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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
Human beings built many (if not all) of the systems we are surrounded by every day. Flawed, replaceable, myopic, visionary, human beings. Language systems. Monetary systems. Housing systems. Legal systems. Travel systems. Resource allocation systems. Organizational systems. Cultural systems. Religious systems. There’s nothing inherent in our DNA that drives us Read more…
…don’t have the courage to confront the ongoing, unresolved cultural conflicts and frictions in your organization. …if the resistance to change at scale from the organization and even individuals is too hard to address. …if your fellow employees who should be your allies, cannot be motivated because of internal, intrinsic Read more…
Teutonic organizations believe that size makes up for persuasion. Small organizations believe that persuasion makes up for size. The problem in both organizations is scale, not properly understood. Because your organization, your team, your personality, or your project is large, that doesn’t mean that persuasion is something to be abandoned. Read more…
The person who walks around while the Titanic is sinking, and calmly begins rearranging the deck chairs, organizing the evacuation, and gets everyone off the ship before it sinks becomes, by default, the future captain of the rescue vessel in the North Atlantic. That person also becomes a new Noah. Read more…
The work is rarely the most entertaining or compelling, thing. The result of the work is a lot more compelling—good, bad, ugly, or indifferent. The process is rarely envied. The result of the work—the sausage, such as it were—is delicious on the plate, and worthy of being enjoyed. And sometimes, Read more…