Posts

Why does fear fill the gap?

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In that moment of panic, we forget to reflect on what type of gap this is and why it has been filled with fear. Leadership is a recognition of the gaps, that not all gaps are the same and how to prevent fear being the first response. Image source: Susan David, Ph.D (love her work) Fear and Gaps  Fear is an unpleasant emotion caused by the immediate or expected threat of danger, pain, or harm, but it is also so much more.  We know fear sells in terms of marketing.  We understand FOMO (fear of missing out) and the fear of failure (FOF) are significant drivers. We are aware that fear produces a unique reaction in the body driven from the gut ahead of the brain ( Antonio Damasio research ). Fear is a stimuli but is subjective and how fear is perceived is different for everyone. Different types of fear spread at different speeds. Brands and the media use fear and to create headlines and force change.  COP27 and climate change agenda are not adverse to utilising this insight. We should be

How to build a #team fit for #uncertainty

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The pandemic changed us, our views, what we value and how we work.  We might not recognise all the changes and hang on in the hope of a return to something we loved, but we must make the best of it now.  We should be aware that the change has not only affected us but also our teams.  Whilst the Bruce Tuckman 1965 forming–storming–norming–performing model of group development is timeless. No one is likely to dissent that phases remain necessary and inevitable for a team to grow, face challenges, tackle problems, find solutions, plan work, and deliver results.  However, because we have changed, so has the utility of the tools we apply that move us along the journey from forming to performing.  Tools learnt and built in stable and certain times, have less applicability when we are faced with volatility and uncertainty.  It is the usefulness of tools we utilise that move us on the journey from forming to performing that has changed.  More books and articles on “teams” and “leadership” exi

The Gap between #Purpose and #How is filled with #Paradox

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Data would indicate that our global interest in purpose is growing. In truth, searching on Google for purpose is probably not the best place to start, and I write a lot about how to use data to frame an argument as this viewpoint highlights that the gap between purpose and how is filled with paradox. Source: Google Trends The Peak Paradox framework can be viewed from many different perspectives.  In this 3-minute read, I want to focus on the gap between “Purpose” And “How.” For example, Robin Hood's (as in the legendary heroic outlaw originally depicted in English folklore and subsequently featured in literature and film - not the stock trading company) purpose was “The redistribution of wealth.”   He and his band of merry fellows implemented the purpose by any means, mainly robbing the rich and giving to the poor (how they did it).   The Purpose was not wrong, but How was an interesting take on roles in society.   Google’s Purpose is to “ Organise the world's information .”

How we value time frames our outcomes and incentives.

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I am aware that a human limitation is our understanding of time.  Time itself is something that humans have created to help us comprehend the rules that govern us.  Whilst society is exceptionally good at managing short-time frames (next minute, hour, day and week),  it is well established that humans are very bad at comprehending longer time frames (decades, centuries and millenniums).  Humans are proficient at overestimating what we can do in the next year and wildly under-estimate what we can achieve in 10 years.  (Gates Law) Therefore, I know there is a problem when we consider how we should value the next 50,000 years.  However, we are left with fewer short-terms options each year and are left to consider longer and bigger - the very thing we are less capable of.  Why 50,000 years The orange circle below represents the 6.75 trillion people (UN figure) who will be born in the next 50,000 years.  The small grey circle represents the 100 billion dead who have already lived on earth

Can frameworks help us understand and communicate?

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I have the deepest respect and high regard for Wardley Maps and the Cynefin framework .  They share much of the same background and evolution. Both are extremely helpful and modern frameworks for understanding, much like Porter’s five forces model was back in the 1980s.  I adopted the same terminology (novel, emergent, good and best) when writing about the development of governance for 2050. In the article Revising the S-Curve in an age of emergence , I used the S-curve as it has helped us on several previous journeys. It supported our understanding of adoption and growth; it can now be critical in helping us understand the development and evolution of governance towards a sustainable future. An evolutionary S-curve is more applicable than ever as we enter a new phase of emergence. Our actions and behaviours emerge when we grasp that all parts of our ecosystem interact as a more comprehensive whole. A governance S-curve can help us unpack new risks in this dependent ecosystem so that