Values – The Specialist-Generalist

January 27, 2018March 11, 2018 John Worne Behaviours, Ethics, People, Specialist-Generalist

Trust

As a Specialist-Generalist you often have to take a punt on people - how do you decide who you should trust? Twice US Secretary of War; Henry Stimson (1867 - 1950) gives good advice: start with everybody. Stimson had his hands full during WWII. As Wikipedia notes: Stimson took charge of raising and training 13 million … Continue reading Trust

February 10, 2017February 10, 2017 John Worne Specialist-Generalist, Stress & Wellbeing

HBR – Three Mindset Shifts to Help Avoid Burnout

An excellent short piece from the Harvard Business Review on managing yourself; Specialist-Generalists can get very stretched - here's how not to: February 10, 2017 Three Mindset Shifts That Will Help You Avoid Burnout Everyone faces stress at work, but some people are able to handle the onslaught of long hours, high pressure, and work … Continue reading HBR – Three Mindset Shifts to Help Avoid Burnout

November 14, 2011January 28, 2017 John Worne Futures, Specialist-Generalist, Strategy

Mapping the Future? Understand the numbers and follow your values.

When is comes to mapping the future, numbers and values are your best guides. Most modern organisations sit on mountains of unused data. This week I saw a simple piece of analysis, which showed that what we actually do is quite different from what we think we do. The true weight of activity, costs and … Continue reading Mapping the Future? Understand the numbers and follow your values.

The Specialist-Generalist Mindset

Here's what Harvard Business Review has to say on 'Imposter Syndrome', every Specialist-Generalist's constant companion:

"We’ve all had that feeling of being unqualified to do something we’ve been tasked to do. But the fact that everyone occasionally suffers from impostor syndrome (even CEOs and Prime Ministers) doesn’t make it any easier to handle.

Try these three things:

1) Recognise there are positives to being new in your field. When you’re not steeped in the conventional wisdom of a given profession or industry, you can ask questions that haven’t been asked before or approach problems in ways others haven’t thought of.

2) Adopt a learning mindset. Focus more on what you’re learning than on how you’re performing.

3) Know that you’re not alone. If you’re feeling like an impostor, chances are that others feel the same way."