We Rarely Lose Our Freedom. We Give It Away. Freedom is about freedom of mind. When we hear the word freedom, we usually think of something outside us. Laws, rights, borders, the absence of anyone telling us what to do. Those matter. But most of us, most of the time,...
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...
We Are Shown What We Want to See People follow the path of least friction, mental energy and hassle. That is not a criticism. It is how most of us get through a working day. We read the room, we work out what is expected, and we give it. Not because we are dishonest,...
Not Every Change Is the Same. Ask Which Side You Are On. We talk about change as if it were one thing. Leading change. Driving change. Managing change. We praise the people who make it happen and criticise the people who stand in its way. Change has become a virtue in...
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...
The Enemy Is Within. We spend a great deal of our lives guarding against enemies. We lock our doors. We insure our homes. We protect our savings, our reputations and our positions. We watch competitors, critics and anyone who might take what we have built. Much of our...