Systems and Sisyphus
Do you think in terms of Systems? That many situations involve multiple players making multiple moves over time? Always focus First on Removing Restraining Forces…
Think Smart, Think Systems: Solve the Problem, Then Fix the System
If you wish to truly make a difference in the world, if you wish to advance, it is not enough to solve the problem right…
Expect Success, Plan for Failure
The more complex a system or situation, the more true this phrase is. I am a firm believer in having backups within backups for all…
Expect Success, Plan for Failure
The more complex a system or situation, the more true this phrase is. I am a firm believer in having backups within backups for all…
Expect Success, Plan for Failure
The more complex a system or situation, the more true this phrase is. I am a firm believer in having backups within backups for all…
Solve The Problem, Then Fix The System
As a leader, I attempt to mentor, help Team Members grow, find the greatness in them, how to be both efficient AND effective; how to…
The Leader’s Path: Evolving Points of View
I used to oppose the minimum wage, for some excellent reasons that reflected sound economic reasoning. Over the years I’ve gradually switched sides. You probably…
The 5 Whys: Getting to Root Causes, Fast!
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/5_Whys The “5 Whys” spring from Toyota and are a simple problem-solving exercise designed to go beyond symptoms to unearth the root cause of problems.…
The System Secret
I’ve long believed that a certain system —which almost any intelligent person can learn— works way better than the systems most people use [to understand…
Do you have a Belief Deficit?
What beliefs do you have that are holding you back? Belief systems are powerful in part because we fail at 100% of what we don’t…
Beware the Cost of the Middleman!
Understanding Systems and How to Make them Better Maine lobsters have plunged in price from $10 a pound a few years ago to less than…
It’s the System, Silly
Sufficient credit often is not given for the supporting system in the success or failure of a business or enterprise. A recent case is the…
What is a leader? How do you identify them? Are they made? Can they be made?
In its simplest definition, a leader is anyone with followers. But how do you get followers? Which takes us into the two basic different kinds…
Book Smarts vs. Street Smarts: “Rethinking the MBA”
“Rethinking the MBA: Business Education at a Crossroads” (by Srikant M. Datar, David A. Garvin, and Patrick Cullen; Harvard Business Press) is an examination of…
Brook’s Law: When More is Less
Brook’s Law: Adding manpower to a late software project only makes it even more late. Software programming is multi-faceted, difficult to successfully divide into discrete…
(2 of 3) Stephen R. Covey on Empowerment
Empowerment is the process of sharing knowledge, authority, and responsibility further down the organization than previously thought possible. The goal is to fully tap into…
30 Methods of Influence: #29 Train Them in the Law of the Harvest
“30 Methods of Influence” by Stephen R. Covey 29. Train them in the law of the harvest. We teach the “agricultural principles” of preparing the…
The Joys of the Undefended Self
One of the greatest releases in life comes when we realize it is not necessary to make others wrong in order for us to be…
PopCap: Too Big to Fail = Failure of Anti-Trust Legislation
(A Populist Capitalist Blog) With all the bailouts, as Congress and the Administration attempt to keep the economy from sinking, the good news is that…
Life is About Choices
“The sun shines and warms and lights us and we have no curiosity to know why this is so; but we ask the reason of…
What I Learned From That
Mistakes happen. I don’t like them. I aspire daily to excellence, to improvement, to ever higher levels. However, I acknowledge that daily reality falls short…
Thought Virus
What is a “thought virus”? It is a limiting belief. Any belief you hold that limits your ability to enjoy life, to live your life…
Are You T Shaped?
T-shaped people are those who have deep depth in one area, but also breadth in many others. This allows them to combine insights from many…
Showing and Doing Speaks Louder Than Telling
Most of us are visual: We often learn best by seeing. A leader’s personal behavior speaks volumes; most organizations, for better or worse, are the…
Why Smart People Do Dumb Things: Good Intentions Gone Awry
Systems theory states that organizations are systems of connected and interdependent groups, none of which can be understood in isolation from each other. Unfortunately, individuals…
Tooth to Tail Ratio
The U.S. Marine Corps likes to boast about its “tooth to tail” ratio versus the U.S. Army. The tooth being the combat power, the tail…