Get ambidextrous, or...

I am, I confess, not always ahead of the game. The Mail's story that the lead partner from McKinsey's working on simplifying the BBC is Suzanne Heywood passed me by.

Her c.v. makes her an obvious choice for radical surgery to Blubbery Auntie. She studied zoology at Oxford and Cambridge, with a touch of psychology thrown in; she was a "principal" in the 90s at HM Treasury (it was there she met and married Jeremy Heywood, now Sir, and Cabinet Secretary); and she is on the board of the Royal Opera House.

The McKinsey website offers snippets of Lady Suzanne's insights. This caught my eye.

Whenever companies tackle complexity, they will ultimately find some individuals who seem less troubled by it than others. This is not surprising. People are different: some freeze like deer in the headlights in the face of ambiguity, uncertainty, complex roles, and unclear accountabilities; others are able to get their work done regardless. Companies need to locate the pockets of individual strength and weakness in order to respond intelligently. Although some people can deal with complexity innately, we now know that others can be trained to develop what we call “ambidextrous” capabilities—the ability to tolerate ambiguity and actively manage complexity. Such skills will enable employees to create and use networks within organizations to build relationships and help overcome poor processes, bridge organizational silos, or manage whatever value-creating pockets of complexity their companies decide to maintain. 

I am also off the pace on Steve Hewlett's revelation that Godric Smith may be helping Lord Hall with comms. Godric was educated at Cambridge and Oxford (The Perse School and Worcester), and has spun for various wings of government for 22 years - he worked for three Prime Ministers at Downing Street for over 10 years between 1996 and 2012. He was Tony Blair's Official Spokesman from 2001–04 and his Head of Strategic Communications from 2004–06. He was Director of Communications for London 2012 for the Olympic Delivery Authority and the Government from 2006–12. Godric has now set up a boutique strategy and marketing operation with Olympic chum, Greg Nugent - whose previous employers include Eurostar and The Prince Of Wales. Did we mention that Lord Hall chaired the Cultural Olympiad ?