I really am enjoying the honeymoon period of this new job. Day by day I can feel the rust getting shaken off – not just from the sabbatical but also shaking off some of those consultant perspectives and letting my public servant instincts reassert themselves.
It is an interesting time to join this organisation – it is only a few months old – having brought together two (or three) organisations with very different cultures at the back end of last year. It then shifted back into crisis mode around Omicron and now it finds itself changing again as the Government’s ‘living with Covid’ plans kicks in.
There is a lot of staff turnover and change (actually big C change) is everywhere and I am there as part of that. Two years of seat of the pants, JFDI, announcement led development has left behind a pretty unique culture (especially for the Civil Service) but the challenge now is how to make that something sustainable and resilient outside of crisis-mode.
From a product and delivery point of view the next phase in the organisation is much more about realigning with the wider digital government space – while not losing too much much of what allowed some individuals/teams to thrive over the last couple of years. Given I have – on occasion – been seen as something of a disruptive figure I find myself in a different role – a calming influence; building bridges, bringing structure, preaching consistency.
Something interesting (well to me) is that similar to my time at Essex I find myself building a product/delivery function that primarily supports a significant design function rather than software engineering. These are the only two times I’ve done this and to be successful it does need product and delivery people who think a bit differently – who are able to envisage success as more than shipping something (though me being me I want some of that as well.)
Anyway I am enjoying it – I really feel like I’ve found somewhere I can make a difference and play to my strengths.
The road to 50 has started.
I pretty much ignored my birthday at the weekend – 49 is such a waste of a year – but plans are afoot for next year.
In the mean time I am building a 50th playlist and watchlist which I’ve reveal each week in these notes.
1973
album: Let’s Get it On – Marvin Gaye
movie: The Sting
The first episode of Moon Knight was odd…it is traditionally strange comic to be honest and latterly incarnations of it have really leaned in to the weirdness so I have high hopes.
Digital by Default 