the night is cold and delicate and full of angels

I've been re-reading the Dark Materials trilogy recently. Anyone who hasn't read it, isn't going to understand what I'm talking about.

I realised this morning that the way Pullman describes Lyra reading the alethiometer is much the same as the way I read political situations at work. Lyra lets the needles spin and it's the combination of meaningful symbols they point to which tells her what's going on. At work, I read the collection of people gathered around my boss's desk in the same way.

- Martin, the Auctions guy, for sale of third-party licensed manufacturing contracts;
- Helen, Meds supply manager, for big urgent supply matters;
- Andy, the Analgesics buyer, indicates pain relief products;
- Keith, Consumer Healthcare director, suggests something that will impact customers.

Working out what these people might have in common demands a finely honed business sense and a small amount of educated guesswork.

Spreading what you've learned around the team is a job for a simpleton.

Luckily for us, I am multitalented.