Over my nearly 30 years of work, I've picked up a bunch of theories and models along my way. Some of them are useful, many of them I've forgotten. One that I keep coming back to is the 7-S Model. Developed by Tom Peters and Robert Waterman in the 1980s whilst they both worked at … Continue reading 7-Ss for Technology teams
Today's coffee companion is a security expert. For reasons of security, there are no bullet points. But we did have a mighty fine conversation that encompassed Billion Dollar Mistakes, empathy in healthcare professionals, Wardley Mapping and using HR professionals as a technology sales channel. There are plenty more coffees to be drunk. Sign up at … Continue reading 72nd of 100
This week I have learned: there are certain points in projects, the "milestones", that might be better described as millstones. Points of playback, or reflection, decision points or just notional lines in the sand. They can put people under huge stress. Working out ways to reduce that stress, but still keep people motivated, is key … Continue reading Weeknote 635: milestone
Today's coffee companion helps make things people want, rather than making people want things. We talked about: The wonders of Barcelona The people challenges in consulting The ludicrous way in which people claim that businesses don't like uncertainty Psychological safety Sustainability, regeneration, fragility and antifragility Mutual connections There are more coffee companions needed. Book here: … Continue reading 71st of 100
Over the weekend I read a wonderful article by Stephen Wolfram that explores and explains the way in which much of the current wave of AI technologies operate. It's well worth the read. One particular point that has stuck with me is Wolfram's assertion that ChatGPT has blown apart a long-held assumption that the act … Continue reading The Halo Effect of ChatGPT
This week I have learned: after a few weeks which were very abnormal (conference season, 4 day weeks and so on) it was somewhat comforting to have a week which felt like it was more conventional. A couple of days at home, three in the office. Some coffees. Some progress made on client work. After … Continue reading Weeknote 634: normality
Today's coffee companion is a writer and consultant. We talked about what we have been up to since we last met. We also talked about how management, leadership and organisations are changing, sometimes against their will. The conversation led to an interesting hypothesis, which starts with an assumption - that the skills that one requires … Continue reading 70th of 100
Today's coffee companion is not a generalist. We talked about: the perils of not thinking "London" and ending up late for an appointment how many strokes a dog will get travelling on the Tube electric bikes, how heavy they are, and how that will remain a barrier to adoption for many the wonders of Suffolk … Continue reading 69th of 100
"Dump and clump" exercises are a fairly common tool in the world of workshop facilitation. Get people to think individually about a topic, and write down the things they think about on individual PostIt notes. ("No, Jeremy. One idea per PostIt note, please. Don't worry, it's not your stationery budget.") You then get people to … Continue reading Snap!
Today's coffee companion is a veteran of the IT industry. We talked about: being cross-discipline in the world of tech the experience of being a female developer in the 1970s (and how it wasn't until the PC revolution when men really started to dominate the tech world) how birth control changed perceptions of a leadership … Continue reading 68th of 100
mmitII 