Away from the office..
Listed on April 17, 2014 in Blogs!
The BBC is a fantastic resource and in my view worth every penny of the licence fee. Radio Four in particular has some of the best broadcast content on the planet! If you are not convinced by this assertion then all you have to do is to tune in to Radio Four at 9.03 on a Thursday morning. Here you will hear Melvyn Bragg chair a discussion with three experts on subjects drawn either history, science or world culture. This morning it was the Domesday Book. If that’s too erudite for you first thing in the morning or if you are at work, then you can catch it again at 21.30 or via the In Our Time podcast. But there’s more, much more to discover. One particular favourite of mine is Evan Davis’ programme The Bottom Line – a studio conversation with people drawn from the business world, large and small. Some time ago, one of these programmes explored the value of the away day. For the uninitiated, this is a day away from the normal working environment where colleagues can think differently about what they do. The programme was naturally music to my ears. Getting out of the office, changing the vibe by changing the location may seem like a no-brainer but many fail to see the value amidst busy schedules and deadlines. This is not seeing the bigger picture. Businesses – by which I mean the people in businesses, need to occasionally step back and recalibrate what they are doing and how they are doing it. Not to do so is dangerous and to do so when you should be on holiday is equally dangerous. At Dillington we do it in a number of ways. We visit other venues and we discuss ideas with similar venues. We travel with colleagues and chat about work in the car. Very occasionally, we go away somewhere to talk and think. One rather interesting version of the away day is to be a delegate at a conference at Dillington or elsewhere and become a customer. When this happens I usually return to my desk with a long list of observations and ideas. Over many years now I have come to the firm conclusion that taking time out with colleagues, away from the fray of everyday hurly-burly, is incredibly helpful and even therapeutic. Happy Easter.
