Exploring with Tom
Welcome to my blog – a space for ideas, insights, and unexpected sparks.
From practical tools to quiet reflections, this is where I think out loud – and invite you to do the same. You’ll find musings on AI, leadership, culture, people, and the practice of working wisely in a fast-moving world.
Browse by theme
AI in Practice
Explore how generative AI can amplify thinking, simplify tasks, and support decision-making. Practical, human-centred tools for leaders, consultants, and researchers.
Leadership Reflections
Short essays and insights on leading with integrity, clarity, and character. Grounded in real work with real people.
Organisational Culture
Ideas and tools for shaping safe, healthy, and enduring high-performing cultures – drawn from decades of practical experience and research.
People + HR Wisdom
HR reflections, people insights, and workplace wisdom from the field. Short reads with long shelf-lives for anyone working with people.
Practice + Strategy
Field-tested models, workshop insights, and frameworks you can use. From purpose to planning, theory to action.
Tommy Tangents
Curious thoughts, personal metaphors, PhD stories, and the occasional left-field spark. Where the human shows up.
From the thinking chair
These are a few pieces I keep coming back to – the ones that have shaped my thinking, challenged my assumptions, or helped clarify what really matters. Take 5 and have a read.
Slow, Slower, Stationary – A Philosophy from Rural Portugal
A beautiful philosophy from rural Alentejo: slow, slower, stationary. A reminder that rest, reflection and stillness aren’t wasted — they’re essential for wellbeing in a world obsessed with speed.
“The Antipode” – A Moment in Madrid
Over coffee in Madrid, a stately Spaniard called New Zealand “the antipode of Spain.” Not just geography – a poetic nod to distance, contrast, and the quiet wonder of being far away.
The Power of One: How a Single Vote Can Reshape History
History pivots on razor-thin margins. From Abbott’s one-vote leadership coup to Tennessee’s suffrage switch, a single ballot can steer decades. Your vote matters – wield it deliberately today and shape tomorrow.
Everything else I’ve been thinking about
This is where the rest of my writing lives – ongoing reflections, field notes, ideas-in-progress, and the occasional tangent worth following.
Tokens, Context Limits, and Why Your AI Chat Sometimes Forgets
Tokens power every AI interaction — and every model has a limit. Learn how to avoid forgotten instructions, laggy chats, and sudden repetition by understanding context windows and structuring your thinking.
Understanding Memory in ChatGPT
Memory in ChatGPT isn’t what most people think. Learn what it does, what it doesn’t, and how to use it with clarity — especially when working across sessions or models.
Custom GPTs for Research & Consulting
Build your own AI assistant that knows your frameworks, tone, and goals. Custom GPTs let you work faster and think deeper — without losing your professional edge.
Which AI for Which Task?
Overwhelmed by AI choices? This post shows how to match the right tool to the right task — so you spend less time switching and more time working smart.
Beyond CRAFT: Exploring Other Prompting Models
Move beyond the CRAFT model. Explore alternative prompting structures that help you use AI more flexibly in research, consulting, communications, and strategic work.
Prompt Engineering vs Context Engineering: Why Context is King in the Age of AI
Clever prompts help, but better context matters more. Learn how to brief AI effectively so it understands your goals, tone, and audience — and delivers smarter, more aligned output.
Human + Machine Thinking – Not Just Faster, But Deeper
Pair AI’s speed with human judgement. This post explores how to think better — not just faster — by combining the scale of generative tools with reflection, ethics, and lived experience.
Seeing with AI – Expanding Your Perspective
AI helps you see differently, not just work faster. Use it to explore blind spots, reframe problems, and scan your leadership landscape from more angles than ever before.
Working with AI in Leadership & Culture
AI is reshaping how we lead and learn. This post explores how leaders can use AI to foster culture, model learning, and lead with wisdom in an AI-shaped world.
From Prediction to Partnership: Rethinking Generative AI
Shift your mindset from using AI as a tool to thinking with it as a partner. Discover how generative AI can support reflection, clarity, and cognitive collaboration — not just speed.
Projects + Agents: A Smarter Way to Manage Research, Consulting, and Complex Thinking
Projects organise your work. Agent Mode completes the task. Learn how to use both together in ChatGPT for smarter thinking, clearer structure, and faster progress across research and consulting.
Agent Mode in ChatGPT: A Smarter Way to Get Things Done
Agent Mode turns ChatGPT into a task-based assistant. Learn what it is, how to activate it, and when to use it — for research, analysis, planning, and more.
AI Boosters for Busy Managers
Quick wins for productivity — without the burnout. Why This Matters Let’s face it — you don’t have time to learn a whole new system. And that’s the point. You don’t need to be technical. You just need to be intentional. With the right mindset and a few smart prompting…
Prompt with Purpose: How to Use the CRAFT Model to Get Better Answers
If you’re getting average answers, it’s probably the prompt — not the AI. Why Prompts Matter If you’ve ever said “ChatGPT gave me a bad answer,” pause and ask: What did I actually ask it? In most cases, the AI didn’t fail. The prompt did. Large language…
Talking to Think: Voice Input and Voice Mode in ChatGPT
Voice changes how you think with AI. Learn how to use voice-to-text and Voice Mode in ChatGPT to capture ideas, reflect more clearly, and work faster — with structure and flow.
Using Projects in ChatGPT: Your AI Workspace for Longer-Form Thinking
Projects let you organise and revisit your AI thinking over time. Learn how to use ChatGPT Projects to manage research, strategy, or writing with structure and sustained focus.