Crap Arising; or, Catch It
A neighbourhood cat has been leaving unwelcome deposits on our porch with impressive (and elusive) regularity. You can’t let things like this bother you: dealing… Read More »Crap Arising; or, Catch It
friction
The Office of Strategic Services (1944) on how to sabotage your organisation through bureaucracy
I stumbled across the OSS Simple Sabotage Field Manual on Project Gutenberg and had to give it a skim. (The OSS was a U.S. intelligence… Read More »The Office of Strategic Services (1944) on how to sabotage your organisation through bureaucracy
Spot check: what have you made better?
Here’s a quick way to take the temperature of your own effectiveness and that of your organisation: list the things that you’ve improved recently, and… Read More »Spot check: what have you made better?
That which gets in the way of the mission: on having The Conversation quickly
That which gets in the way of my mission is my mission. Tim Ferriss, quoting somebody If you have that feeling that something is up… Read More »That which gets in the way of the mission: on having The Conversation quickly
The crisis you seek
Some crises are worth seeking. You can limp on, drained by low-level conflict or conflict avoidance, suffocated by the elephants in the room, for months… Read More »The crisis you seek
Freedom to the nose (2): stealing at work
How free are you at work? How free are the people you’re responsible for? “As free as possible,” is a good answer, but there are… Read More »Freedom to the nose (2): stealing at work
A sharper razor
A fresh, sharp razor is faster and easier to use, is less less painful, and gives a better and longer-lasting finish. As a result you… Read More »A sharper razor
Quick emails
There are two types of quick emails. There’s kind where you can handle it in five or ten minutes and… the job’s finished; someone else… Read More »Quick emails
Friction (4): mental overhead and nameless dread
Mental Overhead Another type of friction we experience is from the ongoing mental overhead of having too many balls in the air. Unfinished projects, unanswered… Read More »Friction (4): mental overhead and nameless dread
Friction (3): when friction helps
Friction in the wrong places slows us down and drains our energy, but it has its uses: Friction in processes or emotional friction it’s often… Read More »Friction (3): when friction helps