I suppose that sounds obvious, but when I talk to people about changing the way they lead and manage organizations, I’m not so sure it’s that obvious. Instead, there seems to be a default assumption that in the future, management will look roughly like it does today, except that somehow it will be better and [...]
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Here’s the problem with committees: They exist. I’m only partially joking here. This comes from a comment I left on a post on Eric Lanke’s blog (which, by the way, has shifted from the Hourglass blog to simply “Eric Lanke,” so be sure to switch your subscription). He had written about an experience he had [...]
Continue ReadingWhenever I get some time to think deeply about things related to the workplace, like how do we make work better, or what is leadership, or what is management, then I end up inescapably coming to the conclusion that is the title of this post: We have no idea what we’re doing. Sorry to be [...]
Continue ReadingEverybody hates organizational silos. They are a problem. They get in the way. They need to be “busted.” And to some extent, I agree. The way our different departments seem to erect walls separating them from each other can definitely cause problems. What one department does ends up producing a result that causes trouble for [...]
Continue ReadingOne of my favorite books that cuts across two of my favorite topics (truth and conflict) is Michael Roberto's Why Leaders Don't Take Yes for An Answer. He is the source of the definition I often use of consensus: it's not universal agreement–it is a combination of a high level of shared understanding with a [...]
Continue ReadingJim Collins is probably best known for his Good to Great book, but I remember seeing a video of him speaking years ago talking about career development. He drew a classic three-circle venn diagram. Two of the circles were "what you love to do" and "what people will pay you to do." Obviously you want [...]
Continue ReadingWhen I talk about generational differences, I try to distinguish between the real stuff and the "hype." The hype is always judgmental, typically focuses on the negative, and usually blames a particular generation for being the source of a problem in the workplace. As an example, Millennials are often depicted as being overly "entitled." I [...]
Continue ReadingAsk a random person on the street, and they'll support collaboration. Of course it's a good idea when people get together to work on something, solve a problem, help each other out. I'll go out on a limb and suggest that you, reading this post, agree that collaboration is a good thing. So why doesn't [...]
Continue ReadingWe spend a lot of time wringing our hands over the problems that "others" have in our lives. The Board isn't strategic enough. The boss doesn't understand me. That department over there is not cooperative or competent. My spouse doesn't listen. All of that may be true, but it's still up to you to figure [...]
Continue ReadingThe title of this post, of course, is the reverse of the popular phrase, "I'll believe it when I see it." In other words, until you show me proof, I'm not sure I'm going to believe you. That is fine, and it reflects our cultural bias towards objectivity. As I explained in my post about [...]
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Jamie is a Vice President at MSP where he leads the consulting division. 
