Past/Present: Push/Pull
In every moment we are being pushed by the past or pulled by a future. But the past is always available and keeps us comfortable. Yet, breakthroughs depend on our connection to the future. Have you ever noticed just how readily at-hand the past is? Whether a grievance or fond memory, they never stray […]
Myopia
Most founders have experienced chasing a competitor—usually, feature by feature. When you’re in that kind of horse race, it seems like there is no other choice; as though, if you stopped matching your rival’s development, your company would simply die. I have a lot of compassion for this situation. When I was running RingGo (US), […]
Religious Fervor
Our methodological tools are merely that–tools. But we become attached to them, and soon we are no longer craftsmen, but disciples. When that happens, we become tunnel-visioned; everything demands the same tool. The world is full of experts who believe their tool bests every other! Whether strategy maps, KPIs, Scrum or Waterfall, it’s easy to […]
Sometimes It’s Not the Execution
In case of bad results, we blame the execution. My client had what we would certainly call a stretch goal. Actually, more like a Big Very Hairy Super-Audacious Goal, to co-opt Jim Collin’s language. His board had given an ultimatum. Grow the company’s annual recurring revenue (ARR) to $30m, or we will exercise our right […]
Neutrality Can Sniff Out Bad Strategy
I was listening to a radio interview with David Cohen, an experienced Special Master. You are probably familiar with the title as it has been in the news lately. But, in case not, a Special Master is essentially a judge’s proxy, charged with ensuring the court’s orders are fulfilled, and doing it with utter neutrality. […]
War Games
Would you rather watch than read? Click here for the 8 minute video. The war in Ukraine has left us all feeling some combination of sadness, anger, and hopelessness. It also reminds us of just high the stakes can be when trying to anticipate the future. Apparently, the US government tried modeling the possibility of a potential […]
Binary Bias — Video Preview
It’s natural. Humans see the world in binary terms. Good/Evil, Dark/Light, Right/Left. We are simply hard-wired that way. That tendency served us as well in caveman days, when we needed to make snap decisions about whether to fight or flee a saber-toothed tiger. But today in our lives and in our work, it may be […]
Don’t Fail Before the Fact
In my last blog post and video, I suggested a novel way of planning for this next year. The basic idea of future-based goals-setting is to cast yourself (in your imagination) out into the future and look back at the year that has passed. This makes a significant cognitive difference to how you view the […]
Success Does NOT Ensure Wisdom
Consider these phenomena: Growing start-up technology companies always want to hire individuals who worked in a “unicorn”, a company that gained a billion-dollar valuation. Book stores have shelves of books on management, business and even personal improvement written by or about those who became wealthy or led successful companies. Aspiring actors look to the major […]