above the parapet

Archived posts from my grandfather

This is an archive of writings by my grandfather, Len Collinson, originally published on his blog (now deleted). It is included here as family and historical context, and is separate from my own writing on this site.

2017

AND WE WILL STILL GET A SHOCK OR TWO 2 Feb
COMPETENT MANAGERS REMAIN PIVOTAL 17 Jan
THOUGHTS TO ENTER 2017 4 Jan

2016

AND INTO 2017 19 Dec
MATTERS FOR ATTENTION? 6 Dec
MAYBE THERE WILL BE CHANGES? 21 Nov
THE ISSUES DO NOT GO AWAY 9 Nov
ONWARDS? 24 Oct
MORE BLOG 11 Oct
WE LIVE IN A COMPLEX WORLD 26 Sep
IS COMPLACENCY ON THE WAY BACK? 14 Sep
MORE ON THE ECONOMY THIS TIME 30 Aug
A FEW THOUGHTS FOR MANAGERS 15 Aug
SEVEN OBSERVATIONS FOR MORE THOUGHT 1 Aug
THERE ARE OPPORTUNITIES EVERYWHERE 18 Jul
SOME TRICKY ISSUES 4 Jul
KEEPING THE MANAGERIAL EYES OPEN 20 Jun
LOOKING UNDER THE CARPET 6 Jun
A LITTLE MORE CRITICAL THIS TIME 23 May
SHARPEN THE THINKING 9 May
MANAGERIAL ISSUES 11 Apr
DIG A BIT DEEPER 29 Mar
MORE THOUGHTS 14 Mar
ANOTHER LOOK AT THINGS OUT THERE 29 Feb
THROUGH THE KEYHOLE 15 Feb
LOOKING SIDEWAYS 1 Feb
A FEW MORE POINTERS 18 Jan
NOW IN 2016 4 Jan

2015

CLOSURE OF A BUSY YEAR 22 Dec
A FEW WORRIES ABOUT CENTRALISM 7 Dec
LOOK FORWARD 25 Nov
WARNINGS, MAYBE? 10 Nov
SOME GOOD, SOME BAD 26 Oct
HERE WE GO AGAIN 28 Sep
ONE OR TWO MINOR GRUMBLES 14 Sep
ANOTHER LOOK FROM THE HELICOPTER 1 Sep
BIGGER TARGETS 17 Aug
HERE AND THERE FOR MANAGERS 3 Aug
OUTSIDE THE REPORTED TROUBLED TIMES 6 Jul
RESPONSIBILITY IS PERMANENT 8 Jun
KEEP MANAGING 26 May
SITUATIONS WILL SHIFT 11 May
WHAT WILL THEY TALK ABOUT ON TV AFTER THURSDAY 7 MAY? 27 Apr
ONE OR TWO REFLECTIONS FOR MANAGERS 13 Apr
UNCERTAINTY THROWS A DARK SHADOW 17 Mar
CHANGE IN OUR SIGHTS 2 Mar
MANAGING REMAINS DIFFICULT 2 Feb
INTO 2015 6 Jan

2014

IMMINENT CHANGES 24 Nov
TAKING A STEP BACK 12 Nov
MONEY, MYTHS AND CHRISTINE 27 Oct
A FEW MORE THOUGHTS 13 Oct
AS SCOTLAND WAS THINKING 19 Sep
A CLOSER LOOK 1 Sep
COUNTER REFLECTIONS 18 Aug
GLIMPSES AWAIT ATTENTION 21 Jul
TROUBLE FOR BIG GOVERNMENT 11 Jul
A LOOK UNDER SOME CARPETS 27 Jun
DO THE FIGURES CONFUSE US? 9 Jun
A STEP BACK FOR THOUGHT 28 May
A LOOK AT HIERARCHIES 28 Apr
LET’S CONSIDER A FEW DIFFERENT ISSUES 14 Apr
ARE WE RELUCTANT TO MEASURE WHAT WE DO? 31 Mar
CONSPIRACIES ARE FASCINATING THOUGHTS. COCK-UPS ARE OFTEN REALITY. 17 Mar
THINGS TO DO 3 Mar
THE WIDER VIEW 17 Feb
ANOTHER LOOK AT THE FIGURES 3 Feb
A RETURN TO HAVING A LOOK AROUND 20 Jan
IT'S NOW 2014 6 Jan

2013

AND INTO 2014 19 Dec
THERE ARE IMPORTANT THINGS TO DO – OR NOT DO 2 Dec
THERE ARE SOME CONTENTIOUS ISSUES 19 Nov
MANAGEMENT IS THE TASK OF CARE 8 Nov
MORE OF AN OVERVIEW 21 Oct
MORE MANAGERS. BETTER RESULTS? 7 Oct
IS BOOM TO BUST AND BACK AGAIN A HABIT? 25 Sep
FIGURES ARE IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION. BUT ..... 9 Sep
A FEW ISSUES 27 Aug
THE MANAGER’S JOB IS NEVER DONE 12 Aug
A BIT OF THE LATERAL 29 Jul
A SHORT LOOK AT THE HARSHER BITS 16 Jul
PERSISTENCE IS THE RULE 1 Jul
THERE ARE OPPORTUNITIES. BE CAREFUL. 17 Jun
BIT OF AN OVERVIEW AND OTHER OBSERVATIONS 3 Jun
A BIT OF A RANT THIS TIME 20 May
THERE ARE THINGS TO DO 7 May
ANOTHER SIDEWAYS LOOK 22 Apr
A LOOK UNDERNEATH THE CARPET 8 Apr
WITH PITFALLS IN MIND 27 Mar
SOME UNCOMFORTABLE COMMENTS 11 Mar
COMPETENCE IS A NECESSITY 25 Feb
A WIDER SWEEP 13 Feb
A LOOK AT MISSED ISSUES 30 Jan
WORK IS RECOVERING FROM THE LONG FESTIVE SEASON 14 Jan
IT'S 2013 2 Jan

2012

AND INTO 2013 19 Dec
THE TASK HAS NOT GONE AWAY 3 Dec
IT’S A FUNNY OLD WORLD 19 Nov
THIS AND THAT FOR MANAGERS 2 Nov
KEEP IT SIMPLE 24 Oct
FROM A DIFFERENT ANGLE 8 Oct
DECISIONS, DECISIONS, DECISIONS 24 Sep
GOOD AND BAD NEWS. WE MUST STILL MANAGE FOR RESULTS 10 Sep
ONE OR TWO OBTUSE ISSUES 24 Aug
THROUGH THE OTHER END OF OUR TELESCOPE 13 Aug
MAYBE THINGS FOR CONSIDERATION? 31 Jul
ONWARDS AND ......? 16 Jul
TOWARDS A BIT MORE CLARIFICATION 2 Jul
THOUGHTS FOR THE SUMMER SOLSTICE 18 Jun
THOUGHTS DURING CELEBRATIONS OF THE JUBILEE 6 Jun
MORE OBSERVATIONS 21 May
HOT ISSUES FOR MANAGERS 8 May
A BIT MORE REFLECTIVE 25 Apr
A RANT AND SOME TITBITS 11 Apr
A FEW THOUGHTS ON BASICS 29 Mar
MANAGING IS A TOUGH JOB 14 Mar
A FEW REALITIES 29 Feb
ANOTHER SIDEWAYS LOOK AT EVENTS AND TRENDS 13 Feb
HERE AND THERE 2 Feb
THINGS WILL GET BETTER 17 Jan
2012 IS A BRAND NEW OPPORTUNITY 3 Jan

2011

INTO 2012 12 Dec
THERE IS MUCH TO DO 28 Nov
A JIGSAW 11 Nov
EFFECTIVE MANAGERS ARE SCARCE 31 Oct
OUT OF THE CORNER OF MY EYE 17 Oct
SCRAMBLE. BACK INTO THE HELICOPTER. LOOK DOWN 3 Oct
A SIDEWAYS LOOK 16 Sep
JUST LOOK. YOU'LL SEE THESE THINGS 5 Sep
SPOTTINGS ABOUT THE PLACE 22 Aug
A LOOK IN THE MIRROR 8 Aug
AND INTO THE HELICOPTER 25 Jul
This and that 11 Jul