These days it’s easy to be consumed by the current conditions and political posturing that is happening all around us. Between reports of case counts, rising debt, and the state of our economy and health care system, it seems prudent to go into a holding pattern or a hunker-down position. But what if there is another option? What if you …
Solving a Problem? Don’t Play the Same Old Song
I’ve been a musician for decades. It all started when I saw old footage of Elvis Presley. At that time, I felt like something was missing from my hands—it was a guitar. For years I wrote songs, formed bands, performed live and recorded albums. Despite my background, to this day, nothing makes me more uncomfortable than “jamming.” I am a …
The Magic of Constraints
It is not uncommon that we’ll hear a leader say that they don’t want to constrain their team. We hear statements such as: “Every type of idea is on the table.” “I don’t want to limit their thinking.” “There is no budget if it’s a great idea.” Statements like these are said with good intentions, but they are often causing …
3 Essentials to Maximize Diversity of Thinking
You hear it all of the time: “Leverage the diversity of your team.” Or “Make sure you’re creating diverse working groups”. While we certainly agree, this directive can leave team leaders confused. What’s missing? The “how to”. Without diversity we limit the potential of our problem solving and creativity because we synthesize information in isolation. Essentially, one brain on the …
What Happens When You Are Forced to Act?
I’ve seen the below post floating around social media and while I do find it amusing, there is some interesting truth to it: Who was responsible for your digital transformation? Your CIO A Consultant Covid-19 At the end of the day, when you must do something—you just get it done. Many organizations had plans to someday have remote teams and …
The Power of Community
In the midst of disruption comes a time to reflect on not only what has changed, but what has emerged as having value in our world. I believe there will be long lasting changes coming out of our pandemic experience, and some of those changes will present new opportunities. As a mom of two little girls, I have been trying …
How Stimulus Saved a Perfectionist
Admitting to a control problem is a hard thing to do. Releasing the perceived power of the outcome and experiencing the humility of saying “I don’t know the answer to this problem” is a significant moment in the growth journey of a perfectionist. I would know, this is my journey. While being identified as a perfectionist can be associated with …
Don’t get stuck studying your idea!
Don’t get stuck studying your idea! It can be all too easy to get stuck in the trap of Plan – Do – Study, Study, Study… In Innovation Engineering we follow the process of PDSA (Plan – Do – Study – Act) to keep our innovative ideas moving quickly towards development. This is grounded in the teachings of Dr. …