It’s funny how we often measure our weeks by tasks completed or meetings attended (and this week had a lot of both), yet the most valuable moments usually happen in the spaces between—the unexpected conversations, the fleeting moments of clarity, the rare occasions when we can knuckle down and truly focus.

This week was no different, filled with its share of planned and unplanned, the expected and the serendipitous. And I find myself wondering: What if I paid more attention to those in-between moments? And do I need to carve out more time to be less busy so I can have more of them?

(Yeah I think I know the answer to that one already)

Some things I did this week

• The start of any project is a little frustrating as it feels like things are moving slowly, but if you don’t get the foundations in place it just causes headaches down the line. Skip this stuff at your own risk. We’re three weeks into one project, and it feels like we’ve now got key decisions made and people aligned so our blended team can pick up the pace on a content audit and understanding user needs for internal content.
• We did our first show and tell with this client. The early ones are often awkward as there’s not much to show, or tell. But there was a lot of interest in the foundations and how we’ve agreed to move forward, so it was pretty positive I think.
• All that means we can also now get stuck into all the stuff that isn’t content; scope, organisational needs, technical feasibility, resourcing, roadmapping, managing the associated business change, and so on. Really getting our teeth into the factors that will define what’s possible and how quickly it can happen.
• Similarly, we worked with another client to define their vision for intranet content. Any project like this will face difficult stakeholder conversations and trade-offs. Having a vision agreed up front will make those conversations easier, as we can bring it back to what the intranet and its content should deliver for employees and for the company.
• We onboarded another new starter to the team at Lithos Partners. We have someone new starting every week lately, which is exciting and scary in equal measure. I’m trying to find the right balance between documenting our onboarding as much as possible so I don’t need to repeat myself every time, while being available and welcoming and not leaving people to flounder about alone. Not sure we’re anywhere near getting that balance right, but we’re learning.

Some non-work things I did this week

As I write this, I’m sitting at my window, and the sounds of the annual Prinsengracht Concert are drifting from a stage on the canal nearby. In late August a stage is set up on the edge of the water and locals park their boats up for an evening’s music on the water, braving the inevitable rain to enjoy the concert with friends and wine on a boat.

The concerts always close with Peter Goemens’ love letter to Mokum, Aan De Amsterdamse Grachten (On The Amsterdam Canals). Amsterdam has a way of captivating your soul, and that’s captured in the timeless lyrics.

I’m not Dutch, but I feel like I’m an Amsterdammer now. And Goemans had it right; no one could wish for better to than to make this city home. It will have a piece of my heart forever.

Connections

Nebius Group’s Peter Morley was in town so we met up and talked about corporate comms and the challenges of working with dispersed teams.

I also caught up (remotely) with Christian Hunt. Ostensibly to appear on his Human Risk podcast, but it was just a hugely enjoyable, meandering chat about digital workplace, AI, the future of work, and balancing a desire to work out loud with client confidentiality.

Coverage

I was interviewed for this piece in Reworked on the importance of auditing your internal comms platforms, processes and content. This is something I’m hugely passionate about. Organisations always get better results, and spend their budgets better, by taking the time to do an audit or discovery first. As my business partner Jonathan, a recovering geologist, always says: time spent on reconnaissance is never wasted.

The key is to understand the barriers to effective comms and collaboration that exist within your organisation, and changing how you communicate and how you use your channel mix to meet your employees’ needs and the reality of how they work.

Travel

After getting back from Finland I had no travel booked at all. For the first time in years my Flighty App didn’t have a single flight lined up.

My itchy feet got the better of me within days and I’ve booked a long weekend in Riga and a solo adventure in Georgia and Armenia. Hit me up with your tips for either.