Today, I got into a disagreement over a blog post. In the blog post, the author offers one way to move the people of an organization from stopped-and-waiting toward innovating-and-creating. My response to the blog post was swift: That won’t work. That: The actions (and cautions) the author prescribes. Won’t work: Will not produce the […]
Mapping the options Read More »
The world will never starve for wonder; only for want of wonder.” – G. K. Chesterton Ever wondered about the family tree of a pencil? Enjoy this read, “I, Pencil.”
I’d written a blog post and filed it away, only to have the topic treated better in a newsletter article I read this weekend. First, I offer you my blog post, then a re-post of the newsletter article. Regardless which version gets the thought across to you, you’ll appreciate the idea if you’re driving change.
Let that be a lesson to you Read More »
When you’re eating a fancy, many course meal and you’re offered sorbet, you’re being offered a palate cleanser. A palate cleanser is a food used in the middle of the meal to remove lingering flavors from the mouth so that the next course may be enjoyed from a fresh perspective. When you’re driving your way
Your thoughts – Sorbet Read More »
I’ve scrawled quotes on piles of index cards over the years. Nearly every card has the quote plus the quote’s author, the book I got the quote from, and the page number the quote is featured on. Note that I said nearly every card. Why? Well, because this week’s quote comes from a card with
Everyone is Coachable Read More »
This blog is filled with my stories, but today I had the opportunity to post two other people’s stories about working with our Guiding Coalition. We’re now taking applications for our next cycle and I’d asked them to share what they’ve learned, experienced and gained from their time with the Guiding Coalition. Cheerfully, as I
A while back I posted the link to a free audio copy of Dave Logan, John King and Halee Fischer-Wright’s book, Tribal Leadership. They describe the book as: Every company, indeed, every organization, is a tribe, or if it’s large enough, a network of tribes—groups of twenty to 150 people in which everyone knows everyone
Reviewing “Tribal Leadership” Read More »
Seth Godin says, It’s easier to teach compliance than initiative. Compliance is simple to measure, simple to test for and simple to teach. Punish non-compliance, reward obedience and repeat. Initiative is very difficult to teach to 28 students in a quiet classroom. It’s difficult to brag about in a school board meeting. And it’s a
Just because it’s easy, doesn’t mean you should do it. Read More »
Whether you read the Air Force Academy or Naval Academy versions of the speech, Secretary of Defense Robert Gates is asking cadets and midshipmen to drive change. In his remarks, Secretary Gates encouraged our future military leaders to: Learn from the experiences and the setbacks of the past; Be open to ideas and inspiration from
Sec Def speaks out for driving change Read More »
In the 1956 preface to his 1944 class, Road to Serfdom, F.A. Hayek made this comment: But there are many ways in which we can work toward the same goal, and in the present state of opinion there is some danger that our impatience for quick results may lead us to choose instruments which, though
