that we’re turning into a stumbling, mumbling country,  too distracted to clarify our thoughts and too inhibited to share them.

Next time you hear someone say they want to be a TV presenter – see it as an opportunity.  Have a think about what a fantastic course would look like,  taking that ambition and turning it into something great.

All young people should be presenters.  Whether or not some of them make it in TV is another matter.

 

What do you think?  Have we got something to worry about?  What is already out there which develops public speaking skills in young people?  Please leave a comment, either anonymously, or in your own name.

 

“Our best thoughts come from others.” Ralph Waldo Emerson

As all serious-minded people know, Twitter is the place where people tell the world what they are having for lunch, and share silly jokes.  Well, in my case, I confess that the second may be partially true.

On a more light-hearted note, Twitter is where I find, discover and share things from around the world.  I’m incredibly grateful when someone takes the time to pass something on, rather than keeping it to themselves.

So whatever you’re having for lunch today, and whatever tickles your fancy, I hope you’ll enjoy some of the links I’ve been sharing so far this year.  Thank you to all of those who have brought them to my attention;

A map of Government properties made using data released by the British Government.

Stunning collection of photos showing a US Subway Carriage being thrown into the sea, to form a reef for marine life.

Wonderful infographic attempting to show the nuances between the way we describe ideas (everything from dumb to brilliant)

Wired UK’s Olivia Solon explains why she would like to see an end to ‘Booth Babes’ (women employed to ‘spice up’ exhibition stands).

A list of 50 ‘classic’ jokes, via Friends Reunited founder, Steve Pankhurst.

A site compiling some of the ‘least helpful’ Amazon reviews in one place.

Anagram Map of the London Underground.  Clapham Common, for example, is Calm Moon Champ.

Fascinating research into entrepreneurial networking by Joeri Van Geelen.

An announcement, by the British Deputy Prime Minister about companies signing up to open up their recruitment processes as widely as possible.

Interesting about the importance of a mentoring eco-system for entrepreneurs in Britain.

Beautiful letter from John Steinbeck to his son, with some words of advice, and response to the news that his son was in love.

Emma Mulqueeny writing about the importance of teaching computing in schools.

Thought-provoking piece by Diane about ‘uncertainty’.

Business web-site London Loves Business lists 20 good people to follow on Twitter in the area of ‘The City and Personal Finance’.

US-based UnSectored explains its approach and way of thinking, involving the importance of cross-sector partnerships.

Business and trends spotter Springwise lists its Top 10 business ideas and opportunities for the year ahead.

The Global Entrepreneurship Congress will be held this year (March 9th-16th) in Liverpool.

Web site Gympact helps you keep fit by allowing you to set financial incentives (fines!) for failing to go to the gym.

Incredible video of a Chinese 30-storey building being constructed in, wait for it, 15 days!

London-based entrepreneur Emi Gal has been on a recent retreat with his team.  In this post he reflects on the benefits.

The Evening Standard profiles ‘London’s Networking Queen’, the brilliant Julia Hobsbawm.

David Wooding reviews new film, The Iron Lady.

From pulling pints to pulling Royals, Matthew Bell (Independent on Sunday) lists 30 things to do before you’re 30.

BBC profile of Moshi Monsters founder (and terrific guy) Michael Acton Smith.

The New York Times profiles some of the charity work of Irish entrepreneur Denis O’Brien.

News that New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg is to ‘learn to code’.  

Alastair Campbell (former communications chief for Tony Blair) writes about how he ‘got  happy and stayed grumpy’.

Eric Schmidt (chairman of Google) shared 13 ‘out-of-the-tinderbox’ ways to save the economy.

Amnesty International shared this thought-provoking list of ways in which technology was used for humanitarian projects in 2011.

Ty Danco shared his view of the ‘best and worst’ start-up stuff of 2011 in this excellent list.

Tom Eisenmann lists his favourite start-up related posts of the past year in another great list.

And finally…

Forbes has ten tips on how to be more interesting. Interestingly. tip number 2 is to share what you discover.

Are you using Twitter?  Follow me here, and I look forward to sharing more with you very soon.

“There is no delight in owning anything unshared.” Seneca