Muttering into the void
We've lost our way as a people. Numerous paths that can be taken from that first step. Many more pressing in this moment in history. I'll speak to a piece I'm most familiar with, the MBA'ification of business and be eternally thankful for those covering the rest. MBA'ification. Boeing'ification, if you will. The practice of promoting men ( almost always ) who have never been close to the actual…
We create artifacts to remove the need for skill. Too often we fail to account for the atrophy that naturally occurs from not exercising a skill often. What do? I read a snippet of conversation about automation this morning that resonated mightily. As I had just hopped off of a pairing session to understand how in the hell some automation worked, it started me thinking about the flip side of the…
In this COVID'y world, I find I lack feedback I'm accustomed to while facilitating. A small example of this is the natural reinforcement that occurs as folks see others inspect and vote on cards during LeanCoffees. As a result, I've been doing something I call Derby voting. Folks create cards as usual, then they put them into a vertical line. We cover a synopsis of each topic then open up for…
More often than any other factor, headcount growth kills companies. The assumption of the status quo: Groups of people have advantage over individuals because they can do more work with better insights and fewer failures. There are a ton of assumptions baked into this supposition. Everyone is working to a common goal. All individuals have input. Disagreements are raised and resolved to the benefit…
I spend a lot of time talking about systems for someone who doesn't treat himself like he's part of one. Maybe it's my upbringing with its lack of acknowledgement of emotions. Maybe it's straight pride. Hard to say. Whatever it is, I haven't been acknowledging where I'm at and where I have and don't have agency to improve that. This creates a whole bunch of stress, irrationality, and wasted…
This won't be literary gold, but I'm writing it down. Something about morning makes it easier to do so. Maybe it's that I haven't had time to spend too much time inside my head since returning from the clouds of dream. Early morning and late night share so much. The ones I'm speaking to are quiet, solitary things—free from the myriad stimulae of life—when you are left alone to ponder. These brief…
Measure and grind beans. Let bloom, then steep for seven. Press, savor, and smile.