Photo by D Ross What does it look and feel like to create in a crisis? Like clockwork each week, three strategists hop on a one-hour Zoom call. It's very early in Malaysia so one is drinking Diet Coke to wake up. It's evening in Washington, D.C. where another has a glass of [...]
Photo by Beatriz Pérez Moya on Unsplash Strategic planning without reams of strategy reports? Sounds like heresy. What would people do without documented research, colorful graphs, proof of deep and thoughtful dialog and a detailed plan to move forward? Well, what do you do with it? (Hint: file it, toss it, circulate it [...]
Who's doing your thinking? You think you are. True enough, it's your neurons firing off. But first, consider the way that other people's thinking led you to where you are today. All your studies in school. All the norms you picked up from family and society. Then, start noticing how other people's thinking literally shapes [...]
Photo by Dillon Mangum on Unsplash Professionally speaking I’m not a content expert. It’s the process of creating that interests me. For example, the way a board of directors defines strategic direction. How existing teams accomplish new things together. The motivation behind big collaborations chipping away together at gnarly social challenges. I get [...]
Photo by Debbie Hudson at unsplash.com Throughout history people have been motivated to band together. To build villages, trade and barter, rebel against injustice. And, create. Today there’s debate about whether collaboration is wearing out ambitious professionals in matrixed organizations. Fair enough. Coordinating with others can take longer than making decisions on your [...]
Fresh out the door after hearing David Howitt's inspired talk, I'm mulling several of his ideas. The tyranny of 'or' versus the power of 'and.' Profit plus Purpose. And my favorite, Analytics and Artistry. David is Founder & CEO of The Meriwether Group. He was alert enough at 7:30 a.m. to both talk about and [...]
When asked the key to fruitful collaboration, Yo-Yo Ma begins with, "two words: ego management." He elaborates in a short piece in June's Harvard Business Review. "It's easy to get locked into 'in my world' or 'this is the way I see it,' so you have to move your brain to a more spongelike state, [...]
When I was in 7th grade, Caroline Matthews chose the name Serendipity for our yearbook of memories. I'd never heard the word before. I had to ask what it meant. The development of events by chance in a beneficial way. I was mesmerized: (a) at the idea, and (b) that a word existed for it. [...]
Thirty-one miles outside of Portland in Scappoose, OR, a world-renown design studio generates over-sized puppets and sets. Michael Curry and his team conjure and build for animated movies, Broadway productions, Cirque du Soleil, Olympic games, touring superstars and ... you get the picture. Last year he spoke at TEDx, hosted by Concordia University. Twelve minutes [...]
Of what do I write? Could it be today's new Apple release? A spirited podcast? Some trendy relaxation technique? Design thinking. I read this month's HBR spotlight articles on the evolution of design thinking with childlike exuberance. Countless nuggets, each valuable on their own and collectively invaluable. Such as ... foster strategic conversations that recognize [...]
