Remember, Remember, the 5th of November

Andrew Penny, November 5 2024

November the 5th has always had a special meaning for me, and I thought it fitting to write about it in this particular Tuesday Tune-up. On one particular 5th of November, a group of would be insurrectionists plotted to blow up government and install a new monarch. They came very close to succeeding. Guy Fawkes was their explosives person and,...

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Beowulf in the Boardroom

Graham Birkenhead, October 29 2024

Hwæt! We Gar-Dena in gear-dagum, þeod-cyninga, þrym gefrunon, hu ða æþelingas ellen fremedon! We all remember inspirational teachers - those that in some way reached deeper into our minds and sparked wonder, creativity, imagination, and fun.  For me, one such teacher - from my UK equivalent of Grade 3 - would tell us a classic story of adventure...

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“It’s an ill wind that blows no one any good”

Andrew Penny, October 22 2024

Henry VI , Part 3 While working with clients we often use a mnemonic called P-E-S-T-L-E; Political, Economic, Social, Technological, Legal, and Environmental. The idea is to look at these areas through the lens of your company to see where the threats and opportunities may lie. Typically, this is done as part of strategy development sessions....

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To Shift or not to Shift

Graham Birkenhead, October 15 2024

Mental models are rather ingenious - they form as a result of us being exposed to new or different situations as we progress through life (aka learning); very many are formed during our formative years and are influenced by things such as culture, faith, or whatever is going on in the world around us at the time.  We use what we already know...

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Are you part of the 1% ?

Graham Birkenhead, October 1 2024

It is often cited that 90% of businesses don't have any form of strategic plan, and 90% of those that do, don't actually follow it.  That means that only one percent of businesses actually have some sort of strategic plan that guides the business.  While these figures may be open to some debate, the general principle behind this is widely...

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Sell Me This Cup

Andrew Penny, September 3 2024

There is a Fear of Missing Out (FOMO) issue that pervades most companies, and they try to be attractive to as many buyers as possible. And when I say attractive, I am not referring to their product or service alone – I am including the whole package: product, price, packaging, brand, support and so

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Looking for Inspiration?  Look Somewhere Else!

Graham Birkenhead, August 27 2024

But what if the issue isn’t just what’s in, or not in your head, but where your head happens to be? Sometimes, the best way to kickstart creativity isn’t to push harder, but to step away and change your surroundings. There’s Psychology Behind ItWe’re all aware that our environment can affect our mood and how we feel; architects (some of them...

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Help!  I Need to Make a Decision

Graham Birkenhead, August 20 2024

I seem to be surrounded by people who have some big decisions to make - some about their lives, some about their business - some early in their careers - and some later.  To varying degrees, some of these people have a history of making hasty decisions that at times worked out well, and other times not - and some of these people struggle to make...

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All Models are Wrong, but Some are Useful

Graham Birkenhead, August 13 2024

In my ongoing quest to explore coffee shops, I recently came across another of note in one of the small towns near me.  From the street, it wasn't too obvious, and on closer inspection, it had an eclectic mix of tables and chairs, curious décor, and other bits of furniture placed around the edges of the room - and so looked interesting.  It was...

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Objective Perspectives

Andrew Penny, August 6 2024

But here’s the thing. There’s something about seeing a city from the open cockpit of an ancient biplane that gives you a completely different perspective; seeing how extensive the urban forest is, noting the two dog-legs in the Ottawa River (I knew it curved – but dog-legs?) and seeing a number of suspicious large structures... These are only...

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