'I'll take responsibility!' The phrase all nervous employees want to hear. There is a contentious decision to be made. With little reward and ample amounts of punishment on offer. Let's throw in mounting time pressure too, just for the hell of it! Who's going to get on the hook? If the worst should happen and … Continue reading Taking decision responsibility →

'I'm funnier than them!' I don't doubt that there are members of the public funnier than well known comedians but humour is just one element required to become a successful joke teller. I think what separates the famous from the anonymous is a certain willingness to put oneself out there. To expose yourself to feedback … Continue reading Funnier than them →

'I've emailed IT 3 times now and they still haven't responded' 'Try messaging Peter on Slack he'll sort your problem out in no time!' It's like a secret passage opened up and someone yelled 'over here guys!' Poor Pete. He probably took sympathy on all the technophobes and now everyone knows him to be the … Continue reading Poor IT Pete →

"The need to be right all the time is the biggest bar there is to new ideas" Edward De Bono in Lateral Thinking. What's the right thing to do when there is no right answer? The need to be right all the time means waiting around, letting others go first, categorically learning from their mistakes … Continue reading The need to be right →

In 2004 Ben Stiller starred in the movie Dodgeball and approximately 10 years later The Secret Life of Walter Mitty. I think if these were the first two Ben Stiller movies you saw, you would struggle to believe it was the same actor. Over the years a 'Ben Stiller' movie has evolved into a very … Continue reading Creative evolution →

At the root of all job burnouts and stressed executives I assert there is an insecurity. Now don't mistake that statement for assuredness. I do not confidently assert this. But beneath all the productivity anxiety and the 'always on' mentality there must be some form of fear pulling the strings. Perhaps the individual inexplicably links … Continue reading Burnt to a crisp →

Did you know how Dolphins get to sleep? Apparently they don't entirely switch off. They can't. Their breathing isn't automatic. So instead they have to turn off half of their brain one part at a time. So the first half sleeps while the other is awake and then they switch. Quite cool isn't it? Also, … Continue reading Dolphins and their sleep →

Some of the best movie twists come from preying on an audience's assumptions. A cripple can't be the bad guy - Usual Suspects. Fathers of good guys are also good - Star Wars. Of course Brad Pitt is real - Fight Club. The filmmakers probably have great fun leading the audience astray. It's not a … Continue reading Audience assumptions →

Lateral thinking is fun. If humour is the space between expectations and reality then the outrageously specific or the ridiculously unusual slide into that gap nicely. 'The wife of grandad Diloquent' is a funnier answer than 'pompous' to the question - what does grandiloquent mean?

It turns out lateral thinking is a skill. Jerry and the Loose Oranges. Something you can develop. The Gooseberry Twins. Something you can practice. Bitter Suite. In fact the more you practice, the better you get. Eating loco, dancing Coco. Or should I say the stronger the muscle gets. Bob Bobinson. It's like going to … Continue reading Lateral thinking →