I’m an alien!

[Dr Graeme Codrington] “I’m an alien. I’m a legal alien. I’m an Englishman in New York”. The lyrics of Sting’s popular rendition fill my thoughts as I contemplate the similarities and differences between my life and the song. In my case I am not in New York nor am I am Englishman either. But I am effectively an alien living in another world: I’m a South African in London.

Comments [2] [29 Jul 2009 11:10]

Lessons in an urn: leadership lessons from an Ashes series

[Dr Graeme Codrington] Every other year, Australia and England play a cricket test match series against each other known as the Ashes, competing for the smallest – but arguably most revered - trophy in international sport. This series gets top billing on sports shows, and is hyped beyond belief. And, on Sunday, 23 August, it ended for 2009.

Comments [5] [24 Aug 2009 16:42]

How to predict the future - looking back to look ahead

[Dr Graeme Codrington] In a turbulent world, it is more necessary than ever to have some means of anticipating what the future will be. Anticipating – and responding to – future customer demand, industry competition, legislative constraints, resource availability, labour supply, and all manner of other changes, is an absolutely critical task for every organisation everywhere.

Comments [1] [08 Sep 2009 13:12]

How to predict the future: pitfalls to avoid

[Dr Graeme Codrington] If we were to transport ourselves back a century to 1909, would we have been able to predict what would happen over the next century? Highly unlikely! Yet, someone with a good grasp of the world and a strong sense of adventure might have predicted some of the trends.

Comments [1] [21 Oct 2009 11:14]

How to forecast the future: pitfalls to avoid 2

[Dr Graeme Codrington] As I elaborated on in my last post, individuals with a good grasp of the world and a strong sense of adventure might be able to predict some major world trends; however, if we want to predict the future effectively, we need to steer clear of attempting specific predictions.

Comments [2] [03 Nov 2009 12:17]

The PM’s misspelt letter – a parable of modern Britain?

[Dr Graeme Codrington] The first few entries of this blog have focused on trying to understand the future by tracking the trends that are shaping the world around us. This is something I do everyday – watching the world, and looking for the defining moments and shaping stories. One such story from the world of British politics, military and the media caught my eye this week.

Comments [2] [12 Nov 2009 11:17]

A Tale of Two Banking Crises

[Dr Graeme Codrington] For the past few months I’ve been trying to explain why looking at the past is so important for understanding the future. Here is a practical example of why this is so important, and how practical the outcomes can be if you do it properly.

[08 Dec 2009 10:21]