Issue #51: People, Presence, and Priorities
​Read this on my website​

I spent this past week in the United States. It was the first time I had been back for business for more than two years. My goal was pure business development, and the two events I attended (Restecher Capital Markets Day and IIEX NA Conference) did not disappoint.

The advisory work I do is not an easy sell. I am not a growth hacker or brand whisperer or a traditional coach. Instead, I know how to help businesses do the hard things that are needed to grow profitably and create value for their shareholders. The work I do is invariably transformative—commercially, operationally, technically, and organizationally—which means it is complex and risky. It invariably requires multiple teams to align around a vision that emerges from uncertainty and work together to build the new while still operating the old.

It is invariably, therefore, about people. Because of this, it is very difficult for me to both sell what I do and do what I do working remotely. I say this despite having been successful working remotely for seventeen of the past twenty years, during which I have accomplished some very large, very complex projects. I certainly don’t lack experience.

The difficulty I face highlights one of the real challenges of the post-Covid workplace. In reducing the debate around remote work to an emotive question of freedom versus control, we lose sight of an important fact.

While complex work can be done remotely, the odds of success increase dramatically when you bring people together, especially in larger companies. Presence signals priority. In an age where time is punctuated by Zoom/Teams meeting notifications, presence focuses our attention. Presence allows us to communicate fully. Presence enhances our understanding of what must be done. Presence accelerates the creation of trust.

This past week has been a reminder of these truths. As I reflect on the past week, the emerging lesson seems to be that, while my writing brings people to the top of my funnel, my ability to “convert” them and deliver value is greatly enhanced by physical presence.

People, stuff, travel, reading, and more

• The world tour continues. Last week, the US. This week I'm in the UK splitting time between London and Manchester for personal and professional reasons.
• I've started following Ethan Mollick, author of the book Co-Intelligence and a prof at my alma mater. His regular posts on AI provided an excellent signal amidst the noise and hype.
• Dan Entrup's newsletter, It's Pronounced Data, is essential reading for anyone in the data/insights sector. It covers M&A activity, funding, hiring, people moves and more.
• Want to meet up? Book time or just reply to this email.