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Quote Of The Week
“I do love the beginning of the summer hols,” said Julian. “They always seem to stretch out ahead for ages and ages.”
“They go so nice and slowly at first,” said Anne, his little sister. “Then they start to gallop.”
Enid Blyton, Five Go Off in a Caravan (1946)
Nothing quite says ‘summer holidays’ to me like the Beano Summer Special. For non-British friends, ‘The Beano’ is a great comic for kids that started back in 1938.
As you read this I will be by (more likely in) the Red Sea with my family. The Beano Summer Special will have been bought at the airport. I leave it to you to guess at whether I, or my daughter, are more excited to read it.
Well, I want us to have a summer special edition too! So this week you have two treats.
A pre-publication read of the first chapter from one of the most exciting business books that will be released this year, (which I have not only had the privilege of reading in manuscript, but am also touched to have my work mentioned in), is available for you.
But first – my new ‘DARE Loop’ showreel has hit the internet, and with it the beginnings of a new YouTube Channel.
Today, you can watch the showreel, and even “like and subscribe”. I currently have one subscriber. Let’s see if we can hit thirty by the end of the day.
The footage was shot in San Diego, Vienna, London (x 3), Tenerife, Munich, Cheltenham, Miami and Paris.
It was created by Spencer McPherson and the incredible team at Still Moving (one of my absolute favourite places to spend a working day).
But it would not be possible without the clients who graciously permitted me to use footage from their events and all the skilled videographers and sound recordists around the world who filmed and recorded the keynotes.
Thank you very much to you all!
(Bureau friends – we are making branded copies for you and your teams and clients. Please hit reply to this email if we’ve not been in touch with you about this already).
The Braveheart CIO by Benedetto Conversano
Towards the end of this month, my client-turned-great-friend Benedetto Conversano releases his highly anticipated first book: “The Braveheart CIO”.
Benedetto and I met around 2006 when he was at P&G. I worked with him as he travelled on through his leadership and transformation work at IKEA and Jerónimo Martins. We then architected a seminal, global transformation together when he led technology as CIO at Diageo (which you can read about in the book) in 2022-3.
But none of that is why I recommend it to you.
I recommend it because it brings real, raw stories and learning from twenty years at the top table to explain precisely how to avoid the human, cultural and exec level digital transformation mistakes that, in the AI era, are potentially existential for any business, of any size.
He has a particular honesty when it comes to the power dynamics in the senior team and the need for courage if technology is to be treated as a core strategic value creator.
But you don’t have to wait for your copy to see if you agree with me. You can download and read the first chapter today – just click the cover:
Book of the Week
Well, of course, the Braveheart CIO wins that accolade. 👆
But our Summer Special didn’t have a ‘Spot the Difference’ or a ‘Dot-to-Dot’ or a bully receiving swift justice for kicking over a kid’s sand castle.
Luckily you can find all that in our runner up ‘Book of the Week’!
From me and my family to you and yours: I hope that you enjoy your holidays and are lucky enough to be able to get out there and make great memories as you…
Write Your Story 🖋️
Jim
