Bit of an odd post this from me really, but given I don’t have a personal blog (and really what’s the difference between personal and professional with me anyway?!) I thought I’d post it here. It is also a little odd as it’s pretty much content free, more a thought as I sit and have a quiet think to myself on the train about where life is at for me at the minute.
Those of you who know me (or even just follow my incessant tweeting) will know me as a hopeless optimist. I like to think of myself as a realist, but an optimistic one nonetheless. Despite those tendencies, I have to say I’m particularly excited by the things that me and the people around me who I know, love and respect are doing right now.
I am a local government geek (again, no surprise). From pretty much the moment I set foot in university if not before I was fascinated by cities, their look, their feel, the diversity of people, the fun that could be had – and then increasingly how they are run.
No doubt this had something to do with moving around a fair bit as a kid and seeing a bunch of different places, eventually settling in Birmingham for most of my childhood, a city that has always had a strong sense of self, loads of civic pride and history of strong city leadership particularly coming from the work of Joseph Chamberlain.
At university I was a Geographer almost solely interested in urban geography and politics. My undergrad thesis looked at political leadership in Birmingham in the 1980s and 1990s and as a post-grad I studied Directly Elected Mayors and their importance in shaping cities’ fortunes.
My Masters was initially really only intended as a delaying tactic having accepted a job as an accountant and bottled actually going through with it (wouldn’t you??). Fortunately the NGDP cropped up while I was doing it (and actually while I was really truly enjoying academia for the first time too), giving me a vital foot up into local government.
Barnet beckoned with the then chief executive and his assistant chief giving me the kind of opportunities you can only dream of at that age, ending up heading up a decent sized team running projects, strategy and other things for the council by the age of 26.
With 5 years experience and a post-grad diploma in local government management (!!) under my belt I found myself setting up on my own via the ever supportive Mick Lowe and his team on the way.
And that’s where FutureGov comes in almost 3 years ago now, where we’ve spent our time looking at how the web (another personal interest of mine) can be used to start to reimagine how local government is done, how it can rework the relationship between citizen and state, how it can challenge the enduring power structures and help us to create the kind of world we want to live in for ourselves supported (crucially) not dictated by either the government or the vested interests of big business and others.
I tell you all of that to explain why all of a sudden it feels like extra exciting times, both for me personally but also for all of us as a collaborative, as all these passions and interests suddenly come crashing together.
Suddenly I am attending Chief Executive only gigs to talk about how technology and the web can help local government both understand and deliver on the needs of the people it is there to support. Suddently I am invited to sit on the Practitioners Advisory Board of INLOGOV to help support their research and thinking around the future shape of local government (in the building next door to my old school in a weird twist of fate!). Suddenly we have the opportunity to put on CityCamp London (thanks to our amazing supporters) to bring together some amazing brains to consider the future of London and what role technology can play in reshaping both society and state in making it an ever better world class city to live and work in.
But most importantly, suddenly for the first time I feel like people in government are listening and people in society are better able than ever to use the web to just get on and make amazing things happen for themselves with or without the help of government (I prefer with, but that’s just me!).
When I started FutureGov, I scribbled down the glib (and frankly the somewhat laughable) tag line “helping to shape the future of government”. This month, for the first time and with the help of all of you amazing people (and above all the simply brilliant Carrie Bishop), I think we might be starting to do just that.
Exciting times.
I agree. It’s starting to come together! Your next challenge imho is to help authorities access the skills insights and energy they have within in low profile places rather than looking outside for it.
I agree. It’s starting to come together! Your next challenge imho is to help authorities access the skills insights and energy they have within in low profile places rather than looking outside for it.
I agree. It’s starting to come together! Your next challenge imho is to help authorities access the skills insights and energy they have within in low profile places rather than looking outside for it.
Absolutely! In fact I said exactly that at LGC Summit yesterday – don’t ask us to do anything that you can’t already do for yourselves. Go and ask your staff if anyone is interested in doing it and use them! Then just ask us to do vision and creative thinking – and allow us to internalise that too…
Absolutely! In fact I said exactly that at LGC Summit yesterday – don’t ask us to do anything that you can’t already do for yourselves. Go and ask your staff if anyone is interested in doing it and use them! Then just ask us to do vision and creative thinking – and allow us to internalise that too…
Absolutely! In fact I said exactly that at LGC Summit yesterday – don’t ask us to do anything that you can’t already do for yourselves. Go and ask your staff if anyone is interested in doing it and use them! Then just ask us to do vision and creative thinking – and allow us to internalise that too…
Great to hear its finally beginning to pay off big time. You deserve it after putting all that effort in (and sharing a bed with Dave Briggs…..
Great to hear its finally beginning to pay off big time. You deserve it after putting all that effort in (and sharing a bed with Dave Briggs…..
Great to hear its finally beginning to pay off big time. You deserve it after putting all that effort in (and sharing a bed with Dave Briggs…..
Dom,
Governments are listening. Your ideas are getting the air time they deserve. I mentioned City Camp this week to Government leaders from the Kingdon of Jordan, to Panama, and the US State Department (again).
Keep plugging away and know that you have some institutional support across the pond!
Matt
Dom,
Governments are listening. Your ideas are getting the air time they deserve. I mentioned City Camp this week to Government leaders from the Kingdon of Jordan, to Panama, and the US State Department (again).
Keep plugging away and know that you have some institutional support across the pond!
Matt
Dom,
Governments are listening. Your ideas are getting the air time they deserve. I mentioned City Camp this week to Government leaders from the Kingdon of Jordan, to Panama, and the US State Department (again).
Keep plugging away and know that you have some institutional support across the pond!
Matt
Well done Dom,
You forget to mention that you are still an inspiration to many colleagues in Local Government who can believe that persistence, passion and determination can pay off.
Along with Mr Briggs, you were one of the first people i followed on Twitter and someone i continue to recommend following to this day.
Keep pushing on as the success you get helps us ride the subsequent waves in our own organisations.
)
Carl
Well done Dom,
You forget to mention that you are still an inspiration to many colleagues in Local Government who can believe that persistence, passion and determination can pay off.
Along with Mr Briggs, you were one of the first people i followed on Twitter and someone i continue to recommend following to this day.
Keep pushing on as the success you get helps us ride the subsequent waves in our own organisations.
)
Carl
Well done Dom,
You forget to mention that you are still an inspiration to many colleagues in Local Government who can believe that persistence, passion and determination can pay off.
Along with Mr Briggs, you were one of the first people i followed on Twitter and someone i continue to recommend following to this day.
Keep pushing on as the success you get helps us ride the subsequent waves in our own organisations.
)
Carl
Dom
Great to read you are so happy, and all in your 30th year. Belated Happy Birthday.
Local authorities that are open, friendly and encouraging of interaction with their residents, will surely have an easier job of managing the budget pressures around the corner.
If only there were a few more of them, but those you help will be a light for others.
Dom
Great to read you are so happy, and all in your 30th year. Belated Happy Birthday.
Local authorities that are open, friendly and encouraging of interaction with their residents, will surely have an easier job of managing the budget pressures around the corner.
If only there were a few more of them, but those you help will be a light for others.
Dom
Great to read you are so happy, and all in your 30th year. Belated Happy Birthday.
Local authorities that are open, friendly and encouraging of interaction with their residents, will surely have an easier job of managing the budget pressures around the corner.
If only there were a few more of them, but those you help will be a light for others.
You’re doing a great job, and your enthusiasm is infectious. I agree that attitudes to the Web 2.0 have changed a lot – even since spring this year.
We still have a lot to do, of course. I still think that the election purdah was the most extreme in my memory, and reflected a fear still about communicating online as opposed to offline communications face-to-face, by letter or by telephone.
I was amused by our recent discussion about blogs, blogrolls, and public organisations and look forward to continuing that debate soon.
Vive la revolution!
You’re doing a great job, and your enthusiasm is infectious. I agree that attitudes to the Web 2.0 have changed a lot – even since spring this year.
We still have a lot to do, of course. I still think that the election purdah was the most extreme in my memory, and reflected a fear still about communicating online as opposed to offline communications face-to-face, by letter or by telephone.
I was amused by our recent discussion about blogs, blogrolls, and public organisations and look forward to continuing that debate soon.
Vive la revolution!
You’re doing a great job, and your enthusiasm is infectious. I agree that attitudes to the Web 2.0 have changed a lot – even since spring this year.
We still have a lot to do, of course. I still think that the election purdah was the most extreme in my memory, and reflected a fear still about communicating online as opposed to offline communications face-to-face, by letter or by telephone.
I was amused by our recent discussion about blogs, blogrolls, and public organisations and look forward to continuing that debate soon.
Vive la revolution!
You might be a “hopeless optimist” Dom, but that’s what draws both people, ideas and success your way! So don’t stop tweeting or being an optimist!
I have no doubt that with you, your expertise and that incessant optimism behind them, CityCamp London is going to be a raging success!
You might be a “hopeless optimist” Dom, but that’s what draws both people, ideas and success your way! So don’t stop tweeting or being an optimist!
I have no doubt that with you, your expertise and that incessant optimism behind them, CityCamp London is going to be a raging success!
You might be a “hopeless optimist” Dom, but that’s what draws both people, ideas and success your way! So don’t stop tweeting or being an optimist!
I have no doubt that with you, your expertise and that incessant optimism behind them, CityCamp London is going to be a raging success!
Congrats, Dom! A source of inspiration for the rest of us
Keep on going – special advisor to Mr Obama is the next stop, right?
Congrats, Dom! A source of inspiration for the rest of us
Keep on going – special advisor to Mr Obama is the next stop, right?
Congrats, Dom! A source of inspiration for the rest of us
Keep on going – special advisor to Mr Obama is the next stop, right?
Just dropping in quickly to say a big THANK YOU for your lovely comments.
Let’s do this…
Just dropping in quickly to say a big THANK YOU for your lovely comments.
Let’s do this…
Just dropping in quickly to say a big THANK YOU for your lovely comments.
Let’s do this…
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