You have had problems. You currently have problems and you will have problems. Our world has always been characterized by some degree of uncertainty and complexity, highlighted by encounters with volatility and ambiguity (VUCA). Today it's just more so. As these characteristics ebb, flow and intermingle in the circumstances of our lives they create problems; [...]
We are moving from a world of problems, which demand speed, analysis, and elimination of uncertainty to solve – to a world of dilemmas which demand patience, sense-making, and an engagement with uncertainty, said transformative technology consultant, Denise Caron. Try to imagine: due to massive economic shifts, your entire marketplace – all of it – [...]
I haven't posted here in months. I’ve been busy. Sound familiar? “I’ve been busy” or “I’m too busy.” A few months ago a good friend, let’s call him Max, said, “I think busy is the new lazy.” Max is a really smart guy and a good thinker so I paid attention, made a mental note, [...]
Picture a small boy in a candy store with a $20 bill in his pocket. As he looks around the store at all the wonderful delights, he knows he can have anything he wants! Fast forward to the point where he has a temper tantrum because he can’t have everything. We can excuse this behavior [...]
Earlier this week I was reflecting on Dr. Martin Luther King's quote, “Nothing in the world is more dangerous than sincere ignorance and conscientious stupidity” and if it might apply to my world as an advisor to business owners and senior executives. It does. A few years ago, during a lunch with Marshall Goldsmith, he reminded [...]
"There is great tension in the world, tension toward a breaking point, and men are unhappy and confused. At such a time it seems natural and good to me to ask myself these questions. What do I believe in? What must I fight for and what must I fight against?" - John Steinbeck, East of [...]
Recently, I reconnected with an old friend. A mutual friend had told me of the strife our friend had experienced over the past few years so I sought to look him up and check in. When I asked how he was doing he said, "Not much has changed. How about you?" We had a national [...]
"Stories are how we think. They are how we make meaning of life. Call them schemas, scripts, cognitive maps, mental models, metaphors, or narratives. Stories are how we explain how things work, how we make decisions, how we justify our decisions, how we persuade others, how we understand our place in the world, create our identities, and [...]
"We hold these truths to be self evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness." With these words, our founding fathers began a proclamation to the world that America was a democratic republic. In [...]
In the movie, The Hunger Games, North America has been destroyed by some unknown apocalyptic event and the nation of Panem exists in its place. Pamen consists of a wealthy Capitol and twelve surrounding, poorer districts. As punishment for a previous rebellion against the Capitol, one boy and one girl between the ages of 12 [...]
