A friend sent me a very long treatise about complexity. The author contends that we, as humans, have a confirmation bias towards complexity. I’m not linking to it because I found the writing too complex to read. I’m not going to inflict that on you. However, I do think the question is useful: are we
Are We Biased to the Simple or Complex? Read More »
In my coaching and consulting, I often encounter people who think in “or.” They ask, “Should I take this action or that action?” (They might talk about decisions, but it’s the same idea. It’s one or the other.) I’ve been asking them this question, “Can you mash those two ideas together to use an “and”
How Do You Create a Third Option? Read More »
I take multiple walks through my neighborhood to get my steps in. Most of the time, I pass the houses and it’s quiet, just me and my rollator and my thoughts. One house, however, has a totally adorable little white dog on the first floor. Every time I pass by that house, the dog barks
Who’s Your Guard Dog? Read More »
I hear a lot of “No, but…” and people tell me why they can’t possibly do the thing I suggested. I agree with them. I often say something like this, “Yes, you are correct. Yes, that would be a problem here. And, could this other thing be a possibility?” Sometimes they say yes, and we
How About Yes, And … ? Read More »
I was coaching a prospective consultant. He had big plans for his business. He wanted to make a ton of money. He wanted to run gigantic workshops. (His word, not mine.) He had Big, Big Plans. I asked him what success meant to him. He had an answer all about money. So I asked him
What’s Enough For You? Read More »
I was thinking about the election. (I know, this week, who hasn’t?) We appear to be a fractured society. That means at least half of us didn’t get what we wanted. Even if you voted for the winner, the realities of politics and promises pre-election never quite work out the same way post-election. We encounter
How Can You Get What You Want? Read More »
In Jerry Weinberg’s Secrets of Consulting, he talks about becoming “pickled.” When you’re a consultant, the value you bring is that you are outside the environment. You have an external perspective. If you stay with just one client long enough, it’s as if you are a cucumber in a barrel of pickles. You can’t help but
Warning, I have a little politics in this post. It’s politics season in the US. For me, the presidential race is the ultimate reality TV show. I can’t look away, even when I’m horrified. Republicans (self-described as conservatives) discuss religious discrimination and walls as a way to keep us safe from terrorism. Democrats (self-described as
How Much Protection Do You Want? Read More »
I have a love-hate relationship with my physical therapy. I love the exercises. I like my therapist. I can see my progress. I hate the building. Hate, hate, hate it. There are three levels of parking. Only one level has a ramp. On that level, there are about eight handicapped spaces. That number of handicapped
Are You Whining or Problem-Solving? Read More »
I saw this Ted Talk, Sebastian Wernicke’s How to use data to make a hit TV show. The intro is funny when he discusses data analysis to make decisions. At about 8:57 into the talk, he starts talking about problem-solving. He says problem-solving with data has two parts. The first part is the take-apart phase,
How Do You Use Data? Read More »