Leadership

What are [client] problems?

What are all the problems we’re trying to solve? Each problem, we ask: Is it a problem worth solving? What are each of our big clients’ top three problems? Are those the real problems or just the low-hanging fruit problems? In each case, we ask: is it a problem worth solving? Could there be a more important…

Read more

Leading a New Team

Practices & Philosophies Understand the Team Leading Up Building a United Team Empathetic Leadership Natural Leadership By following these practices, you can effectively lead a new team, gaining their trust and building a cohesive, high-performing unit.

Read more

Pet Peeve: Out-of-Touch Leaders

You know one of my pet peeves? Something that really pisses me off? When people in positions of authority and power become disconnected from the community they serve, they become clueless about the feelings of the ordinary person.  This happens in government. We see it a lot lately in Canadian politics. It also occurs in…

Read more

Algorithmic Addiction (pt 1)

Things are going to get weird here.  The world is fucked up.  But it is also beautiful.  — Don’t blame the algorithms for humanity’s natural instinct and desire to be attracted to darkness.  No.  Know.  Social media represents man’s true nature. Our current nature.  And when we get better, so will social media. Just as…

Read more

An Advisor’s Thoughts

The following are notes captured in a particular meeting I had a few years back with one of our advisors. Notes Stop sweating over $10,000 problems. Sure, you have to sweat the small stuff sometimes, but you can’t fixate on this. What’s the million-dollar problem? When someone says, “We’re over budget by $50K,” It’s a…

Read more

Military Hat 🪖

When I’m wearing my military general hat, my Captain’s hat… I love it. I love the clarity.I love the absolution.Structure.Precision.Focus.Pointed and with purpose. Yes, this is an extreme version of me. And while I wear this hat and live through this uniform, I am intense. Those who don’t know me, understandably mistake me for being…

Read more

Expectations for leaders

Want more money?Want to think and perform like a leader?What is your current thinking like?What is your current behaviour like? How fragile are you?How much of your thoughts and actions are unchecked? Are you easily disturbed?Do you easily break? Would you follow someone like you? What are the qualities you believe a leader should exhibit? How…

Read more

Doing well.

We have a responsibility to build a business that not only supports but goes above the basics. Mother birds “In measuring out rewards, wise rulers act like mother birds. While seeing into every corner; they are unobtrusive. While protecting the people, they do not control them.“ excerpt from Chapter 10, Tao Te Ching

Read more

Stop

Essentialism Stop trying to help everyone. Help only ten that will help ten. Too many projects on the go. We can only close so many projects at the same time. Initiatives: Beachhead Firing too many cannons in too many directions. I don’t want to be like N____l S_____y. Spread too thin. Behaving erratically. I must…

Read more

Being your best

Get the best out of you. Would you like to: strive to be your best? The majority of people will never once feel the euphoria of being at one’s best. This is not because of any lack of desire. It is that to be at your best, you require an ideal environment and strong systems….

Read more

Leadership, thoughts on what it takes

What is it to be a leader at PD? You study hard. Hard like your life depends on it. Because it does. You are decisive. Not wish-washy, uncommitted. You continuously raise your own standards and those around you. You win. And when you lose, you lose magnificently, pushing hard to the very end. You know…

Read more

The case for organizational health

Homo Dues page 132 …lacks flexibility. Bees cooperate in very sophisticated ways, but they cannot reinvent their social system overnight. If a hive faces a new threat or a new opportunity, the bees cannot, for example, guillotine the queen and establish a republic. Social mammals such as elephants and chimpanzees cooperate far more flexible than…

Read more

The Cult Elephant in the Room

Are we becoming cult-like? Yes and no. We must be careful. We must be inclusive of different people and ideas, while maintaining and adhering to our core values. We must know the difference between cult and not. Cults require blind Faith. Healthy organizations consist of curious people who question and engage in healthy conflict. From…

Read more

What is Red Alert? It means no democracy for you.

First, to appreciate Red Alert behaviours and decision-making processes, one must understand and appreciate what is the Ready Room, and the Observation Lounge, aka Conference Room. Ready Room: A place the Captain does his work, and has private meetings. Longer description below. Observation Lounge: A place the senior staff meet to discuss important business, and…

Read more