You work within a set of nested boxes and it’s your job to keep them mentally aligned. Otherwise, you’ll be blind to emerging problems and opportunities. Plan on spending 90 minutes every quarter with your team to discuss the implications of changes in the larger environments that might affect your plans and decisions. Work on…
First, a quick quiz. What do they have in common? Well, obviously, they are no longer needed. But ponder this – these businesses were managed by experienced, educated, well paid, and (supposedly) smart people. What went wrong? Why did they disappear? I suggest that poor quality thinking is at the heart of the decisions they…
Don’t think outside the box. Think in more boxes.
According to (made up) research, hundreds of (non) interviews, and my (non-relevant) credentials, I have concluded that too many of us are suckers. I have no doubt that the earth is flat, we never landed on the moon, and alchemy works. After all, I read it on the Internet. I’m in the process of developing…
One of my favorite books is How Doctors Think, Jerome Groopman, M.D., 2007. Dr. Groopman is a good writer and an engaging storyteller. More than that, he pulls advice from the stories so that we can become thoughtful patients and apply his observations to our world. The story One of the chapters is the story of…
“It is a capital mistake to theorize before one has data. Insensibly one begins to twist facts to suit theories, instead of theories to suit facts.” Sherlock Holmes The future: four parts & three combinations We think and talk about “the future” a lot. Maybe it’s about our retirement plans. Maybe it’s about our company’s…
This continues the questions and comments that came from MindPrep 196 – You Tell Me. Ken wanted more re: “thinking blocks” and four versions of the future. Here are the thinking blocks. I’ll send the “four futures” in a few days. Thinking Blocks: we all have them! Marcel Straub on Unsplash “This book is concerned…
This is another follow-up to the comments I received from our newsletter, MindPrep 196 – You Tell Me. As mentioned last time I received a few responses to ten “notes in the margin” I listed from books on my shelf. In response to #1 (questions are the engine of intellect) Mary wondered how “the latest…
When you consider your business, your career, and even your life — lifecycles are destiny. Some questions to be addressed are simple, but not always easy to answer. But first, some stories to consider. Companies either follow the curve or drop from sight. Montgomery Ward and American Motors are gone. Amazon seems to be maturing,…
Get email updates about new content, courses, workshops and other things that will enrich and improve your thinking about business.
Get email updates about new content, courses, workshops and other things that will enrich and improve your thinking about business.
We’ll treat your information in accordance with our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
