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So where do we start? Great question, but it really depends on what you, the reader are after. Since I don’t know anything about your skills, experience, or personal attributes, or what you’re looking for, it is difficult to not only start somewhere, but also to know what to cover.

Humble Inquiry – The gentle art of asking instead of telling, by Edgar H. Schein

Most of us have an inclination to want to express ourselves, to be seen, to be heard, i.e., to be noticed and to matter, and to be understood. Some could even be accused of liking the sound of their own voice. So why should we bother with this humble inquiry then? “Humble inquiry is the fine art of drawing someone out, of asking questions to which you do not already know the answer, of building a relationship based on curiosity and interest in the other person.” P2. Unless one lives alone and...

What Really Works – the 4+2 formula for sustained business success

Introduction This post is a summary of the book What Really Works - the 4+2 Formula For Sustained Business Success (Joyce, Nohria, & Roberson, 2003). Based on a scientific study of businesses over a 10 year period, the book presents the 4 primary and the 4 secondary management practices that every successful business must excel at, to enjoy sustained business success. With the secondary management practices, businesses need only excel at 2, hence the 4 + 2 in the title. Post originally...

A world beyond BOKs?

Reading again the great work from Kailash Awati, aka K, and following his inevitable cascade of links (I love them really, but my brain is too small), I came across a link to this site. The heretics! is there really a world beyond the Bodies Of Knowledge (BOK) such as PMI’s PMBOK? Well yes there is actually, especially since the abstractions espoused in BOKs and PMBOK in particular don’t exist. We need to stop apologising for not being able to adhere to idealised abstractions on this...

Spurious Correlations

Here’s a link to a site that really makes the point – just because there may be a correlation between two variables does not prove that there is a causal link.

Stakeholders and Power

I have always liked the Project Management Institute’s (PMI) definition of a stakeholder; stakeholders are a: Person or organisation (e.g., customer, sponsor, performing organisation, or the public) that is actively involved in the project, or whose interests may be positively or negatively affected by the execution or completion of the project. A stakeholder may also exert influence over the project and its deliverables. (PMBoK 4th Ed., p443). To PMI’s definition of stakeholder we can add a...

Precise Praise

There are four principles to Precise Praise listed below: 1. Differentiate Acknowledgement from Praise 2. Positive Loud; Critical Quiet (i.e. making the good stuff visible) 3. Reinforcing Actions, Not Traits 4. Genuine Praise Practice Perfect - Doug Lemov, Erica Woolway, and Katie Yezzi

Bad Arguments–an illustrated book of

While reading another excellent post from Kailash Awati, aka K, of Eight to Late fame and following the usual cascade of excellent reference material, I came across a little gem of a book  called An Illustrated Book of Bad Arguments. An excellent read and refresher on poor argument strategies and tactics. Enjoy, you’re welcome! By the way, K's book The Heretic's Guide to Best Practices is also a winner; I bought it and read it and also recommend it. If I wasn't so busy trying to earn a crust I...

Decision Traps – The Ten Barriers to Brilliant Decision-Making and How to Overcome Them

We all make decisions all the time; they range from the routine and mundane to the serious and life changing. But how often do we think about the quality of our decision-making? Sure we may reflect a little on good decisions, and we probably dwell on and torment ourselves with bad decisions, those that did not work out to our liking. But do we reflect on the processes by which we actually make those good and bad decisions? Do we do enough to learn from the process of decision-making? The book...