The Level You Engage At Decides What You Get There are multiple ways to solve our problems. There are also multiple levels at which our problems are solved. We tend to notice the first and overlook the second. When something needs fixing, we look for someone who can...
You Don't Argue People Into Change. You Win Them Into It. When the status quo is the norm, change is perceived as a crime. Not openly. Nobody stands up and accuses anyone. It sits deeper than that, hidden in people's minds. What you hear instead are lines that sound...
The End Is Not the Point. The Value Is. We love to see the end of a project. Go-live is one of the most important dates in any project. It is discussed in the business case, in the steering committee, in the corridor and in every update to the executive. Everyone...
The Spark Was Never Ours to Keep A time will come when a spark is lit within us. And a time will come when it fizzles out. Most of us have felt both. We just rarely notice the second one while it is happening. When the spark is lit With age, various sparks are lit...
We Pay for Time, Then Wonder Why Things Take So Long Look at how most working arrangements are set up, and what each one actually asks of the people inside it. The employee sells time. They show their value by ticking off milestones, turning up happily, staying...
Complex Problems Don't Need Complex Solutions Complex problems don't have complex solutions. Solutions are simple. Or rather, they must be simple to be effective. That runs against instinct. When a problem is large, tangled and has been around for years, we assume the...
Every Strength Has a Fine Line There are fine lines between being kind and being soft. Between being courageous and being aggressive. Between being proactive and being restless. Each pair sits on the same spectrum. The first is a strength. The second is the same...
The Price of Speed Is Always Paid. The Question Is by Whom. "ERP projects can be delivered within months." Most executives have heard this line. It usually comes from a vendor presentation or an implementation partner's proposal, and sometimes from a peer who says...