I have a confession to make. I abandon books. I used to read them all the way through, and now I often give them up part way. A spate of articles recently challenged me to question the practice, and whether I should doggedly keep reading.
On Writing Badly
Examples of bad writing abound. And in many instances, they are written that way on purpose. Why we think we are writing well, why we are actually writing badly and what we might consider doing differently.
On Writing
I write. A lot. I work as a management consultant, but it could be argued instead that I’m a professional writer. My work products are reports, documents, presentations and emails. Over the course of my career, though, how I write—and what I focus on and value—has evolved. A great deal.
What I Learned About Ego, Opinion… & Work
Feedback is an essential part of the work cycle. It’s also something that all of us struggle to receive constructively. Once we’ve put our heart and soul into our work, we are often highly resistant to changing it. An alternative perspective is required.
The Importance of “Why?”
We get taught the principles of inquiry at a young age. Who, what, where, when, why and how are essential dimensions of the work we do and changes that we make. The question that we most lose site of, though, is “Why?”
Successfully Navigating Process
Getting process right is hard. While we might know what not to do, identify what to do is challenging and difficult. In a world where we accept that the right answer to process is “it depends,” we need to get clear and specific about how we can figure out what it depends on. Identify the questions to ask and the approach to take is challenging. Following it is even harder. Doing both is essential.