Simon Scullion

Why write?

Simon Scullion — Tue, 20 Mar 2012 11:50:45 +0000

Photo Credit: Writing Apparatus by Kazarelth

Following my last entry Balancing the use of our time, and Henry‘s thoughts building this out Share more, learn more, the following quote provides a timely reminder on the importance of writing for work:

As soon as you move one step up from the bottom, your effectiveness depends on your ability to reach others through the written or spoken word. And the further away your job is from manual work, the larger the organization of which you are an employee, the more important it will be that you know how to convey your thoughts in writing or speaking. In the very large organization, whether it is the government, the large business corporation, or the Army, this ability to express oneself is perhaps the most important of all the skills a man or woman can possess.

As John Stepper explains in his post:

This isn’t from a modern communications expert or blogger. It’s from Peter Drucker. And it’s from 1952.

Drucker saw that organizational effectiveness increasingly depends on finding, sharing, and building on the best ideas. And for that to happen, those ideas have to be discoverable – that is, written down. Now, more than in Drucker’s day, it’s easier to publish your work and make an audience aware of it.

And while writing helps your firm, it also helps you. By publishing your ideas and opinions, you shape your reputation – who you are, what you do, and how well you do it. And that greater visibility helps unlock opportunities that would never be open to you otherwise.

Time to dust off the quill and ink then!

I’d recommend taking a moment to read John’s post, and his tip to writing more. Be warned, I’m going to try to apply it!

Balancing the use of our time

Simon Scullion — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 17:30:52 +0000

Earlier today I began reading Julien Smith‘s epic post on getting what we want, and whilst I haven’t yet read it all, the following stood out to me:

the way your time should be spent is largely like a pyramid, with a wide base of learning, with a smaller level of acting on top of it, which is directed by the learning, and then on top of that, an even smaller level of writing about it. If you begin to live your life differently than the pyramid should be built, it becomes unbalanced and topples over.

This made a lot of sense to me, and after sharing the thoughts with a colleague, was prompted to put it into a visual.

I’ve interpreted the words “acting” and “writing” as “doing” and “sharing” in an attempt at clarity in case it is taken out of context with Julien’s original explanation

Thanks Julien!

Life Worth Living

Simon Scullion — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 11:55:07 +0000

This unstable economy and society has shown us that comfort and stability are dead. We need to make our lives worth living. We need to be who we always dreamt of being.

Credit: http://almostbohemian.com/you-are-not-your-junk/

Twitter Updates for 2011-04-20

Simon Scullion — Wed, 20 Apr 2011 10:00:00 +0000

good idea in principle, but will calorie count on restaurant menus be accurate, or need policing? @bhc3 @SameerPatel #health #
RT @nachobarrientos:Met @sscullion today. He is indeed a very good speaker and passionate about his job. Keep going that way dude! #
@nachobarrientos thx for the compliment, was great to be able to talk to you guys today. Glad the passion came through! #changetheworld in reply to nachobarrientos #
@vsmith1 sorry to hear you're in hospital, I hope things improve and you're on the mend and out of there soon in reply to vsmith1 #
RT @andysc: Fascinating early-morning discussion on the ferry with @ellenmacarthur < you get an autograph for me!? #
Conny Talbot vs. Adele http://bit.ly/hWCYI6 #
RT @wearelondon: We're recruiting Digital Strategists right now! Great team, clients and remuneration twitterjobchallenge perhaps? #
work laptop off the productivity scale this morning. the wrong end. #FAIL #
RT @andypiper: The Dropbox TOS change is going to be interesting for those using it for temporary storage for anything "corporate". #

Twitter Updates for 2011-04-18

Simon Scullion — Mon, 18 Apr 2011 10:00:00 +0000

Why do long weekends always seem so short after the fact!? #
enjoying watching my five year old daughter getting creative using #gimp #
@pgularte just a three-day work week here this week, so not too many complaints! in reply to pgularte #
@j4ngis that logic would mean the effect is further compounded by sunburn… check! in reply to j4ngis #
Huge congrats to #CSC colleagues @dawnrob and @brtnz for their London marathon efforts! #

Twitter Updates for 2011-04-14

Simon Scullion — Thu, 14 Apr 2011 10:00:00 +0000

One to watch: RT @NigelBarron: The Power of Words http://youtu.be/Hzgzim5m7oU #
RT @j4ngis: "We don't have time to build trust. We need results." #fail < +1 #
@Yorkie71 ask him for his twitter handle! in reply to Yorkie71 #

Twitter Updates for 2011-04-13

Simon Scullion — Wed, 13 Apr 2011 10:00:00 +0000

RT @gary034: Sorry I can't be there to hear you http://bit.ly/f6x41w @cflanagan @JiveSoftware < that makes two of us! #

Twitter Updates for 2011-04-12

Simon Scullion — Tue, 12 Apr 2011 10:00:00 +0000

revisiting @gist http://bit.ly/fDLjqe #
@chuckstar76 not using with LN yet, no. still exploring #gist in reply to chuckstar76 #

Twitter Updates for 2011-04-09

Simon Scullion — Sat, 09 Apr 2011 10:00:00 +0000

Third course of lunch on the terrace. The wife is treating me! http://t.co/qzVtwYF #
RT @passepartout: This guy has a much worse job than you. Watch it until the end. http://bit.ly/eSNThQ < barking mad! #
RT @olallasalazar: Alguien que explica como funciona Twitter y todavía tiene la imagen de perfil del huevo no me dice nada. < +1 #

Twitter Updates for 2011-04-08

Simon Scullion — Fri, 08 Apr 2011 10:00:00 +0000

fancied something different #onrotation this morning http://bit.ly/eA0yoO Fierce Panda Competilation Playlist #