AlphaNerd

  I’m a big fan of Values when it comes to the business world. Corporate values combine with a company’s Vision and Mission in order to codify what the company is going to achieve, how it intends to achieve it and what code of conduct it will exhibit in the doing. When done well, these three aspects work together to determine the direction the company is taking and give clarity to customers and employees alike.  The power of values is that they give a shared framework of ethics to base decisions on. This needs to be a truism regardless of the consequences; maintaining the values should align with the vision of the company, regardless of short term commercial considerations. If you hold true to your values, you will move closer to your vision. If you have the right vision, commercial success will be the outcome of achieving it. Without this commitment values are not values at all and in the worst cases they are eventually revealed to be lies.  I suspect being a ‘nerd’* has...

The election of Donald Trump as the 47th President of the United States of America seems to indicate, in American society at least, that blatant self interest and the desire to progress is more important than ethics and matters of principle. The same can be said for any number of societies in the world today, not least of which my own. Economic privations push voters to the far ends of the political spectrum, and cause them to vote for individuals and ethoses that they might otherwise rationalise as abhorrent. The Values that make up a society seem to erode as the privations of economic hardship take hold. There is of course a counter-argument to this, based on the principles of the nation in question. A not-so-quick internet search and it seems that the Principles of the United States Constitution are as follows: Separation of powers, Individual rights, Rule of law, Federalism, Republicanism, Equal footing, and Tiers of Scrutiny. (Note: some variance in these can be found, depending o...

I'm not going to lie, the last few months haven't been easy, hence the radio silence. Is there light at the  end of the tunnel, or is it the next train coming at you head on? I'm working with friends on a couple of endeavours, some of which may prove to be the end of the tunnel, some might just be a train. I'm keeping up the Hospital volunteering, to which everyone I tell replies with, 'I bet you're b rilliant at that Mark', or words to that effect. And they're right, I am. I leave everyone with a smile on their face, (although I admit, the free chocolate I'm now allowed to distribute may help) I'm sympathetic, humourous, empathetic and cheerful. Given my own cancer exper ience I can relate and understand the fears and hopes of the patients I meet. I listen when needed and talk when wanted. I am the embodiment of kindness to them and their consistent appreciation is as good for my mental health as much as I hope it's good for theirs.  It does...