https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wxl7OfIHKbo I got two bits of nice news that made me stop and think. As a privileged person, able to get a lot of 'pats' of positive feedback, I'm not /short/ of recognition. But... actually... life's never all that easy, is it? We bid for work. We do well, but the losses outweigh the wins. … Continue reading #Recognition! It’s very nice, isn’t it?
How do you feel when you realise how much you took after your parents?
My dad used to be a teacher, then a headteacher, then a 'super head' and adviser. It was a great career, and he was quite passionate about it. These days he keeps himself to himself but is still doing well. We just discovered a personal website he was working on, with articles for the Times … Continue reading How do you feel when you realise how much you took after your parents?
the seven per cent rule
and business escape velocity Itโs f*cking difficult to start a company and succeed โ the stats prove it. And most new business people are artisanโs whoโve fired the boss, *not* entrepreneurs. But. If you are - decently presented, someone people can do business with - basically competent and capable - and you knuckle down to … Continue reading the seven per cent rule
What I know about #systemsthinking
Watch the video - and pay attention to the sigils! https://youtu.be/p8IT-o_lpMg It's about #sensemaking hard until you know what is really going on, to get to the root cause of wicked problems and solve them Everything is connected, so everything is a #livingsystem - it's quite mystical, really You start from designing an idealised future … Continue reading What I know about #systemsthinking
Pristine shelfware to working in the swamps
I thought it was essential โ actually, the most important part of my work. But I gave it up and havenโt looked back. I used to work in policy โ and weโd produce some brilliant policies. The problem is, nobody really followed them. Then, as a consultant, I produced enormous, beautiful slide-decks. Full of findings, … Continue reading Pristine shelfware to working in the swamps
What do you reach for to get a quick overview of an organisationโs structure and key data?
How can you simplify analysis in way that doesnโt become meaningless? I used to look down my nose a bit at โthe business model canvasโ and its many variants. Organisation and governance design is fascinating, and often involves challenging the โproblemโ or changing the questions you are asking to get better results. Powerful approaches like … Continue reading What do you reach for to get a quick overview of an organisationโs structure and key data?
Do systems exist?
to understand is to know what to do As soon as you really think about it, boundaries dissolve, connections appear. Everything is nebulous. ...sounds a bit woo-woo? *Of course* systems exist โ we interact with them all the time, and we can model and understand them. Not always, not every time, but reliably and with … Continue reading Do systems exist?
There are multiple ways of looking at organisations.
Hereโs a bakerโs dozen to get you going: 1- Empowermentโโโcontributing to meeting purpose (or not) 2- Effectiveness in preventionโโโmeeting needs early 3- In terms of dealing with demand โoutside-inโ 4- Functional perspectiveโโโprofessional and statutory functions 5- A resource based view 6- An outcomes view 7- Evaluation 8- As purposive users of resource to achieve outcome … Continue reading There are multiple ways of looking at organisations.
Most customer service performance measures are worse than doing nothing
>> What was your worst customer experience recently? And what did they do to learn? The *silliest* a business can do is ask me to mark the agent out of ten. That tells you nothing about whether your processes are working or not. If the agent gets the blame because the organisation is incompetent, you … Continue reading Most customer service performance measures are worse than doing nothing
Three tribes are contesting for the #futureofwork. Which one will you join?
Slides show of three tribes and the #futureofwork BLUE tribe is the continuation of the machine - big, high-profile, high-status corporate organisation They want you in the office, in a suit, on their PC, using their methods. These days, hey probably have an amazing diversity programme, and increasingly focused 'work/life integration'. The worker's identity comes … Continue reading Three tribes are contesting for the #futureofwork. Which one will you join?
chosen path 