6 ways leaders disrupt the ‘Lemming Effect’
It is a confusing world. On one hand, change is everywhere, and the pace of change is increasing as we watch. On the other, generating change in an organisation is really hard; we humans do not like change, despite what we sometimes say. We are hard wired to...
The two things we have to achieve for our grandchildren
Yesterday I listened to a hysterical condemnation of Woolworths, who had come clean to the Employment Ombudsman when they realised they had underpaid staff. Another example of big business rorting workers, or more evidence of the impact of overwhelming complexity of a...
A critical antidote to confirmation bias.
Confirmation bias is a seductive bitch. We see what we expect to see, the things that confirm our existing views and expectations, to the exclusion of alternatives. When taken to extremes, loonies like holocaust deniers, and the 'no vac' lot emerge and sprout their...
How to measure ‘Flow’ through a process.
The word 'Flow' has a few differing meanings, but all imply the smooth transition from one place to another. To improve operational efficiency, as well as the productivity of a process, the best way to go about it is to remove the sources of interruption to the smooth...
5 meanings of ‘Send me a proposal’
Send me a proposal is a phrase I hear from time to time, and most of my clients hear often. The challenge is to interpret what it really means. Possible meaning 1. You have their attention, your pitch has generated genuine interest, and it is likely that there...
Are SMART goals redundant?
Goal setting and the subsequent resource allocation decisions taken to address the goals are an integral part of every management job, no matter where on the organisational totem that job stands. Setting goals appropriate to the level at which they are being...
What is the most challenging goal you could set?
Simplicity. We live in an ever more complicated world, and our instinctive response to external complication leads to internal complication in order to be able to manage the external. Having 'Simplicity' as a driving goal, something to be strived for,...
An alternative view of ‘KPI”
We all understand the term 'KPI', Key Performance Indicator. It is always used as a term to describe internal performance metrics. Our customers employ us to deliver value, a solution to their problems, a means to deliver some sort of gratification. Yet, we use...
How to avoid being misled: Measure the drivers, before results.
The old cliché that you get what you measure, is right. You want more of something, make it a KPI, measure for it, and the chances you will get it are dramatically improved. The corollary is that you need to ensure that what it is that you are measuring is...
How do you delight a customer?
Delight the customer has become a cliché, popping up in all sorts of places from PR blurb, to websites, mission statements, and sales rev-ups. However, few seem to have any real idea of what it really means, can put a solid foundation under the fluff, to make it...