We try to understand situations, analyze problems and offer solutions. We believe that they solutions will be understood on their own merits. That the general insights we offer will be translated into personal implications that people are prepared to embrace and run with. And we would be wrong. A meditation on the importance of two words.
Tools In The Toolbox: A Diatribe
Adding a tool to the toolbox. On the surface, this sounds like an awesome and progressive thing to do. And yet—all too often—we risk become packrats, adding more tools without an appreciation of the context of why. Solving real organization problems isn’t an issue of needing more tools. It’s an issue of using the tools that we have effectively and well.
Best Practices Usually Aren’t
There are few terms that have the same unbridled acceptance in business as “best practices.” Except that, for many organizations, best practices fail to deliver on the theoretical promise implied by the term. Best implies one superior way of working, where in reality there are many practices dependent upon many different things.
Editing, Insight & Meaning
We are all editors. By that, I mean that throughout our lives we disclose—or don’t—material information. The challenge of editing in all aspects of life is a significant one. We choose what to leave in—and what to leave out—in many areas of our lives. Telling stories. Reporting findings. Presenting research. Writing reports. But how does […]
The Unbearable Madness Of Being: Our Quantified Selves
There is a lot of pressure to perform already. So why do we add to it? Without question, there are cultural influences behind the unrelenting and increasing pressure to achieve. The two aspects that I have explores so far—technology transformation and the improvement imperative reflect our response to societal changes. Certainly you can argue that […]