Lots of data suggest that good strategic planning is different than good strategic planning implementation, and that 90 to 95% of initiatives fail to meet management expectations even though the initial thinking was… Continue reading
Change is about considered alternatives, since you cannot make changes happen until there is a viable alternative to what you are doing now. Stepping back from the wagon is a way to generate… Continue reading
There are often issues of isolation in how things work in most organizations. Wagon pullers are naturally isolated from the hands-on reality of the wagon pushers, but some are also simply too distant… Continue reading
Disconnects are just so common when it comes to people and performance. And when it comes to implementing strategy, the research says that few initiatives meet the goals and expectations of the senior… Continue reading
Here is a BIG IDEA that is really pretty simple, really. To involve and engage people in workplace improvement, involve and engage people in workplace improvement. Seriously. Assume that people have actually do… Continue reading
I think it is pretty simple, really. To involve and engage people in workplace improvement, one needs to involve and engage people in workplace improvement. That is pretty simple, right? And a bit… Continue reading
“If you always do what you have always done, you will always get what you have always gotten…” This is an old quote I remember from my NLP training 20 years ago and… Continue reading
I was writing to a colleague about engagement and the workplace and had that sparkle of inspiration about how things really work. So, here are two versions of the same idea, one using… Continue reading
I thought that this was a good quote to support the theme of continuous continuous improvement that is embedded in the whole idea of Square Wheels One. The illustration below reflects our alternate… Continue reading
My last blog quote post of today — this is number 5. We talk leadership all the time and there are thousands or tens of thousands of books about the issue. SO much… Continue reading
I just read the start of a discussion in one of my LinkedIn groups called, “Think Like a Leader” and which references an HBR video by Daniel Goleman, who I really like and… Continue reading
I thought to start a short series of Thoughts on Business that employ graphic images and some of my more favorite quotes. The idea is to frame some of the illustrations of Square… Continue reading
I thought to start a short series of Thoughts on Business that employ graphic images and some of my more favorite quotes. The idea is to frame some of the illustrations of Square… Continue reading
Yep. The process is not a hard one. And it needs to be done to impact engagement and motivation. Click on the image below to go to a simple blog post and some… Continue reading
In the past couple of days, a number of different threads on LinkedIn and in emails have had me post up some reference to Daniel Kahneman’s great book, “Thinking, Fast and Slow.” Some… Continue reading
Here is another thought on Spectator Sheep and an addendum: Understand that Spectator Sheep may not appear as they really are: Yeah, they can choose to be involved if they choose. But often… Continue reading
Ah, we’ve reached the end of my first series of six business haiku around Daylight Savings and Springing Forward on Monday with ideas for involvement and engagement. Bring even more changes this spring.… Continue reading
The “Go” for “Green” continue with number 5 of our 6 Spring Forward business haiku featuring Square Wheels One. What are your reactions to this one: Not just springing forward but making The… Continue reading
Now I start with some positive possibility reframing of the Square Wheels and the issues of Daylight Savings Monday as a possible day for choosing to improve how things really work in most… Continue reading
Here is another business haiku about Daylight Savings Time from the brown side of things: Similar to post One, this one supports that we continue to work through the haze of work. Can… Continue reading
Do you like the basic idea? A winter of work with no possibility of a Spring Forward. Can we really continue to do the same things the same way? Click on the image… Continue reading
By stepping back from the wagon, we can see things differently. If we can get the team to step back and look for issues and opportunities, they will see these. They can then… Continue reading
Here are two nice haiku around the issue of the value of making changes to improve your workplace and the gratification that comes from making such changes. DO note that the change may… Continue reading
It is easy to motivate me. Just let me stop pushing and see. The wheels can roll smoothly and fast if we can just kick the boss in the (back) The ideas are… Continue reading
We roll forward. Thumping and bumping. But then, things stop and we all gather to share issues and ideas and thoughts about what we might do differently. The result is that we choose… Continue reading
Making progress in any initiative is taking steps forward. Often, it is about working with others and being led on the journey. One often needs peer support, good systems and processes to manage… Continue reading
It is just so easy to do haiku with the image of the Square Wheels wagon, since it generates so many irrational thoughts about the reality of the journey, the difficulty of the… Continue reading
I started doing a whole big bunch of haiku poems for business process improvement. This is one of the first. I’m having fun with these. And if you want to embellish or improve,… Continue reading
Okay – the basic and simple question is this: Would people care more about improving how the wagon rolls if the cargo were a load of cute puppies? Inquiring minds want a discussion… Continue reading
Creating butterflies in your workplace would seem to be a lot better than simply supporting the lifestyle of the caterpillars. The related thought is that caterpillars are a lot easier to manage. Is… Continue reading
Yes, the Square Wheels do roll both forward and backward and just may be more useful than round wheels when descending very steep hills or for helicopters or cooking hot dogs. But for… Continue reading
For the past few weeks, I have been playing with my illustrations and pictures and the themes of managing and leading change and improvement. So much of it has to do with unrealized… Continue reading
People with different views can collaborate to produce a better outcome. People can combine their different perspectives to generate an even richer idea for innovation and implementation. For the FUN of It! Dr.… Continue reading
Working is different than working together. Teamwork requires alignment and shared goals. More often, people are actively running around in chaos and confusion. So, here is a Haiku on how things work and… Continue reading
