People at the top of organisations can drive themselves and whole cultures to anxiety, stress and overwork; seeking answers to problems which just may not have one. In computation there are many ‘undecidable problems’ where any possible computer program may give the wrong answer, or could run forever without giving any answer at all. A … Continue reading Stop!
Good Strategy/Bad Strategy
Many years ago I learnt the term ‘choiceful’ from an American colleague; he said good strategy was ‘choiceful’ because it eliminated some desirable options. Books and books and more books have been written on strategy, but ‘choicefulness’ is a keeper - just like Porter’s famous insight that: “The essence of strategy is choosing what not … Continue reading Good Strategy/Bad Strategy
The ‘Adjacent Possible’
I read ten years ago that all successful innovation expands into the ‘adjacent possible’. Whether it’s spines becoming feathers, swords becoming ploughshares or mobile phones becoming iPhones; successful innovation depends on adapting technology to expand into an adjacent – and sometimes very different niche. It’s also a useful metaphor for work and life. It’s a … Continue reading The ‘Adjacent Possible’
Ockham’s Razor
William from Ockham (or Occam), was a philosopher of the fourteenth century. Today he is most often associated with ‘Ockham’s Razor’, the idea that explanations should be as simple as possible. But he said the same about how we spend our precious time and resources... As Ockham put it: "It is futile to do with … Continue reading Ockham’s Razor
Curling
Facing big challenges? Anxious you might not seize an opportunity, or that people and personalities might get in the way? There are some things in working life you can’t fix or tackle until the right moment comes; so rather than worrying, sometimes it’s best to save your energy and trust yourself to perform ‘in the … Continue reading Curling
Optimism
Optimism - it’s the Specialist-Generalist’s best friend. Nine times out of ten you just don’t know if something’s going to work or not; and you’re likely surrounded by experts who will tell you all the things that could (and maybe will) go wrong... But, most of the time they probably won’t. And if they do, … Continue reading Optimism
Silence is Golden
Some years ago I was told that the single most influential thing a person can do is listen. Listening is the Specialist-Generalist's best friend - you learn, people help you and best of all they feel heard. Silence is golden... Managers, Know When to Stop Talking and Start Listening As a manager, you probably have … Continue reading Silence is Golden
Take a breath…
I was talking to another Specialist-Generalist last week about 'presentation skills' and the thing I was taught about breathing... In essence, most people (who aren't aware of it) use their entire lung capacity in their first statement; do that and you can't not 'gulp', notice your heart is beating too fast and stumble or choke … Continue reading Take a breath…
Dashboards
dashboard /ˈdaʃbɔːd/ An arrangement of gauges and controls in a motor vehicle. A board of wood or leather in front of a carriage, to keep out mud. As Paul Dawson writes today: The builders of the early motor vehicles borrowed their methods and their language from the horse-drawn vehicles they had long been familiar with. … Continue reading Dashboards
Perspectives
A nice piece in the HBR today on exploring different perspectives and the inherent tensions between some (indeed many) roles in the modern organisation. I've used Susan Scott's description from 'Fierce Conversations' of the organisational 'beach ball' a few times recently - if you're finance the world is one colour, if you're operations another and … Continue reading Perspectives
The Specialist-Generalist 