Author Archives: John Ashton

I work with you and your people to create images that start a conversation in your organisation. If you are an organisation going through change, starting something new or simply wanting to engage people with your idea or story, I can help. Using a combination of people development techniques, visual thinking approaches and graphic facilitation skills, I help organisations and individuals discuss, explore and visualise their thinking – increasing understanding, learning and collaboration in an increasingly complex and fast-changing world. So, if your organisation is going through change, starting something new or simply wanting to engage people with your story, please contact me using the contact details above or visit www.crackerjackvisualthinking.com to find out more.

Latest client feedback re: ‘Our Strategy 2021-2026’ rich picture created for Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

“Good Morning John,

I hope you are well, apologies for the delay in sending this over, having now distributed the image you created for us to represent our NMAHP journey to excellence using our new 2021 – 2026 strategy I am delighted to say the feedback  I have received from colleagues has been very positive indeed.

As per the original brief to create a pictorial reference / image for the strategy you have truly delivered!

Colleagues have commented that this piece of work has helped them to simply explain and discuss our combined aims and objectives to continue to support our People our Patients and our Populations.

On a personal note I have enjoyed working with you on this process as you know it has been a key objective to deliver this for Sam our Chief Nurse and the Trust and I believe we have succeeded!.

Thanks again John / Crackerjack I am sure we will work together again soon.

Kind regards,

Mark”

Mark Britton | Business Manager | CNO
Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

Click on the image above to view full size version

Can your business tick all the boxes in this SIMPLE business health check?

It can be easy to lose track of the big picture and get lost in the complexity of running your business. To help with this, here’s a simple template I’ve developed to help you check the health of your business.

The health check uses the SIMPLE mnemonic to focus on 6 key areas of running a business:

Systems
Innovation
Metrics
People
Leadership
Experience (i.e. customer experience)

Simply work your way around the template and see if you can tick all the boxes against each of the statements shown.

If you can tick all the boxes then great! Although don’t be complacent and regularly use the health check to ensure this continues to be the case.

If you can’t tick all the boxes, take time to examine the reasons for this and plan the actions you need to take to enable you to tick the box.

Click on the button below to download the SIMPLE business health check:

simple-checklist-2Download

If you’d like to talk more about the health check, please do get in contact.

Regards,

John

John Ashton | Crackerjack Visual Thinking

As the UK ‘unlocks’, it’s more important than ever to communicate a clear vision for your business

As the countries of the UK emerge from the latest lockdown and progress through their COVID roadmaps, many businesses are opening up for the first time in months and/or having to adapt to how their customers want to do business now that they are used to working in a virtual, working from home, socially distanced, culturally changed (?) world.

The key question for me is how many of those businesses have taken the time to review their business vision (which maps out the fundamental way in which they operate and details what they are striving to achieve)?

It’s easy to understand why, in the scramble to get income flowing again, many businesses will not take even an hour to review their vision. But they could well be missing out on identifying fundamental issues that could eventually lead to their businesses being uncompetitive in the new post-pandemic world.

Realising that you are targeting the wrong customers, using the wrong channels to deliver products or services and using physical office/shop space in an inefficient way are examples of how taking the time to review your business vision can help guard against running your business in the same way as normal – when the ‘old normal’ potentially no longer exists!

So please, take time to review your vision and make sure it is fit for the future (and not the future as you saw it 18 months ago).

All the best,

John
Crackerjack Visual Thinking

If you would like to discuss your organisations vision including how to develop and communicate it impactfully, please contact me and visit www.crackerjackvisualthinking.com

Your Life Story Pictures™ – A creative new way to tell your own or someone else’s life story!

A person’s life is a rich tapestry of events, influences, emotions and experiences that create a unique story. No one person’s story is the same as another.

Capturing this story visually creates a unique artistic record of person’s life journey and can be an ideal gift to:

  • Celebrate a life event…
  • Reward achievements…
  • Help commemorate a colleague, friend or loved-one…

Over at our new sister site Your Life Story Pictures™, you can find out more about how I create rich detailed pictures of people’s life stories using techniques I’ve developed over the last 12 years working here at www.crackerjackvisualthinking.com

Feel free to contact me to find out more about this exciting new service from Your Life Story Pictures™.

All the best,

John

John Ashton – Founder of Crackerjack Visual Thinking and Your Life Story Pictures™

Achieving your organisation’s Vision: Develop your Organisation

In this blog episode, I talk about the importance of alining your systems, processes and organisational behaviours with your Vision to deliver a great customer experience and build trust in your organisation.

To discuss achieving your organisations vision in more detail, please do get in touch using the options below.

Get in touch…

Phone: +44 (0)115 6483381

Achieving your organisation’s Vision: Develop your People

In this blog episode, I talk about how aligning the skills, knowledge and behaviours of your people to your Vision is vital in enabling your Vision to be achieved.

To discuss achieving your organisations vision in more detail, please do get in touch using the options below.

Get in touch…

Phone: +44 (0)115 6483381

Achieving your organisation’s Vision: Develop your Vision

In this blog episode, I talk about how visualising your organisations Vision can improve communication, understanding and business performance.

To discuss achieving your organisations vision in more detail, please do get in touch using the options below.

Get in touch…

Phone: +44 (0)115 6483381

Achieving your organisation’s Vision: A joined-up approach is vital!

Having a Vision and then successfully achieving it requires a coordinated approach focusing on three key activities: Communicating, Enabling and Embedding. In this blog episode, I share my thoughts on the importance ensuring you have a joined-up approach to these key activities (and what can happen if you don’t!):

To discuss achieving your organisations vision in more detail, please do get in touch using the options below.

Get in touch…

Phone: +44 (0)115 6483381

Latest testimonial for Crackerjack Visual Thinking

“I worked alongside John when we were both supporting the Planning Organisation within Rolls Royce with their transformation programme.

John has a fantastic ability to help teams articulate a vision and really draw out of the organisation what it is they are trying to achieve through listening to the conversations, and honing in on what really matters.

John has the unique ability to come up with something that the organisation can get behind and translate this into easy to digest, clear and simple visuals.

These are more than just a set of pictures though, they are a great tool to help build the narrative around the need for change, support the communications messaging and storytelling and give colleagues and businesses something that they can easily understand.

Louise Bull | Communications Director