Week 32: alignment and expectations
First swim at the lido this year - idyllic London life?
Had a slightly strange working week where we were grappling with some big questions about work priorities. It became clear people didn’t quite have the same idea about some upcoming work. It resulted in some difficult moments and it was I think for me one of the first times I’ve ever really been in that position where different priorities and miscommunication had resulted in some awkward moments.
I think we may have got to a better place, with some frank conversations and quite skillful management from others. One part of this I think is about me communicating my work better - I’ve reflected about how well people know the work I’m doing, and how I can better share it.
I’d thought me using this blog as an outlet was part of that but I think over time as I’ve switched from our original work Medium publication to this personal blog that’s changed. It’s turned into a much more personal reflective space rather than a constructive working out loud mechanism. Something to think about.
Prioritising the plumbing
Linked to the above, had some productive conversations about our internal knowledge base. We’ve scheduled a workshop for a couple weeks to flesh out some of the key aims of this piece of work. It feels like it’s a piece of work that has the potential to really change the way we work for the better. Building and professionalising our service for the short, medium and long-term. It feels really important.
On the other hand, I am quite conscious of if it turning into one of those frankenstein projects - where the ‘thing’ turns into a thing to fix everything for everybody. That feels too ambitious and almost setting us up for failure and unmet expectations. Hence the workshop.
It’s a priority to kick this off in the right way so I’ll be trawling through my million bookmarks of good workshop practice (tips welcome).
Other things…
I ate and I watched, here’s how they went:
I had dinner at Brat Climpsons Arch and was underwhelmed. Expensive and I just didn’t quite get the hype. Felt like I was years too late, I equated it to how I think about posh coffee places. There was a time when it would’ve impressed me, but I feel there are many great restaurants doing similar things these days in London that it just didn’t quite land for me.
In other news I managed to snag a table at Bouchon Racine and believe it or not I actually thought this WAS worth the hype. It’s thought it was pitch perfect french bistro. It’s maybe one of the most hyped restaurants in London, which rarely translates into a good meal for me. This beautifully bucked the trend. So tasty. A lovely dining room. If it wasn’t so bloody hard to get a table I’d be raving about it.
I went to a 25th Anniversary (mad right…) screening of The Matrix. Absolute perfection. I don’t think it’s aged. In terms of timing, with current discourse on AI and the doomsayers - it felt like a great moment to watch it. Absolutely iconic.
I’m trying to sell a flat. A reminder of the mad state of London property. It just doesn’t work for anyone does it…
Had dinner at Lilienblum. I’m putting it firmly in that category of ‘perfectly nice’ and ‘quite tasty’ but totally forgettable and a place I’ll probably never go back. I probably put 90% of restaurants in London in this category. Which I find sad.
Saw James Vincent McMorrow at the Barbican. Amazing venue, great voice. Funnily enough preferred the support act, and until he walked off thought he was the main act…