Here's an idea worth playing with

Most of us hear "portfolio" and typically picture two things: a trader's spreadsheet, or a designer's best work. Trace the word back far enough — Italian porta foglio , "something that carries papers" — and a different meaning turns up. A portfolio was never really about the collecting. It was about deciding what was worth carrying in the first place. This week we follow that word from leather cas...

This week's word is cultivate . I bought my copy of Growing a Business second-hand. Inside the cover, written by hand from a father to his son, was a single line:  "To Todd, may this nurture the seed."  I've thought about that line a lot. Nurture the seed. That's the whole idea — and it sits underneath this week's word. Cultivate comes from the Latin cultivare : to till, to tend, to care for. It g...

We use the word amateur to dismiss people — as if not-yet-knowing is the problem, rather than the starting point. But amateur comes from the Latin amator: lover. It arrived in English via French, meaning simply someone who does a thing for the love of it. No payment. No audience. No career plan. Vivian Maier was a nanny who shot over 150,000 photographs and showed almost no one. When she died, her...

The word idea comes from the Greek idein — to see. Not to invent. Not to create. To see. That single detail changes how we understand what an idea actually is. It wasn't originally an act of bringing something new into the world. It was an act of noticing something already there. This episode traces the word from ancient Greek through Plato's theory of perfect forms, into the language of modern or...

Welcome to Season 2 of Here's an Idea Worth Playing With — a new direction for the podcast.  Each episode, one word. Its origin, its meaning, and what it still has to say about the way we work. This week: Mottainai .  A Japanese concept that broadly translates as the regret of waste.  We associate it with natural resources — but what about our human ones?  Time, energy, and attention are finite. U...

It's 32 degrees in the UK. The kids are in the pool. The music is blasting from the garden. And I'm in the studio recording a podcast about why fun at work is one of the most important signals a leader can read. Which feels about right. When people stop enjoying their work — when the laughter goes quiet, when energy drains from the room — most organisations reach for a fix. A team event. An extra...

Five books I keep returning to — for managing better, leading better, and understanding how businesses actually work. These aren't the obvious picks. No productivity bibles, no airport bestsellers. Each one has shaped how I think about strategy, attention, service, growth, and the systems we all work inside. The books: Good Strategy / Bad Strategy — Richard Rumelt The Art of Noticing — Rob Walker...

A thought that's been on my mind: most organisations don't lack feedback. They just get it too late to use it.  By the time the signal arrives, the decisions that needed it were already made — and what was a cheap correction earlier has compounded into an expensive surprise. In this episode, I think through why short feedback loops matter more than better ones, what startups get structurally right...

Most organisations don’t have an idea problem. They have a climate problem. You’ve probably felt it. Your best ideas don’t show up at your desk.   They show up walking. Travelling. Sitting somewhere unfamiliar. Different place. Different thinking. That’s not an accident. It’s conditions. In this episode, I explore why creativity isn’t about trying harder… …it’s about the environment you’re thinkin...

Most people think the value of an idea sits at the end — in the outcome, the money, the success. But especially at the start, the real value is something else entirely. In this episode, I share three small experiments from my sons this week — building a table, inventing a robot, and chasing rare coins — and what they reveal about how ideas actually become value. Because none of them “worked” in th...

In this episode, I reflect on the decision point that appears whenever we choose what to learn next — the moment where time, energy, and attention become real, committed, investments. Why do some courses and learning paths feel like obligation while others create momentum?  And why do the subjects we study out of pure curiosity often shape our work more than the certifications and professional lea...

Meditations on Management didn’t begin as a book. It began as fragments — unfinished articles, notes made between meetings, and observations that felt true enough to keep but not yet ready to finish. In this episode, I reflect on how those ideas were allowed to rest in what I call my “digital cabinet,” how time and distance revealed the patterns between them, and why patience and attention matter...

At 4 a.m. in Luton Airport, I head to Budapest to deliver a keynote — and along the way, unpack what it really takes to turn an idea into a valuable talk. In this travel-journal-meets-creative-process episode, I share five lessons learned from the runway to the stage: how to go from idea → value , find your point of view, think in stories, do the hard work, and give generously. It’s a behind-the-s...

In this episode of Here's An Idea Worth Playing With, I cover the science of clothing and appearance .  Your clothes don’t just influence how others see you — they shape your own confidence, focus, and performance. In this episode, I explore the fascinating psychology of appearance: how clothing affects first impressions, why it can boost or drain your confidence, and the science behind “felt powe...

In this episode of Here's An Idea Worth Playing With , I explore The Art of Noticing — a subtle but powerful skill that can separate effective leaders from the rest.  Far from being a framework, checklist, or trendy methodology, noticing is about widening your awareness, understanding how work flows, spotting bottlenecks, and observing patterns that matter. And we can develop these skills through...

Internal coaching and consulting teams can be powerful assets — or costly afterthoughts. In this episode of Here's an idea worth playing with, we break down how to design a function that delivers real impact. Learn the difference between coaching and consulting, why purpose and demand management matter, how to package your services, and how to connect your work directly to measurable business outc...

Do you get nervous at the thought of speaking in public? You’re not alone — and mastering this skill can be a game-changer for your career and leadership growth. In this episode, I explore practical strategies to overcome fear, develop your authentic speaking style, and connect with audiences through storytelling, emotion, and clear purpose. From avoiding the perfection trap to bringing enthusiasm...

In this episode, I share the 8 principles that shaped my own career journey — from software tester to executive leader. We’ll explore how to define what thriving looks like for you, make sure your ladder is leaning against the right wall, and understand the critical difference between cost and value. You’ll learn why communication is your greatest superpower, how to shift your own behaviours for g...

In this episode, I break down the productivity system that helps me manage work, family life, content creation, and side projects - all without feeling overwhelmed. It’s not about doing more, but about choosing the right plates to spin. I’ll share how I use tools like Google Calendar, Trello, and ToDoist alongside paper and notebooks to stay organised, prioritise what matters, and keep a clear ove...

During World War II, the OSS (precursor to the CIA) released the “Simple Sabotage Field Manual”—a handbook for disrupting enemy organisations from within. The shocking part? Much of it reads like a modern business playbook: excessive committees, slow decision-making, perfectionism on unimportant tasks, and endless meetings. In this episode, we unpack the uncanny overlap between sabotage tactics an...

In this episode, I explore 10 practical principles that will help you study anything more effectively. We’ll break down why active engagement beats passive highlighting, why depth matters more than sheer volume, and how teaching others sharpens your own understanding. I’ll share how principles create a foundation for long-term mastery, why rest is essential for retention, and how embracing differe...

In this episode, we explore what it really takes to create a true learning culture inside an organisation. Not just training programmes or box-ticking courses, but learning as a shared behaviour that drives growth, engagement, and collective intelligence. From role modelling as a leader, to giving teams time and space, to encouraging personal learning with no strings attached—you’ll hear practical...

What are the timeless skills that make someone invaluable and successful at work? In this episode, I break down the five core “Trade Skills” — persistence, facing facts, risk management, hands-on learning, and grasping numbers — and explains why they matter more than ever in today’s business world. Learn how mastering these skills can elevate your career, sharpen your commercial awareness, and tur...

Crafting a Winning Conference Talk Proposal - and getting it selected Want to share your expertise on a conference stage but feel stuck at the Call for Papers submission process? You're not alone! Getting your talk accepted is the crucial first step, yet it's often where aspiring speakers fall short. In this episode, I share ideas straight from the Zero to Keynote book, on why, even if you have a...

Public speaking at conferences or events, and even at work, can be a joyful experience.  However, a major reason I hear from people who are hesitant to take that first step towards public speaking is that they struggle to find something to talk about.  There is a kind of curse of knowledge - as in, why would I know something, or have something interesting to share, that hasn’t already been said by...