We often avoid the question of whether something is worth doing by going straight to the question “How do we do it?“ In fact, when we believe that something is definitely not worth doing, we are particularly eager to start asking How? We can look at what is worth doing at many different levels: As an individual I can wonder whether I can be myself and do what I want and still make a living. For an organization I can ask for whose sake does this organization exist and does it exist for any larger purpose than to survive and be economically successful? As a society, have we replaced a sense of community and civic engagement for economic well being and the pursuit of our private ambition? Continue reading
Organisational & Social Transformation
Clarity propels an organisation
Not occasional clarity but pervasive, 24-hour, in-your-face, take-no-prisoners clarity. Most people never perceive that this is lacking in their organisation, but 90% of the time it is. Just open a few random emails, activate your “brutal-vision”, and read. The muddying messages are rampant. If people were brutally honest in their emails, the time we spend sorting through our in-boxes would surely decrease by half. Continue reading
The Humpty Dumpty Effect
Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall
Humpty Dumpty had a great fall.
All the King’s horses and
All the King’s men
Could not put him together again. Continue reading
25 Lessons Learned from John Wooden
- A doer makes mistakes. If you’re not doing, you’re not learning. Everybody makes mistakes. It’s what you do with them that counts.
- Academics are enduring. Getting an education is a #1 priority. Wooden made it a point to his players that they were first and foremost a student (the student part of “student athlete”). Wooden said, “If you let social activity take precedence over the other two (education and sports), then you’re not going to have any for very long.” Wooden also said, “Sports are kind of like passion and that’s temporary in many cases, but academics — that’s like true love and that’s enduring.”
- Agree to disagree, but don’t be disagreeable. According to Wooden, “We can agree to disagree, but we don’t need to be disagreeable.” Continue reading
That Thing Which You Fight You Become
Surely that thing which you fight you become. If I am angry and you meet me with anger what is the result? More anger. Continue reading
It is not enough to study them like beetles under a microscope; you need to know what it feels like to be a beetle.
Put yourself in their shoes. How you see the world depends on where you sit. People tend to see what they want to see. Out of a mass of detailed information, they tend to pick out and focus on those facts that confirm their prior perceptions and to disregard or misinterpret those that call their perceptions into question. Each side in a negotiation may see only the merits of its case, and only the faults of the other side’s. Continue reading
they consider themselves not better than others, just more fortunate….
When we come to know the powerful figures of the world – captains of industry , presidents of banks, Nobel prizewinners, and members of legendary families – it’s striking to see how many are open, warm, sincere and view success as a responsibility, or ‘noblesse oblige’. Continue reading
Eight Steps to Transform Your Organization
- Establish a Sense of Urgency
- Examine market and competitive realities
- Identify and discuss crises, potential crises, or major opportunities
- Form a Powerful Guiding Coalition
- Assemble a group with enough power to lead the change effort
- Encourage the group to work as a team Continue reading
Key Insight in a Strategic Contest
Perhaps Sun Tzu’s most important insight was that in a military or strategic contest, everything is relevant and connected: weather, terrain, diplomacy, the reports of spies and double agents, supplies and logistics, the balance of forces, historic perceptions, the intangibles of surprise and morale. Continue reading
Many don’t realise what needs to be done to convert a vision into specific tasks
Every great leader has had an instinct for execution. He has said, in effect, “unless I can make this plan happen, it’s not going to matter.” But the selection, training and development of leaders doesn’t focus on this reality. Judging from our observations, a high proportion of those who actually rise to the top of a business organisation have made their mark – their personal ‘brand’ – as high level thinkers. Continue reading
ONE TUSK 