Essays and Observations on music, procurement, technology and various things that have caused me to stop and think. Or occasionally just ask: Why?
This is probably the broadest part of From Jon. Some of these pieces come from many years spent working in procurement and commercial roles; others come from music, technology or simply noticing something interesting and following the thought to see where it leads. There isn’t really a grand plan. Which, on reflection, may be the point.
The Most Extraordinary Twelve Months in Pop Music?
A look back at an extraordinary period when remarkable albums, songs and artists seemed to arrive one after another, and an attempt to answer whether any other twelve months could really compete.
Read the music essay →Why Procurement Leaders Are Often Set Up to Fail
Procurement leaders are frequently given ambitious savings targets without the authority, sponsorship or organisational conditions needed to deliver them. A look at why the problem may begin before the new leader even arrives.
Read the procurement essay →Why Savings Don’t Always Save Money
A procurement saving on a spreadsheet is not necessarily money that ever reaches the bottom line. Some thoughts on baselines, budgets, avoided costs and the dangerous temptation to confuse reported savings with genuine financial benefit.
Read why savings aren’t always savings →The Supplier Isn’t Always the Problem
When supplier performance goes wrong, blaming the supplier is easy. But sometimes the contract, governance, behaviours or expectations on the customer side deserve rather more scrutiny.
Read the supplier essay →Latest rabbit hole
Ten Gadgets the World Never Needed
A camera-equipped toothbrush. A fork that tells you off. An Alexa-enabled toilet. A salt shaker with a Bluetooth speaker. Ten entirely genuine inventions that suggest technological progress may occasionally benefit from someone quietly asking, “Why?”
Enter the Wensley Index of Technological Pointlessness →