Q: Do internal hires make for better chief executives? Parag Agrawal, who was recently appointed as Twitter’s boss following the departure of Jack Dorsey, was hired, in part, because he had been rising through the company ranks for more than a decade. What do you think? A: There cannot be a golden rule. It all…
Q: With a new year almost upon us, what do you think the business world should resolve to do in 2022? A: I have given myself three wishes for 2022, none of which, if I’m being realistic, have much chance of becoming true. But, being a bit of a maverick, it’s important to dream. We…
I’m going to say something heretical. Having spent a good deal of my career working on continental railway networks, the British attitude towards rail surprises me. To be blunt – why are you so down on your trains? Up to the pandemic, the railways in Britain experienced their longest sustained period of growth in history,…
Q: I feel like Christmas started months ago. Stores were putting up decorations in October, shops started playing festive songs in early November, and Tesco, M&S and John Lewis launched expensive ads several weeks before the big day. Don’t you think businesses overdo the Christmas spirit by starting too early, being too brash and taking…
Every day billions of people send private messages as an essential part of daily life – to check in with family and friends, talk to their child’s teacher, and even communicate with doctors. It’s why apps that use end-to-end encryption – where only the sender and recipient can access the contents of a message –…
Q: Since people have been going back to work, I’m getting more and more invitations to networking events. I’d be lying if I said that I like networking (I could barely tolerate it before the pandemic), but I definitely haven’t made any new contacts during the past 18 months – and my small talk is…
Q: What’s your view on business awards – have we got so many of them now they’ve become meaningless, or are they badges of honour to wear with pride? A: The pandemic has given us a compulsory break from business awards, so it’s a good time to take stock and recognise the benefits and pitfalls…
Q: My local barista was a tower of strength to us oldies during the pandemic. He was always cheerful, a good listener and went above and beyond just serving us. I wrote a letter to management asking if he could be given some kind of recognition. I was therefore disappointed to discover he had been…
