Writing this book would not have been possible without many factors falling into place. Most importantly, the loving support and infinite patience of my wife, Loreto. When starting out on this venture I didn’t realize for one moment just how challenging it would be. All I knew was that I wanted to tell a story and suggest a few ideas which might help others deal with this crazy world of ours. Thanks go to my friend David Pearl, who provided lots of little story-telling gems and support along the way, plus engineering an introduction to Charles Handy. For this, I am eternally grateful as the advice and inspiration Charles provided at breakfast in Putney set me on the right path.
Of course the whole endeavour would not have started without the advice of my former colleague at the BBC, Pat Loughrey, who advised me to keep a journal of my adventures. These 26 notebooks brought to life not only a complicated and convoluted storyline but reminded me of a whole host of great people who came on the BBC journey with me. It is impossible to mention everybody in this book, but you all know who you are so please accept my appreciative thanks. Looking back, we truly lived the BBC values, especially the one about ‘great things happen when we work together’!
This book is six years in the making and there were times when I felt like giving up. Early on, I stumbled upon Nigel Roberts, a former BBC journalist who helped me frame the narrative and coached me in the art of writing a book. In 2015, Nigel was taken from us and this was a big loss. It took me a couple of years to fill this gap and during this period I realized that the task of explaining my complex world to readers was bigger than I had anticipated. I needed a sounding board and editor for my thoughts and a collaborator to explain this veritable bowl of spaghetti in a simple and engaging way. Thankfully, I found the very capable Eugenia Anastassiou, whose journalistic skills kept me on track and who has been instrumental in helping me get Where Is My Office? across the finish line. Amassing all the research, writing papers and carrying out interviews was a task I had completely underestimated. I am very grateful for the contributions of Ciara O’Connor, Colm Devereux, Adi Gaskell, Nick Perry and Marina Kostadinovic, who helped eat the elephant in manageable pieces.
Also, thanks go to the Bloomsbury team, Ian Hallsworth and Matt James, who had faith in Eugenia and me to produce this book. As a complete novice it was fantastic to get their backing and to receive the support from Allie Collins and the wider team during the publishing process.
I also owe a debt of gratitude to former BBC Director-General Mark Thompson for taking time out of his hectic life leading the New York Times to write the foreword for this book and for all the encouragement he provided when we were at the BBC. While on that note, I wish to acknowledge the help of Keith Beal, Tim Cavanagh, Dilys Foster, Andrew Fullerton, Andy Griffee, and John Smith for helping to fill in the gaps for the BBC story and to BBC Head of History Robert Seatter for his support and permission to use BBC material in the book.
During the last six months of writing there were several people who made the journey more bearable by acting as sounding boards, reviewing draft ideas and generously providing their input and time to the project. These include Max Luff, Caroline Waters, Peter Miscovich, Neil Usher, Ronen Journo, Tomas Blatte, Martin Laws, Mark Eltringham and Simon Heath. When it came to review rough drafts, I sought out friends who had no idea of my world to see what they made of it. Thanks to the following for taking the time to review and comment: Julie Gilligan, Maureen Martin, Ciara McLoughlin, Peter Edgar and David Connole.
I badgered and interviewed a wide range of people across the globe, all of whom had something useful to say. The following is a list of contributors/interviewees in alphabetical order that I have maintained over the years, which I hope covers everybody who has contributed, and I am extremely grateful for their input:
Chris Alcock, Ben Almond, Doctor Monique Arkesteijn, Paul Bagust, Ann Bamesberger, Guy Battle, Professor Franklin Becker, Giovanni Bevilacqua, Steven Boyd, Tracey Brower, Angela Cain, Fiona Calnan, David Camp, Antonia Cardone, Mark Catchlove, Kevin Chapman, Peter Cheese, Martin Clarke, Rupert Clarke, Brian Collins, Michael Creamer, Don Crichton, Dave Crocker, Mark Dixon, Angus Dodd, John Duckworth, William Dunne, Juliet Filose, Ian Foulds, Francesca Fryer, Mark Galbreath, Thais Galli, Kevin George, Nicola Gillen, Lis Gleed, James Goldsmith, Professor David Good, Richard Graham, Sir Malcolm Grant, Charlie Green, Michael Grove, Kursty Groves, Michael Graham, Franco Guidi, Andrew Hallissey, Steve Hargis, Doctor Rob Harris, Roy Hirshland, Guy Holden, Chris Hood, Bill Hughes, Professor Michael Joroff, Luc Kamperman, Despina Katsikakis, Jamie Kinch, Judy Klein, Bryan Koop, Andy Lake, Su Lim, Sir Stuart Lipton, Kate Lister, Doctor Paul Luciani, Roger Madelin, Reza Marchant, Patrick Marsh, Melissa Marsh, Andrew Mawson, Danny Meaney, Denis McGowan, Francisco Vázquez Medem, Juliette Morgan, Chris Moriarty, Debra Moritz, George Muir, Jane Muir-Sands, Doctor Clare Murray, Kate North, Tim Oldman, Nick O’Donnell, Marta O’Mara, Roelof Opperman, Caleb Parker, Russell Phimister, Lisa Picard, Polly Plunket-Checkemian, Dror Poleg, Jack Pringle, Doctor Marie Puybaraud, Steve Quick, Danial Quinn, Doctor Amanda Rischbieth, Philip Ross, Doctor Peggie Rothe, Kay Sargent, Kevin Sauer, Helmut Schuster, Euan Semple, Natalie Slessor, Anthony Slumbers, Ryan Simonetti, Kate Smith, Robert Teed, Perry Timms, Fons Trompenaars, Frank Van Massenhove, Doctor Barry Varcoe, Tim Venable, Damian Wild, Stephen Wild, Clive Wilkinson, Glen Wong, Bridget Workman, Workplace Evolutionaries and Tim Yendall.
Last, but not least, I want to acknowledge the input of the CRE leaders group USA, who generously allowed me time to sound them out on my thinking at their annual board meeting.