#weeknotes w/c 13 Mar 2023
Week 1: saying yes a lot
The main thing that happened last week was not directly related to starting Atelier of What’s Next. I had two urgent business development opportunities, which took up all my discretionary time. Still, there are lessons there for me.
Opportunity 1. Strategy workshop for [name redacted], an AI organisation.
A word-of-mouth approach. The organisation itself on two cutting edges:
Large Language Models (LLM, of which ChatGPT is currently the most famous).
An issue of huge importance (which I can’t say without revealing the organisation).
So, this is how I justify going for the work. The actual strategy process is much more familiar (though the circumstances mean will have to pay attention). But it is a chance to be involved with a rising technology and a rising issue.
Plus to be alongside an organisation that is itself very early in itse development. So, there will be stuff to learn (from people who have run start-ups before) on how to keep developing. They have not really run a non profit before.
Opportunity 2. an innovation residential on decarbonising heat.
Another word-of-mouth approach. The Innovate UK had a invitation to tender. The person behind it asked me to apply with a proper expert consultancy. But this only happened on Monday, with a strict deadline of 11am on Friday.
The consultancy leapt into action, and pulled together a strong bid. We’ll see how it fares compared to others.
I was contributing on the design of the residential, and the contribution to wider change. Gave me a great reason to use two things.
First, the RSA’s seminal ‘Think like a system, Act like an entrepreneur’. My tweaked version of that process is here:
(I added 4.Decide, as otherwise there is no moment when an organisation fully commits to the innovation.) The oter point here being: these are the steps I am considering as the fundamental structure of the development in the Atelier.
Second, Brian Eno’s idea of a scenius (here explained by Kevin Kelly). Brian Eno’s actual definition is: “Scenius stands for the intelligence and the intuition of a whole cultural scene. It is the communal form of the concept of the genius.”
He claims it is nurtured by: mutual appreciation; rapid exchange of tools and techniques; network effects of success; and, local tolerance for the novelties.
Insights and lessons to integrate
1/ Great to be in demand. It would be easy to take that for granted.
2/ For now, opportunities through close connections. Lots of my work now and in the recent past comes from someone I have worked with before, or to whom I have been directly recommended. I need to assume that will be the starting point for now.
3/ Need a ‘new starter’ test. There’s always something I want to say yes to. I can always make the case that a new opportunity (or continuing an existing one) can fit in the Atelier because (insert reason). If I am truly going to have focus, and to have coherence, then I will need a test for whether to do something.