Systems Thinking
How to inspire your people to achieve a shared vision for success
First step to inspiring your people, you have to be inspired yourself – so notice where you get your inspiration and get more of it. It’s not a one-time event, a conference or a roadshow. This is how you show up day after day as a leader, and this is who you are as a leader
Read MoreHow the world has changed and how we move forward from here
Thinking about the books on my reading list for my civil engineering degree and the books I would recommend if I was a civil engineering or construction lecturer now.
Read MoreThe Systems Leader 2023
John is not making the grade, we need to “performance manage” him – whatever that means!
I wrote this blog post nearly 10 years ago. I was going to change a few words and provide some examples to update it though decided not to as the basic tenet still holds true – for me anyway. What are we going to do about John’s performance?
Are you up for a trophic cascade?
This story has been viewed over 14 million times and is a great metaphor for the work we do with executive and project leadership teams enabling them to bring about remarkable change.
Read MoreWhat’s the point of this, why bother …. Oh, It’s going to be the hard way!
There is a hard way and there’s an easy way, though the easy way may take years to master. For example an eight stone black belt can easily throw someone twice as big. She knows the leverage point at which to push with modest force and once sixteen stone starts moving with gravity it moves…
Read MoreEngineering, Art and Leadership ….. I’m trying to work it out ……
http://upandcomingart.co.uk/pages/time-exhibition Engineering is rational, logical, linear and governed by proven laws of physics. If I take the back off my watch I see an intricate combination of springs and cogs working in a precise predetermined way – engineering is complicated though it has been solved – it’s a “tame” problem. Art on the other…
Read MoreChess, engagement and a six year old coach
My six year old son, Greg, taught me how to play chess. At college my friend John tried though I just couldn’t get all the tactics and so I gave up. Seventeen years later Pete, another friend, taught Greg and the very same day Greg taught me the basic moves in simple terms and without…
Read MoreBehaviour – management’s obsession
How come Thomas behaves this way at home and yet a different way at work? He is the same person, though behaving in a different way. What is driving his behaviour? “Management” try to drive, influence, manipulate behaviour with “consequences” – either positive or negative, incentives or punishment respectively. Daniel Pink, author of “Drive”, questions…
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