Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com I recently found myself working on a project that involved gathering information to help support a decision. While digging through file after file, I started to question how much information was really going to be used to support the decision, and how much was going to be gathered in theContinueContinue reading “Decision Making Hubris?”
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Don’t put your money on 100, take the over on 50
Perfection is a losing game, but endurance and appetite in chasing an 100% outcome often yields better options even when it becomes apparent the 100% outcome isn’t achievable. In transformation projects teams tend to gravitate towards one of two approaches. Aggressive De-Risking: A team can ‘de-risk’ a path to an 100% outcome, convincing themselves to trade aContinueContinue reading “Don’t put your money on 100, take the over on 50”
Making adversaries of comrades
Purpose: Become aware of when we are choosing to make an adversary and challenge ourselves whether making an adversary is appropriate. Adversaries are inevitable. Whether it be the competitor trying to take over your market share, a different department vying for control, or an individual with a competing objective. Even when not a ‘leader,’ itContinueContinue reading “Making adversaries of comrades”
9 Agile Ways to Launch Your Agile Idea Agilely
Get an Agile Coach Scrum coaches are what make agile a team sport. Without them you’re going to have to use a soccer metaphor. Make sure they tell teams to deliver things faster, and agile. Clarify your products from projects This distinction will help you keep the non-agile people separated from the Agile ones. ThisContinueContinue reading “9 Agile Ways to Launch Your Agile Idea Agilely”
In Defense of Ignorance: Not Waiting on Certainty’s Permission
Earlier today while driving I came upon an intersection in a forest preserve. I had two options: continue straight to the parking lot or turn left down a scenic one-way road. I was almost certain the scenic road to the left was a public drive. However, I will admit, to my shame, “almost certain” wasContinueContinue reading “In Defense of Ignorance: Not Waiting on Certainty’s Permission”
The Trouble with Meetings
An open secret in the corporate world is that meetings are a necessary evil that replicate rapidly and consume time greedily. Consider how so many meetings conclude with a thoughtful consensus: there ought to be more meetings about these things. Chances are that no one is really clear on what the things are, but byContinueContinue reading “The Trouble with Meetings”
The Dressing of Hyper Competence
We all know someone like this. That person who everyone else asks for help. The one the boss relies on to pitch in on every project that is floundering, even while spearheading other work. The friend who seems able to think about your problems and their problems, while you perhaps feel weighed totally with simplyContinueContinue reading “The Dressing of Hyper Competence”
Skirting Disaster with a Quick Wit and a Strong Point of View
Sometimes the question is not “how do we solve this problem?” but “what is the actual problem?” Some six sigma minded types would tell you that the first step to solving any problem is diagnosing it properly. They are not wrong, but that way of phrasing can be a bit misleading. I am not talkingContinueContinue reading “Skirting Disaster with a Quick Wit and a Strong Point of View”
The Demand of the Norm
In business there is an effect similar to gravity. A business’s history and culture acquires a mass of its own over time. That mass perpetuates the values and norms of the business. In large organizations the mass of its history becomes a monolith by many names “what we’ve always done,” “the right thing,” “what we learned last time,””weContinueContinue reading “The Demand of the Norm”
The Octopus and the Man-0f-War
Looking for a solid decision-making analogy for a team embarking on highly complex work in a fluid, evolving environment? Why not try an octopus? Here’s what that might look like Octopuses have significant amounts of neurons positioned within their limbs. Each leg can process complicated sensory input and begin to interpret external stimuli. With these capabilities an octopus can begin to react aContinueContinue reading “The Octopus and the Man-0f-War”
Return on Intelligence 