This is neither what I have received nor what I asked for....it's more to do with late evening working....https://www.deliverance.co.uk/Default.aspx?AspxAutoDetectCookieSupport=1 Although I am now working on a different RFP (this time for an insurance company), the take out food comes from the same place. It's pretty good stuff it has to be said.
On a more serious note, what's nice to see is that we are working hard on this RFP, but it's a completely different kettle of fish to the last one. Much less stress, much better organisation, a clear plan on where we're going. Funnily enough we're well ahead of schedule and already talking about how to prepare the orals session next Tuesday. My faith is somewhat restored......now they just need to give me a WBS element.
Apart from that London is still London, and still very different from my quiet little train stations in Helsinki. I'm still staggered by the need to deafen myself when listening to my iPod as I walk in the street just to hear something above the din of buses and motorbikes. We have the AIMS Q3 Community Event tomorrow so I'm looking forward to catching up with you all tomorrow. Hopefully we'll have a chance for a pint afterwards too.
Wednesday, 13 May 2009
Thursday, 7 May 2009
Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
Another one of the things I have learnt is that my favourite letter is "z". I think that this may explain one of the reasons why I spend so much time in Biarritz in France, and also my inexplicable liking of the Basque language despite not being able to utter a single word of it. I am also looking forward to getting a lot of Z's over the next few nights now that this RFP has finished, although 5 month old Maxime seems to have other ideas at the minute.
For those of you who are regular followers of the blog, you will have realised that the RFP I have been working on has been one of the worst professional experiences that I have had during my 9 years in Accenture. Thankfully one of the other key things I have learnt during all that time is that the company constantly throws up lots of new opportunities, and that your current status quo is always only ever temporary. Even tonight I've had a request for a 3 month project in South Africa and another email asking me to be sure to go to a conference in Berlin. It's always important to remember the big picture when you're up the proverbial creek without a paddle. I suspect that is probably the real reason why I personally haven't left yet.
Linked to that is a fond farewell to two old friends and key guys in the group who will leave tomorrow. Shane Groeger and Jon Crenner will enjoy their last day with us tomorrow after over 9 years in Andersen Consulting / Accenture. I for one am terribly sorry to see them go - the company will be all the poorer without their skills and charisma. Good luck lads.
For those of you who are regular followers of the blog, you will have realised that the RFP I have been working on has been one of the worst professional experiences that I have had during my 9 years in Accenture. Thankfully one of the other key things I have learnt during all that time is that the company constantly throws up lots of new opportunities, and that your current status quo is always only ever temporary. Even tonight I've had a request for a 3 month project in South Africa and another email asking me to be sure to go to a conference in Berlin. It's always important to remember the big picture when you're up the proverbial creek without a paddle. I suspect that is probably the real reason why I personally haven't left yet.
Linked to that is a fond farewell to two old friends and key guys in the group who will leave tomorrow. Shane Groeger and Jon Crenner will enjoy their last day with us tomorrow after over 9 years in Andersen Consulting / Accenture. I for one am terribly sorry to see them go - the company will be all the poorer without their skills and charisma. Good luck lads.
Tuesday, 5 May 2009
Quiet as a Finnish railway station
Doing this blog forces me to learn a few things about myself. One of them is that I now realize that I actually really like train stations. You only have to ask Shane Groeger about Munich train station to understand that this love affair is not a new phenomenon. As I was out running this morning in Helsinki I stumbled across the central train station at the start of rush hour....you could hear a pin drop. It was like a British university library in the summer time. I was really quite shocked at how serene it was. The good news is that my life now looks like it might be as quiet as a Finnish railway station for the next week or so. The RFP response and 18 hour days hell is over, I have one conference call to do tomorrow, and then it's a few days of holiday. I have to say I'm looking forward to the impending sleep, seeing the family and riding a few horses.
The other good thing about Finland was that the Accenture team decided to roll out the big gun for this client presentation…so I got to spend the day with Royce Bell (much more fun than Francois Bayrou). Royce is a real card and I’m a big fan of his direct style. I ask all the questions you should never ask, and he gives me all the answers he should never give. A very enjoyable experience! It’s also the first time that I’ve heard a Senior Executive say to his Finnish hosts that they really shouldn’t criticize England because it was they who originally came to rape, pillage, and essentially populate our little island. Their response was a worrying mixture of cheeky grins, stunned silence and hand rubbing.
The other good thing about Finland was that the Accenture team decided to roll out the big gun for this client presentation…so I got to spend the day with Royce Bell (much more fun than Francois Bayrou). Royce is a real card and I’m a big fan of his direct style. I ask all the questions you should never ask, and he gives me all the answers he should never give. A very enjoyable experience! It’s also the first time that I’ve heard a Senior Executive say to his Finnish hosts that they really shouldn’t criticize England because it was they who originally came to rape, pillage, and essentially populate our little island. Their response was a worrying mixture of cheeky grins, stunned silence and hand rubbing.
Sunday, 3 May 2009
Just call me Ricky
Ricky Hatton that is....http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/boxing/8028250.stm That's how I feel after this RFP. Another full weekend of work, but hopefully today should be my last involvement.
However no rest for the wicked just yet. I'm off to see my friends in Finland for a couple of days tonight and then I'm definitely taking a few days holiday at the end of the week.
More anon, but I just wanted to let you know that I now see the light at the end of the tunnel...even if I think that what I see coming is just the headlights on one big fat juggernaut with my name written all over it.
However no rest for the wicked just yet. I'm off to see my friends in Finland for a couple of days tonight and then I'm definitely taking a few days holiday at the end of the week.
More anon, but I just wanted to let you know that I now see the light at the end of the tunnel...even if I think that what I see coming is just the headlights on one big fat juggernaut with my name written all over it.
Wednesday, 29 April 2009
Self Fulfilling Prophecies
It is my firm belief that as you get older your personality doesn't change. In fact your personality traits become more and more pronounced. Linked to this is my realisation that you also spend more and more time finding reasons or examples of things that justify your instinctive positions or beliefs, sort of "marking your own homework" or "reverse causality" if you like.
I have a tendency to be very open with people – rightly or wrongly, I rarely play my cards close to my chest. However this is not because I am some sort of goody two shoes, it is more to do with the fact that I am extremely forgetful. Lying and giving half truths requires a great deal more effort than being open – I am really no good at remembering what I told who when. Furthermore being an economist by background I am very aware of information asymmetry so I much prefer to give everyone the same data!
As such, I am glad to see that this RFP, which has been run on the basis of concealing information and only releasing data to certain people at certain times, is not going as smoothly as one might hope. Apart from feeling hopelessly tired and exasperated, I also feel happy because this experience has taught me that trying to remember at 1AM in the morning why you only told one senior executive about one change and not another change, and why another senior executive has different information, well, it’s just a bit of a mess really. 48 hours to go and counting, although my bank holiday weekend is looking in grave danger……I need to get to bed. Goodnight campers.
I have a tendency to be very open with people – rightly or wrongly, I rarely play my cards close to my chest. However this is not because I am some sort of goody two shoes, it is more to do with the fact that I am extremely forgetful. Lying and giving half truths requires a great deal more effort than being open – I am really no good at remembering what I told who when. Furthermore being an economist by background I am very aware of information asymmetry so I much prefer to give everyone the same data!
As such, I am glad to see that this RFP, which has been run on the basis of concealing information and only releasing data to certain people at certain times, is not going as smoothly as one might hope. Apart from feeling hopelessly tired and exasperated, I also feel happy because this experience has taught me that trying to remember at 1AM in the morning why you only told one senior executive about one change and not another change, and why another senior executive has different information, well, it’s just a bit of a mess really. 48 hours to go and counting, although my bank holiday weekend is looking in grave danger……I need to get to bed. Goodnight campers.
Monday, 27 April 2009
Hobnobbing with the stars
I feared the worst as I reluctantly dragged myself from my bed this morning to go to the airport for the final week of this RFP. Imagine then my surprise then when my journey was punctuated with a very pleasant 1 hour and 15 minutes travelling in the company of Francois Bayrou. For those of you who don't know him, he's the French equivalent of the Lib Dem leader Nick Clegg (who he was actually going to meet). He was a very pleasant chap who is famous in France for breeding race horses. No surprises for guessing that our conversation focused on equine rather than political subjects as we took the Stansted Express into London (both travelling in second class I'll have you note). For those of you not up on French politics here's a link...http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Francois_Bayrou. It's a funny old world. Needless to say my little ray of sunshine was thoroughly rained away as soon as I stepped over the Old Bailey threshold.....another late finish as my hotel bed beckons.....
Sunday, 26 April 2009
The Final Countdown
Those of you who know me well know that there is little in life that can sap my will to live. Unfortunately the RFP I am currently working is doing just that. Thankfully in the words of the great Swedish rock band Europe, it's the Final Countdown. We need to get the submission ready for Friday and then I will definitely be looking for other things to do. It's been a thoroughly unenjoyable experience but I've learned a lot about how not to do things - there you go, looking on the bright side already! Anyway, "bon courage" for the new week as my French friends would say - I think I am going to need it....
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