What motivates me is trying to figure out the answer to the question “In knowledge work, how do we maximize sustainable value delivery in the shortest possible time?”
Over a lifetime of learning, I have distilled this into a set of principles that when put into practice has the potential for most utility to being successful. I help you learn, identify, and then apply the required principles in the context of your problem to develop action that could solve them.
I am constantly questioning and working to simplifying the answers – by helping remove the complexity that can be removed so that you can focus your energies on those that are truly complex – the problems that you solve for your customers, the market and environmental changes
- All knowledge work is about channeling human intelligence and potential at scale – if you know-how, then you are the one to beat
- Change is systemic – always solve for the big picture, execute the small in the context of the big picture
- All human systems are complex, and therefore require appropriate methods, practices, and techniques to channel their potential
- “Values and principles” driven change – methods, practices, techniques, and tools come in support of the values, not the other way around
- Uniquely yourself framework – we can copy ideas from others to experiment with, but build your own framework and “Way of work” – your unique system of work is your USP. Enable your own people to learn and adapt based on =principles and values, not renting expensive consultants who sell you unsustainable instant Kool-aid.
- Know what human behaviors are – the fact that we are biased and on what tools and techniques to use in order to succeed in spite of our biases
- Know and realize that human curiosity, creativity, learning, experimentation, and innovation is unbounded – needs breathing room, channeling and structure
- When in doubt, “defer to your teams” – simplest possible answer so that you can “ship” to your customers
- When in doubt, “ship” to your customer so that you can get feedback – the faster and more often you ship the more the feedback.
- Develop strategic intent, transfer the problems over to the “right” people and “get out of the way”, but be there to nurture them, support them and ready to catch them “when they fall”
- Not continuous improvement, but continuous innovation – whilst you solve problems innovatively, you also change your structure, processes, methods, tools and inherent practices in support of that innovation
- Know how people work in large groups – our social structures, way of work, and social learning. How to channel balance collaboration and cooperation without going overboard not having time to do real work
- Leadership over Management – if you do it right you have distributed leaders all over supported by Backstage Leadership channeling the distributed potential. Management is for losers.
- Apply true diversity and inclusion to work – not just lip service – fight complexity with complexity. Expand decision making and power to the lowest levels, people doing the work.
- Always learning organizations – Organizations don’t learn, people do – learning requires unlearning the old, relearning the new. “Comb” shaped people with a large basket of ever-evolving skills and competencies, that they connect and derive ideas from. In our modern world, a world built on community, connection, and the magic that comes from combining ideas.
- Thinking in lifecycles – everything has a life or half-life and it deteriorates – can you invigorate before its half-life? Naivety, obliqueness, and dissent based thinking perspectives. Every idea has a time and a place. Context matters in everything.
