Entries Tagged as 'great time'

Staple Story 

Staple Stories

I don’t like personalised number plates so why do I have…?

I’m not a petrol head and when our Saab (not a proper one!) sprang yet another problem, we had to accept that at 143K+ miles it had reached the end of its road.

Then yet again I had the rigmarole of having to transfer my personalised number plate to our Japanese replacement. Why? It was and remains my brother’s fault!  Michael F****** Collins that middle initial – after our dad Frank or the reaction he sometimes sparks in people?!

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“What A Year” – Wow Thank You

Please click on any hyperlinks that take your fancy or just jump to the song at the end…

People, People, People

It was great to meet with Simon Biltcliffe but what really stands out is how fantastic his PA Lisa Bowen was with me – open, generous, encouraging, efficient and a real unexpected bonus to encounter when trying to arrange a meeting with a phenomenally busy guy. The Australian Paralympian Elizabeth Wright has been a joy to meet and an inspiration to work with. Thanks to Nadio for introducing me to David Broadhead who has really helped to crystalise  my thinking about Leadership.

I’ve also met a great bunch of diverse people at numerous events who have been engaging, thought provoking and also very generous. I love Suits and Vinyl – what a great way to meet other business people.

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Phoenix FM Radio Interview

Blame

A 40 minute interview with Tee Liburd broadcast live from Halifax, Yorkshire, UK on Wednesday 26 November 2014. We discussed my career, what I do now, why I do the things the way I do and what I love. He also played a few of my favourite songs that are very significant to me and how I work.

“Blues skies, green fields, I keep them all in here” – bonus intro track – Red Red Rose by Hope & Social

And you may ask yourself – well, how did I get here?

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Collaboration – Pitching Far Too High?

Sometimes you’re too close to something to appreciate how special it is. But with a bit of distance and time you realise what fantastic things a bunch of random people can achieve! Preceding Le Grand Depart in Yorkshire there was a parallel arts festival and one of the highlights was undoubtedly Hope and Social’s Tour of Infinite Possibility. This blog is not about how great it was or the band are (ok I have to agree they did steal the show at the team presentations opening ceremony!) but about how I witnessed and was a small part of a team working and co-operating together – now I think I understand what collaboration really means.

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Time, Ladies and Gentlemen. Please. Time?!

We are information rich and yet increasingly time and decision making poor. We seem to be working harder and harder just to stand still. Work is becoming more fraught and a lot less enjoyable. We don’t even have the time to ask ourselves why? We’re too busy just doing.

We know the market is fragmenting while our universities are producing thousands more law graduates every year. We have apprentices to add to the ranks of paralegals and businesses looking to cherry pick the profitable work. More resources are being tied up to comply with the ever evolving regulatory requirements. Technological developments mean that we can be overwhelmed by the sheer volume of information and data, which in turn is more complex to manage. Some clients expect instant responses for minimum costs plus the banks are wary of the sector.

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Seconds Out! – Year 2

I can’t believe how fast the last year has flown by, but it has been a very enjoyable and productive one. It has also been a year of some real learning. More learning, challenges, mistakes, anxiety, growing confidence, fun and meeting and working with some really interesting, open and great people.

I have been to some outstanding talks this last year: my highlights have included Simon Biltcliffe, Steve Edge, Dominic Wilcox and Dr George Madine.  I’ve tried to blog or share the best bits I’ve found as well as

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Has the Judicial Appointments Commission Created a Level Playing Field for Solicitors?

Depending on the actual judicial post, competition is increasing with the applications to posts ratios ranging from 8:1 to 21:1. So for some competitions you have to be in the top 5% of candidates. No recruitment process is perfect and with the talent applying for both the salaried and fee paid positions the reality is that many very good candidates won’t even make it to the selection day. With HMCTS in the process of cutting 37.8% from their budget and various policies seeking to reduce the work that reaches the courts and tribunals, it seems realistic that the number of sitting opportunities will be reduced. Add this to concerns in both professions and we can expect to see more candidates seeking fewer jobs.

So you have a choice:

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5- A- Side Charity Football Quiz – The Biggest Event in Leeds Since Le Grand Depart?!!

A couple of years ago we ran a 5 a side football quiz for The Stephen Switalski Trust it was a roaring success. So we have decided to run another quiz this autumn to raise much needed funds for two charities Kids & Simon on the Streets. We’re delighted to confirm that the quiz master will again be Richard Clews who set and ran a fantastic quiz last time.

It will take place in Trinity Arts, the wonderful venue adjacent to Trinity, in Leeds city centre on Thursday 18 September with a prompt kick off at 6pm and full time due for 7.45pm.

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