How many of us are in professions we dreamed of when we were young? Few, I guess, not only because most opportunties remained unknown to us growing up but also because many wouldn’t have existed then, either. Opportunities tend to only reveal themselves as we work our way through life. For me, I didn’t know […]
From time to time, as you navigate the complexity of life, you can reach a vantage point, take a look around and see things differently, see new things emerging. Feel drawn to a different future, in a different direction. If you’re paying attention within and without, you know when it’s time. And for me, after […]
I was invited to take part in a discussion on the legacy of Stephen Lawrence alongside amazing panellists – Meera Spillett, Chris Murray, Rosemary Campbell-Stephens and Keith Jarrett. It was, for me, a stretch of my own comfort. I was used to sharing my experiences and thoughts in deeply personal and private situations. This was […]
I feel the ground under the soles of my feet, solid and – at my scale of time – permanent. I lift my gaze slowly, the crown of my head rising up, imperceptably to others, obviously to me. My spine straightens as the vertibrae align and I stand taller, straighter, stronger. My eyes remain unfocused, […]
It’s so long since I last took the tube. The Thursday before I started working from home in response to Covid-19, so my last tube ride would have been March 12th. Exactly a year ago. I’m realising it’s possible to have a degree of nostalgia even for things that previously felt like a necessary evil. I […]
It’s easy to look ahead – to the next task, meal, commute; the next week, month or year in our lives. Things to do, commitments to honour. Sometimes, perhaps, we think in a longer time-frame – our retirement options, perhaps, how we might afford to send our children to Uni or whether we’ll leave the […]
Coming soon
I share here copies of the various publications I’ve authored or co-authored at the RSA, from most recent first. They offer examples of the research programmes I have completed. A Rough Guide to being an entrepreneur. Summary of the learning journey with NHS Lothian’s entrepreneurs. A stitch in time Realising the value of futures and […]
I’ve delivered a number of consultancy projects as a freelance strategist and within my role at the RSA. I’ve delivered value for a range of clients, including the following. Developing a strategy for the shift to hybrid working Staff engagement to determine opportunities for post-Civid work. Delivering a programme with internal entrepreneurs to create change […]
Below are a selection of documents and decks I have written or prepared for various previous projects as an illustration of the areas of work I have been involved in. Improving educational attainment This programme set out to mobilise system-wide activity to improve the whole population outcomes for young people, which by every measure were […]
I led the Norfolk district council’s policy and research to develop and underpin proposals for new local government structures as well as being part of the team arguing against the resultant Boundary Committee proposals including the judicial review process. I remember unearthing – and being grateful for – documents from previous such exercises in the […]
How do we move forward into an uncertain world? A curious generalist recognises that whatever their interests and various areas of expertise, they are moving forward into an unknown world. They develop ways of thinking about and acting in the world to ensure it is fit for future generations that transcend specialisms and single disciplines. […]
Ian Burbidge 