You have probably heard of the riddle, “What is the difference between a pig and a chicken at breakfast?” The answer is, “The chicken is engaged, but the pig is committed.” I would like to advance the proposition that the same is true when it comes to change initiatives. There is one category of people for …
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“Sometimes More Gets You Less …”
I was just watching a series of DVD lectures titled, “Understanding Complexity” by Professor Scott Page of the University of Michigan. In one of those lectures, he discussed the differences between positive feedback (doing more of a thing gets you more of the same thing) and negative feedback (doing more of a thing gets you …
The Power of Patterns
Patterns are everywhere. Teams, both formal and informal, can be described by their patterns. Thinking about groups of people in terms of the patterns they exhibit offers a new way to see them, assess them, and influence them. An elegant and powerful way to do this is by using distinctions and language derived from the “new” …
“Opensure”
Here is an essay I wrote in 1998. In these days of continuous change, it seems even more appropriate than it did then. Ever notice how often people say, “I’m really looking forward to getting closure on this topic.” Closure is a good thing. It provides a sense of finality; of a chapter closed, a …
Cause and Corrective Actions — Too late!
“Houston, we have a problem.” That statement, initiated by the astronauts on Apollo 13, galvanized people from all over the world into action. Their heroic actions resulted in the safe return of the astronauts. Once the astronauts returned home, a different kind of problem-solving effort ensued – to figure out what happened and what to …
You get ALL of What you Measure
“Be careful what you ask for – you just might get it.” This saying, and others like it, have been around for a long time. A number of different maxims attest to the power of establishing goals. “What gets measured gets done.” “You get what you measure.” “What is the difference between a practice and …