Blog Posts
I’ve noticed that the most common conversation we seem to have about executives is what they are doing wrong. We lambast them for their indecisiveness or their stubborn aloofness, but we rarely acknowledge the great ones. The ones who inspire us. We rarely look at what we do that makes the life of an exec…
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I’m sure you’ve met them. The consultants in the fancy suits. The ones armed with the 50 page PowerPoint deck that they have billed you a week of time to produce. They open their mouths and suddenly you’re left questioning your own understanding of the English language. Are those real words? The great physicist Feynman…
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Over the past few weeks I have had a great experience with a project sponsor. This person had been working on developing a new software application for the past 2 years. He asked for help with making this a successful project. My first question to him was simple. What do you see as success? He…
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The Harvard Business Review in September last year published an article on Strategy Data Surrogacy. In English, that means that businesses become so focussed on the measurement of stuff we sort of call KPI’s, rather than making sure that we do the things that really make the business a success. Let me give you an…
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I know that this post will probably go against the trend for many. Frankly that is kind of the point. It is exactly that trend that I’m concerned with. In todays business world it is important to keep up with technology needs. You can’t escape those system updates or escape the fact that automation and…
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In speaking with business managers and directors about projects and programs I’ve developed a strong view on how well people understand these two things. Most people just don’t. Most people also believe they do. So why does this matter? Isn’t that just a rose by any other name? If you are a reader of business…
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“we just need more data”. “I need another new report”. Are these familiar sounds in your office environment? Or perhaps you have found these words coming from your mouth…maybe more than once this week! It is tempting to fall into this trap. The delusion that if you are unsure or are feeling pressure to perform…
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We’ve all found ourselves in those rooms. The meetings where we talk through how we do our work. Maybe it’s a project, or determining who will do what tasks in a team. When it comes to those discussions it seems strangely common to end up with chills up and down the spine. At some point…
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When dealing with groups of people there will always be some frustration. People will make mistakes. They will be tired, and sometimes a bit grumpy…even with coffee! It is when things are at their toughest that kindness and positive words make the greatest difference. You may think that negative feedback, or black hat comments, or…
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Recently I made a new connection on LinkedIn. I like to think of him as a new friend I’ve never met. He asked me whether I had read a particular book on statistical errors and biases. I quickly responded with my views. Not surprisingly, those views were based on what I thought at the time…
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