“No” is an awfully powerful word. It is a rejection. It is a wall. It is not an entry point. It is not a consultative word. It does not serve as the basis for dialogue or exploration. It is a full stop. Period. End of statement.
Do They Like Me? Huh? Huh? Do They?
Decision making is a complicated endeavour. It basically involves trying to divine the future, and make a call on what the best strategy based upon uncertain outcomes. That’s never easy, particularly when we want to make the right decision. The one that will play out the way that we want it to. Short of a […]
Defining What We Do
As a consultant and an entrepreneur, I have been marketing myself virtually my entire professional career. Given that stretches well over two decades now, you would assume that is something I would have become relatively good at. And in certain contexts I arguably have.
Stimulating Creativity
Every so often, our collective unconscious seems to get oddly aligned on a particular topic, without there being any particularly evident indication of why this should be the case. As an example, in the last few weeks I have managed to come across several unrelated—and at times contradictory—articles, exploring the intersection of caffeine, coffee shops […]
Challenging Behaviours
“Safety is our number one priority.” This is a common refrain in many organizations, and it has particularly been an area of more recent emphasis in riskier environments: construction, working with heavy equipment, mining and oil & gas exploration. A recent article in Quartz highlights some interesting—and arguably unintended—results from a recent workplace effort to […]
Pondering Procurement
As a consultant, preparing proposals are a necessary part of winning business and securing work. On that basis, I do not consider them a ‘necessary evil’; they are simply necessary. They are what allows me to confirm a client’s expectation and needs, propose a solution to those needs, outline how the work will be done […]