I’m due to have a conversation with someone about an ambitious startup-type idea they’re seeking to run within an established company. They have an idea—it might be a great one–and … Continue reading The bell curve of project versus business
Category: General management
Erring on the side of direction
Over the last 12 months I’ve been speaking to people about leadership. Sometimes this is with technical people who are progressing up a career ladder into managment roles; sometimes it … Continue reading Erring on the side of direction
Making your point… but not too much
One of my minor frustrations with political discussion is that it’s almost entirely word-based. Radio works well for political discussion; television is the same as radio, but you get to … Continue reading Making your point… but not too much
We are responsible for the world we want
No doubt you, like me, were horrified by the killing of George Floyd. And maybe also by the killing of Trayvon Martin. And also Stephen Lawrence, and many others I … Continue reading We are responsible for the world we want
The importance of a common language
A long time ago I co-authored an article with Mat Wall about the value we found from domain-driven design (DDD). That is a way of capturing in software the concepts … Continue reading The importance of a common language
The evolution of our organisations
I’ve been reading recently about the evolution of species, and it struck me how similar that process is to the evolution of our own organisations and their internal structures and … Continue reading The evolution of our organisations
It helps to know what not to do
In a single day, recently, I came across two things independently, but in which I saw a useful link. The first was a quote from management legend Peter Drucker: We … Continue reading It helps to know what not to do
Personal understanding is essential in the workplace
I was pleased to read an article this week in HBR entitled “What your coworkers need right now is compassion”. It began by suggesting now, at a time of a … Continue reading Personal understanding is essential in the workplace
Taking responsibility amid uncertainty
[I held onto a draft of this post for some time, as I felt it was never the right time to publish it. But today, although the details seem to … Continue reading Taking responsibility amid uncertainty
Testing intangible character traits
A short time ago I was helping a CEO recruit a CTO for his company. One important requirement was that the two of them should have a relatively easy working … Continue reading Testing intangible character traits
