Over-Sensitive to Influence
I was working with a manager who suffered an extreme case of recency bias. The only thing that was guaranteed was that the best idea was the last idea he … Read more
management
Despondency or Despair
With adults 45+ having the fastest growing suicide rate and the highest rates of hazardous drinking in most Western countries, this topic is difficult to write about. Despondency or despair … Read more
Do We Repair or Do We Build?
Repairing things: cars, motorcycle engines, people, organisations is very different from building something from scratch. The mechanic or doctor, consultant or manager “deals with failure every day whereas the builder … Read more
Coping and the Fibonacci Sequence
Today I want to talk about coping. Traditionally, the word has a slightly negative connotation, it suggests an underlying struggle that we perhaps not deal with. But I’d like to … Read more
Aloneness and Loneliness
There is a subtle difference between aloneness and loneliness. The first is healthy, it reflects a comfort with our own company and an inner calm. It comes from a position … Read more
Uncertainty and Productivity
A friend and I were talking about uncertainty and before it lurched to Heisenberg we discussed its relevance to management. Taleb’s “Antifragile” is a nice approach to uncertainty in “a … Read more
Productivity and Emotional Balance
Productivity in manufacturing is affected by Taiichi Ohno’s Seven Wastes: overproduction waiting transporting inappropriate processing unnecessary inventory unnecessary / excess motion defects The elimination of these wastes lies behind most … Read more
Trust and Interference
There is a lovely story about a young boy and a lost horse. One day a horse turned up on a farm. No-one knew from whence it came nor who … Read more