Blog
What’s Driving Your Bus
If work isn’t ‘driving your bus,’ then what exactly is motivating you to act with purpose in a world where emotional labor matters more now than ever before.
Blog
Louis C.K. and the Cortez Problem
There is a story (probably apocryphal) that the comedian Louis C.K., burns his jokes, his stand-up material, and his writing after successfully delivering it at the end of each year. This story reads like a corollary to the idea (popularized through the constant repeating of the alleged actions of the Read more…
Blog
Who Are You Outworking?
When the answer to the question is “Nobody,” we’ve got to reexamine what the inherent messages are in the funnel of school to work. When the answer to the question is “I already work hard enough,” we’ve got to redefine the term “hard” away from breaking concrete in the sun Read more…
Blog
Ingredients are Baked In
Most, if not all, of the problems and conflicts in organizations, stem from cultural issues, baked in before you started working there. “This is how we do things here.” (Status quo) “Isn’t everything going great here?” (False expectations/Poor feedback loop) “Don’t say anything and it’ll just get ‘better’ on its Read more…
Blog
Disconnect as the New Standard
The disconnect between what people know about how the Internet (and by extension social media) “works” (choices, behaviors, options, etc.) and what people use the Internet (and social media) to accomplish (tasks) is underrated and massive. Part of the disconnect comes from a lack of interest and caring about how Read more…
Blog
Dissatisfaction Times Vision Times First Steps Must Be Greater Than the Resistance
The equation that drives change is simple: Dissatisfaction times Vision times First Steps must be greater than the Resistance to the impact of all three combined or else change efforts falter. There are plenty of dissatisfied people in your workplace, your work group, or even just your organization. There are Read more…
Active Listening
There Are Easy Solutions to Complicated Problems
The two most difficult roadblocks to success in resolving hard problems are the presence of real trade-offs and considerations of power. Most complicated problems and difficult conflicts have simple solutions. We often confuse what we believe is a hard solution with a complicated one. What makes solutions to hard problems not Read more…
Active Listening
Change Comes Upon Us Gradually
Change comes upon us gradually. Change comes in our organizations when we hire one person, and then two, and then more, who think differently about the mission, vision, values, and goals of the organization. Change comes when the people (or persons) at the top of a hierarchy choose to give Read more…
Active Listening
Resistance to Change is Pernicious
The resistance to needed changes in your organization is insidious, pernicious, persistent and determined. And if you are committed to making changes by grappling with the resistance, your approach to resistant people, resistant systems, and resistant attitudes should be as well.
Advice
We Don’t Need More Political Solutions to Leadership Temptations
Organizational inertia is exacerbated when leaders succumb to the strong forces of temptations. Temptations for organizational leaders include (but are not limited to) maintaining the status quo, keeping the bureaucracy in place, and making sure that the can gets kicked far enough down the road that any consequences from that Read more…