Archive for August, 2006
Secrets of the Operations Master
Tuesday, August 29th, 2006My friend Steve O’Donnell was interviewed in December 2005 by engineering magazine IET.
It is a rare insight into the principles guiding one of the City of London’s most renowned and highly respected Technical Operations and Project Managers.
Steve has enjoyed a 25 year career at the cutting edge of IT. For the past decade he [...]
When Not to Trust Your Gut
Thursday, August 24th, 2006From HBS Working Knowledge
In past issues of this newsletter, we have highlighted a variety of psychological biases that affect negotiators, many of which spring from a reliance on intuition. Of course, negotiators are not always affected by bias; we often think systematically and clearly at the bargaining table. Most negotiators believe they are capable of [...]
Superb Dilbert
Thursday, August 17th, 2006Lovaglia’s Law
Friday, August 11th, 2006Lovaglia’s Law: “Lovaglia’s Law: The more important the outcome of a decision, the more people will resist using evidence to make it.”
(Via Bob Sutton.)
There are two kinds of people: complexifiers and simplifers
Friday, August 11th, 2006There are two kinds of people: complexifiers and simplifers:
There are several thousand ways to complete the sentence ‘There are two kinds of people, those that…’ And in case the universe wouldn’t be complete without another, here’s one more.
There are two kinds of people: people that make things complex and people that simplify.
Complexifiers are averse to [...]
Asset-Based Thinking
Friday, August 11th, 2006Asset-Based Thinking:
Change the Way You See Everything Through Asset-Based Thinking by consultants Kathryn Cramer and Hank Wasiak.
Asset-based thinking, as they describe it, is ‘a concrete cognitive process aimed at identifying the assets (e.g., strengths, talents, synergies, and possibilities) that are immediately available in yourself, other people, and any situation.’ It is in direct [...]
love begets love
Thursday, August 10th, 2006love begets love:
[Another one from Stormhoek label designs.]
“Love begets love, love knows no rules, this is the same for all.” Virgil
(Via gapingvoid: “cartoons drawn on the back of business cards” by hugh macleod.)
What gets measured gets done. 10 principles of inspection.
Thursday, August 10th, 2006What gets measured gets done. 10 principles of inspection :
1. The purpose of improvement. There should be an explicit concern on the part of inspectors to contribute to the improvement of the service being inspected.
2. A focus on outcomes, which means considering service delivery to the end users of the services rather than concentrating on [...]
Shakespeare on Personal Time Management
Thursday, August 10th, 2006Shakespeare on Personal Time Management:
How sour sweet music isWhen time is broke, and no proportion kept!So it is in the music of [our] lives.And here have I the daintiness of earTo check time broke in a disordered string;But for the concord of my state and timeHad not an ear to hear my true time [...]