One of the things we humans do remarkably well is simplify the world around us. Reality is complex, nuanced, and constantly shifting. But in order to function day-to-day, we compress that complexity into something more manageable. One of the primary ways we do this is through
Read MoreA friend of mine was recently selling the contents of his city house - chairs, tables, lamps - the usual collection of things you accumulate over the years.He posted them online at reasonable prices and waited for buyers.They came quickly… but every conversation was a negotiation. People pointed out the smallest
Read MoreMost of us have had the experience of walking into a room and noticing something that everyone else seems oblivious to; a persistent noise, a smell, a tension in the air. Mention it, and the response will often be along the lines of: “Oh yeah, I'd stopped noticing that till you just reminded
Read MoreIf you’ve ever been fly fishing, you know this. A slight change in temperature. A subtle shift in light. A minor change in water level. And suddenly the fish stop biting. The fly that worked beautifully an hour ago is now completely ignored. The fish haven’t disappeared. They haven’t become irrational. They’re simply responding to their...
Read MoreI often hear from people, at all levels within a business, about how the focus always seems to be on the here and now - the immediate problems, the next fire - and how they wished they 'knew what the plan was'. A short term plan would be great, and knowing the longer term plan would be even better. It strikes me that this is not really just...
Read MoreWho knows what GDP stands for? Gross Domestic Product. The number politicians point to when they want to prove things are going well. Up? We’re winning. Down? We’re in trouble. It’s the same with the stock market. Market up? Champagne. Market down? Panic. GDP measures the total monetary value of goods and services produced. It tells us how much...
Read MoreA frustration I hear over and over again from people in management and leadership positions is how their people are 'resistant to change'. I know it can seem that way, but often, that's not what's really going on. Peter Senge said that “People don’t mind change - they don’t like to be changed”. A short statement with a lot of wisdom. People...
Read MoreIt’s that time of year again.Spreadsheets are open. Fingers are crossed. People are hard at work forecasting next year’s revenue. Too often, I see a number plucked from the air. "Let’s try and hit $10 million this year!" Unfortunately, that $10 million can look very different depending on how you measure
Read MoreEach January, the Edelman Trust Barometer is published with a presentation at Davos. Now in its 26th year, it has become one of the most reliable lenses we have for understanding how people feel about the institutions that shape their lives - business, government, media, and
Read MoreSpoiler: It’s not about having all the answers. It’s about asking better questions. We started out by asking it simple stuff. “How many board feet of timber does Canada ship each year?” Not bad. Then we got more ambitious. “Who are the three main purchasing contacts at Caterpillar?” Bit of a swing and a miss. And eventually: “Design a...
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