I was speaking to a company CTO one time, when he commented that he had introduced OKRs (a way of focuing an organisation’s activity), but it hadn’t been easy. In … Continue reading Leadership is a balancing act
Category: General management
Don’t be a slave to the model
I was recently involved in a conversation with some colleagues, in which one of them was seeking to introduce to their own organisation “the Spotify model” [pdf] of organising teams. … Continue reading Don’t be a slave to the model
An example of culture change through process change
Some time ago I was speaking to a former colleague, who had been part of a team introduced to new ways of working and who was also a very senior … Continue reading An example of culture change through process change
When it’s okay to use black and white thinking
I’ve previously said—frequently—that moving away from black and white, or binary, thinking is generally a very positive thing. I previously gave examples of this in predicting the future, subversion, elections, … Continue reading When it’s okay to use black and white thinking
Asking why builds better relationships
Previously I’ve said that digging into the reasons behind certain statements, and asking why, helps us understand problems better. But it’s also personally fulfilling and rewarding. I was reminded of … Continue reading Asking why builds better relationships
Ensure degrees of success
The other week I was on a train going across the country, and while it was stopped at a station the train manager made an announcement. “I realise this is … Continue reading Ensure degrees of success
Divisions at the top create wider divisions further down
A little while ago I was discussing with a chief executive the key characteristics of being a great CTO. One of the qualities I mentioned—which I’d observed in many effective … Continue reading Divisions at the top create wider divisions further down
