I’m not talking about the politics where we vote for one candidate over the other. I’m talking about the politics in the office. The games that we tend to play as people when we have to navigate murky and muddy waters of the workplace. First let’s just get this out there. Office politics are no fun to play, there are …
A #1 With A Sweet Tea
Sitting down at one of my favorite local restaurants I ordered a #1 with a Sweet Tea to drink.The server asks me if that will be all and I say yes expectantly awaiting my food. The food arrives and it comes out perfectly. It looks and tastes just like the last time I had it. Sometimes creative liberty can be …
How to Lead
There are so many books about leading. There are so many self-help videos and blogs about how to be the leader that you need to be. But how do you actually lead, that’s the question. What exactly is leadership and how do you actually lead people? I’m not an expert in this subject at all. Here are a few keys …
Trust The Team
Trust is a small word but it comes with heavy weight. Trust is natural, though. I trust the barista to make my coffee just the way I ordered it. I trust that my waiter will bring out the food I ordered. Trust is so natural to us that we are surprised when it’s broken. It goes against our nature to …
Invisible Expectations
As consumers we are genuinely unaware of good customer experience and what it takes to produce that customer experience. When I walk into Chick Fil A I don’t think about the thousands of dollars that are spent on AC. It is so expected that I would only notice it if it wasn’t working and then I might even complain. It’s …
The Flow
A stream of water will continue on course until an obstacle is placed in its way to redirect it. It is much easier to go with the flow than it is to redirect it. Redirection does not fight the flow nor stop it. Rather it utilizes the flow. Redirection can have a powerful effect, positively, negatively, or both at the …
Road Signs
Most people don’t like change, but if you can establish expectations, direction, upcoming opportunities, and when it will occur ahead of the actual event, the transition is much smoother. Exit and road signs on the highway do this for us, so at the end of the day, people only need to think about taking a left or right turn off …
Happenstance or Intentional
Humans are naturally intentional. When unintentionality is present, it’s simply because one chose to be. Unintentionally is simply deferring the present to avoid being uncomfortable. We ignore the present to hold on to what we have rather than growing and improving to continue moving forward. Unintentionality is convenient when we need it to be. It’s justified in moments of fear …
Designed Creativity
Creativity is often seen as some random process that flows spontaneously throughout our lives. Creativity can be elusive and cannot be called upon on demand. However, structures that are intended to facilitate creativity can be designed. Structures for creativity provide outlets that allow flow to happen more easily and fluidly. Designing to facilitate creativity allows creativity to be produced more …
Mapping
We often think of ourselves as autonomous beings that don’t create cause and effect. But reality proves that our actions and work are not performed in a vacuum but rather in an ecosystem. Ecosystems are intricately connected, take away or add one aspect to the structure and you will have effectively changed the entire system. Every action taken has a …
