Burst My Bubble

About me

More about me and "Burst My Bubble".

What is "Burst My Bubble"?

"Burst My Bubble" is the umbrella brand for the kind of product and team development work that I do. I work on the principle that having your bubble burst can be uncomfortable but, sooner or later, you need to do it if you want to grow and make things better. In other words, progress is made not only by aggregating ideas that support each other but also by actively seeking and embracing ideas that challenge your assumptions, in particular deeply embedded assumptions that maintain the feeling that "That's just the way it is".

What is a "creative disruptor"?

I identify as a creative disruptor because my natural inclination is to find patterns and signs of dysfunction within systems and then develop creative approaches that improve things. This invariably involves some kind of system disruption. A creative disruptor is typically an innovator and often an entrepreneur, although innovators and entrepreneurs are not necessarily creative disruptors. I like to apply my creative disruption to the development of both teams and products.

But what do you actually do?

I make things better. Products, teams, communications and systems.

Blending analytical and creative thinking, I enhance an evidence based approach to management and problem solving with lateral thinking to open opportunities for improvement and growth, avoiding creative and productive stagnation.

Right now I am working on a couple of my own projects, and looking for opportunities to help others progress their ideas. One of my talents is to assess the strengths and weaknesses of a team, identify what they most need to achieve their goals and help them to meet those needs. Sometimes this means taking a leadership role myself, sometimes it means helping someone else to lead. If your team is struggling to function at its best, I would love to help.

What experience do you have?

I have a history of creative disruption, from setting up a new university newspaper, to breaking new ground with a culturally challenging service to help patients diagnosed with a sexually transmitted infection with the often embarrassing task of informing recent partners of possible exposure.

I worked for 11 years as a project/product manager for a health promotion charity, whose primary activities were the production of multi-media social marketing campaigns and face to face interventions, including groupwork, designed to encourage positive behaviour change. Working in a small charity I was never going to increase the sales of a multi-million dollar corporation by 400%, but I learned very well how a small organisation can punch above its weight and working in a close-knit team meant I had to practise a wide variety of skills to support my colleagues and develop my own products and deliverables. These skills included obtaining and analysing data to identify need; developing project plans including product specifications; team development; group facilitation; delivering training and presentations; developing marketing strategies and materials; working closely with graphic designers and programmers; basic website building; report writing and other copywriting.

I also have a post–graduate Script Development Diploma with the National Film & Television School in the UK, which basically means I know how to coach people both in understanding their story and telling it. The analytical, creative and interpersonal skills required in script development transfer extremely well to improving the output of other purpose focussed creativity.