Month: May 2024
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The Generalist Value Pyramid
I had a great chat with the super-smart Robin Bonn in which we talked a little about the challenges of being a generalist type of consultant, and the idea of ‘becoming the only’. This is, to remind you, Kevin Kelly’s idea around becoming a true reflection of what only you can do, in your unique…
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What shockwave jams tell us about getting stuff done
Ever been driving along a busy road with the traffic flowing along nicely and then for no apparent reason and with no obvious obstacles or changes in road conditions it starts to jam up? We’ve all been there. Believe it or not these types of traffic jams have a name – shockwave jams – referring…
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Red Teaming
I was in a client workshop last week and we were discussing the benefits of having an organisational culture and environment that encourages comfort with dissent. Many teams struggle with conflict but the ability to healthily disagree with each other is one of the foundations of psychological safety and high-performing teams. One of Amy Edmonsdon’s…
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On First Principles
My favourite example of the power of first principles in coming up with breakthrough ideas is an experiment run by Dr. Tina Seelig, at Stanford University. She split her class into fourteen small teams and gave each group five dollars and two hours in which their challenge was to make the highest possible return. They…
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Why culture is at the heart of Boeing’s problems
‘Culture eats strategy for breakfast’, or so the saying (from Peter Drucker) goes. Boeing’s long list of recent problems have been well documented. And there’s been a number of good analyses of the real causes behind them, amongst which this Harvard piece is probably the best. What has struck me as I’ve read more about…