Start Here

Start Here — Cultivated

Start here

Most valuable things begin with an act of attention.

I'm Rob. For twenty-odd years I've followed one question: whether a good idea becomes the value it should — and whether the work of getting it there is any good to be part of. Both halves matter, equally.

I've chased it from newsrooms to engineering teams to the HR side of a business built from almost nothing to a £400M+ exit — and what I noticed never changed with the size of the room. Good people, real effort, strong intent, and ideas not quite becoming what they could. Never for lack of ability. The idea is rarely the problem; the conditions around it usually are — and the person who learns to see those conditions is usually the one who moves it.

That kind of seeing — knowing which ideas are worth moving, and why — only gets more valuable as more of the doing gets automated.

These days I do that work in the open: talks and workshops, consulting when you need clarity over where things are stuck, and the books, guides and essays I publish here. Some of it's free, some of it isn't — all of it is meant to be used.

If you've ever found yourself wondering:

  • Why some workplaces make people feel more creative, engaged and fulfilled than others.
  • Why communication is so often the difference between success and failure.
  • Why many offices seems to have forgotten the importance of books.
  • How ideas become value.
  • Whether work could be more thoughtful, more human and more meaningful whilst achieving business results.


Then you're in the right place.


There's a fair bit here. So if you only do one thing:

If you read one thing, read this

Mottainai — stop wasting human potential

A Japanese idea about treating time, effort and potential with the respect they deserve. It's the closest thing I have to a manifesto, and everything else here grows out of it.

Ideas to turn over

For the reader who likes to think about work, not just get through it.

All the writing →

Things to put to work

Guides and books you can open today and use on straight away.

  • The Life of an Idea

    The whole system for moving an idea from a first flicker to something real, useful and valuable, and ensuring it's great to be part of that work too.

  • Zero to Keynote

    Turn your ideas into a talk you enjoy giving, and something deserving of the audience's time, energy and attention.

  • Generate Talk IdeasFree

    A free chapter from Zero to Keynote — so you're never short of something worth saying.

The full library →

Bring it to your team

When you'd like you team to see their work clearly, and have the insights to apply straight away.

  • Talks & keynotes

    A talk built for your room and your people.

  • Workshops & training

    Hands-on sessions with teaching at the heart — moving ideas to value, communication, creativity, thinking and making.

  • Consulting

    A thinking partner for the harder problems — where ideas are getting stuck on the way to value.

Keep in touch

Two ways to go a little deeper — one free, one the deeper room.

The newsletter — free

Meeting Notes

A weekly letter: thinking about work, creativity and communication, and whatever I've been noticing that might be useful to whatever you're making. Free, and the easiest way to keep in touch

The deeper room

The Studio

The monthly Department of Interesting Things, the full Idea to Value practitioner handbook, members' essays and a direct line to me. Most of what I make stays free — the Studio is part of what keeps it that way.

Have a wander. If something here turns out to be useful, that's the whole idea.

20+ yearsin the work
200+essays
7+books & courses
Award-winning, international keynotes and workshops — for teams, conferences, universities and schools.

For universities & schools

I lecture and run sessions for students and educators — on communication, creativity, and how ideas become value. If that would be useful where you teach, I'd like to hear from you.

Enquire about a guest lecture →

Value beyond profit

Five percent of profit from the books, courses and membership is given each year to Naomi House — the hospice caring for life-limited children and their families. Because every system should create value beyond profit.