Category: General
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The Long Way Home – Across the Hejaz Railway
A forgotten railway, a silent desert, and the enduring rhythm of a pilgrim’s journey. The wreckage of the old Hejaz Railway, photographed north of Medina — the desert has reclaimed the line, yet its story endures.(Photograph © Michael Shearwood) “The desert is clean. It is a place of truth. In the desert, a man comes…
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Switching Drivers Part 3 – Leadership in Doubt
“Leadership is not about knowing all the answers, but about guiding others through the questions.” Inspired by Peter Senge A change in project leadership is rarely without any problems. Even when anticipated, it can create uncertainty — a slight change in direction that can unsettle the project team, disrupt confidence, and expose areas that have…
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Achilles at Breaking Point: The Belize Crisis 1977 – Part 2
“Readiness at sea is built not on ceremony, but on the quiet work of engineering.” – Royal Navy saying It is mid-June 1977, and Achilles is once again preparing to go to sea. A single boiler is operating, providing steam for auxiliary functions. The ship’s main steam turbines are slowly warming through, a process that…
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Switching Drivers – Part 2: Leadership in Transition
“The art of progress is to preserve order amid change, and to preserve change amid order” – Alfred North Whitehead The train eases into the station, the driver is helped carefully down from the cab, clearly not fit enough to continue. A replacement is brought forward, a few words exchanged, and the journey continues with…
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Switching Drivers – Part 1: When Leadership Changes Mid-Journey
“Leadership is not about being in charge. It is about taking care of those in your charge.” – Simon Sinek – Start With Why Back on our train. We’re making steady progress and currently on schedule to arrive well in time for our wedding. The passengers are happy and comfortable, the train’s rhythm has contributed…
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The Dark Side of Project Management (Side 3)
How do you stop projects from sliding into the dark side? In this final part of the trilogy, I explore practical ways to manage risk, align people, and keep the pieces fit so the whole project holds together.
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The Dark Side of Project Management (Side 2)
If time and money are the obvious challenges in project management, they’re only the start. Just as Dark Side of the Moon moves deeper into themes of risk, madness, and resolution, projects too have their hidden depths. Which brings me to risk. Pink Floyd captured it in The Great Gig in the Sky: “And I…
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The Dark Side of Project Management (Side 1).
The other evening I was listening to Dark Side of the Moon — an album I’ve returned to countless times. Growing up, Pink Floyd seemed to be a permanent feature in my life. What struck me that evening in my contemplative revelry wasn’t just the music but the way it had been assembled. I remember reading at…
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Accidental Odyssey: Tickets, Trains and Miscommunication
HMS Active F171 – Type 21 Frigate also known as … “The sleek grey messenger of death.” Unknown Not every journey begins with a clear destination – and some don’t even end where they’re supposed to. It was 1977, I was in the Gulf of Mexico aboard HMS Achilles and had just learned that I…
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White Light: Between Superstition and Revelation
Orbs of light have been seen as spirits, signs, or unexplained phenomena – straddling the line between superstition and revelation. “Silent white light filled the world … it does no harm to the romance of the sunset to know a little bit about it – Carl Sagan For centuries, mysterious orbs of light have appeared…
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