Have you ever been pushed in a toboggan or sled, that starts slow, then suddenly it’s going 60 kilometers/hour and you’re hanging on for dear life, trying not to crash into two little three year-olds at the bottom of the hill, or worse, the oncoming truck that’s on the road just past the hill? That, […]
Scaling Fast, Steering Blind Read More »
Meetings can sometimes be the bane of a leader’s existence (whether they should be is another story). The one meeting that I’ve found to have the most impact on culture, engagement, and, yes, performance, is the simple morning meeting. Whether it’s called a pre-shift, morning startup (or standup), or “the daily”, it helps to ensure
Have you ever tried to walk across a freshly waxed floor in socks? That’s not just your lack of grace and coordination (yes, or mine). 🙂 That’s physics. Specifically, friction is taking a coffee break. Friction is one of those everyday miracles we love to hate. Like alarm clocks. Or deadlines. Or the corner piece
The Drag We Never Knew We Needed Read More »
Picture this: you’re preparing for the annual work summer BBQ. Off to the grocery store you go, and after the purchases, you’re pushing a shopping cart with a stuck wheel through an uneven parking lot, loaded with 60 pounds of bottled water and one ripe watermelon. You’re giving it everything you’ve got, but it barely
Why Your Business Isn’t Moving? Read More »
There’s a law in physics that’s always stuck with me, probably because it doesn’t just apply to thermodynamics, but to everything from businesses to relationships to processes and culture. It’s the Second Law of Thermodynamics, and it says this: Entropy never decreases in a closed system. In plain business terms? Without intentional input, things fall
Energy Will Beat Entropy – Every Time Read More »
There’s something oddly satisfying about building a dashboard. You pull together the right data feeds or build the right code. Add some charts. Pick a clean layout. Maybe even colour-code a few KPIs. Give it a round of testing. The team logs in. They nod at the numbers. And then… nothing happens. No decisions occur.
Why Most Dashboards Don’t Drive Change Read More »
I’ve written before about words and the terminology that people use, and how many (yes, consultants included) try to manipulate those words to their own purpose and advantage. I’ve stumbled upon a new debate over the last few months that I’ve been both thinking and chuckling about lately. Have you ever been in a strategy
Terminology Doesn’t Build Momentum Read More »
The Illusion of Speed In business, we love the language of speed. ⚡ “We’re moving fast.” “We need to pick up the pace.” “We need a greater sense of urgency.” “Where’s our drive?” “Let’s go, go, go.” But here’s a hard truth I’ve learned across industries, from manufacturing floors to healthcare operations to tech: moving
Is Your Business Operating at Lightspeed or just Spinning? Read More »
When I discuss the chapters of my career, I typically describe four: an IT/Tech chapter, a move to Manufacturing and Operations, then onto Healthcare and Operations, and finally, consulting. It is usually the middle two chapters that people ask me more questions about, as many people (especially those in Healthcare) see Manufacturing and Healthcare as
Does Healthcare have a theory of constraints? Read More »
When you think of a Business Operating System (BOS) or read my recent articles, you likely think of phases like Strategy Creation, Strategy Deployment, and Operational Execution, or frameworks like Balanced Scorecards, OKRs, or PDSA cycles. These are vital, no doubt, but they’re often treated as procedural rather than cultural frameworks. What if a BOS
Patrick Lencioni’s Books – BOS, Organizational Health or both? Read More »
