December’s been a month which has mixed together some time spent finishing off projects, looking back at the goals I set at the start of the year as well as thinking ahead to a newly confirmed fractional COO engagement next month too.

There’s something really nice about taking a bit of time to pack away work for a couple of weeks at a time when many other people do much the same. To me it’s always felt very different to taking a break at other times of year for that reason.

I was aiming for a gentle, phased wind down for the first three weeks of the month. I should have known better on that front. It was only in the last couple of days before Christmas that work slowed down a lot. Before then, I spent a fair amount of time on finishing off pre-Christmas deliverables, wrestling some short notice requests for delivery ahead of the holidays and getting work sorted for January onwards.

A consultancy project I particularly enjoyed this month was working with a B2B live events agency on their growth planning. Working with Jess, we’ve been focussing on how to build an agency team around a new proposition that’s getting good early traction.

It’s been really interesting working out what fractional COO role to take on next year. I only ever work on a single fractional COO engagement role at once, alongside some coaching, consulting and advisory commitments. That means when it’s time to find a new fractional role, there’s a bit of a juggle to work out who to commit to next. This month’s been no exception on that front.

Having been looking for my next fractional role for around four weeks, I had six qualified opportunities in the pipeline and I’d forgotten how much time managing that process takes. In the end things worked out well, with a new role being confirmed just before I shut my laptop for Christmas. It’s a nice fractional COO role in a brilliant social agency with so much potential, starting mid-January.

I know it sounds a bit like LinkedIn hyperbole to say this, but I have noticed how excited I am about this new gig. I already find myself thinking a lot about the team, the work and getting started – and I know myself well enough to know that’s a positive sign. Can’t wait to get stuck in.

I also signed up two new COOs for my operational leadership coaching practice this month and started working with a new coaching client too. I’m really enjoying meeting new potential coachees and hearing more about their work, roles and desires for coaching.

On the coaching front, I’m also putting time into two academic essays for the coaching qualification I did back in September. They’re due to be handed in during January, so I’d like them done before I start the new fractional role.

The adjustment from writing newsletters and articles to a more academic style hasn’t been that easy. It’s been 27 years since I last wrote an academic essay. Alongside being generally rusty on style, referencing and structure, I’ve had to think more about my writing process as what works for writing the Build newsletter is so different to the process for essay writing.

Away from work, we’re lucky enough to have escaped to the French Alps after Christmas too. We’ve headed to a different part of the Alps to previous years and it’s been great to explore new pistes, finding new places and just enjoying being somewhere new. Seeing the sunshine in the mountains feels great after a particularly murky, misty couple of weeks in our part of the UK too.

Thanks for reading monthnotes this year. I wish you a happy, healthy and prosperous 2025.

Music this month…

New DJ discovery this month is Vik Benno. Particularly enjoyed the variety on this mix from her.

Podcasts this month…

I’ve enjoyed “The Week Unwrapped” podcast this month. Hosted by Olly Mann, it’s a look at some of the weekly news that may not have hit the headlines in a big way, but is worthy of a discussion. I like the panel format and the diversity of the things they cover each week.

Reading this month…

Been reading Supremacy by Parmy Olson. It’s a well sourced and thoughtful look at the stories of two AI businesses: OpenAI and Deepmind. I like learning about some of the human dynamics behind the technology that’s rapidly become part of work now and in the future.

Cycling this month…

Less miles on the bike this month as I’ve ramped up the running ahead of February’s ultra, so 97.8 miles on the road and on the trainer.

Running this month…

59.4 miles.