How Problem Solving Can Create More Problems
Chuck Blakeman, writing for Inc. Magazine* states, “Business leaders are taught to be relentless problem solvers. But that focus traps them in a downward spiral of reactive problem-solving that feels more like a hostage situation than leading.” He goes on to say, “A problem, once solved, merely restores the status quo. Solving it gets you back to where you were before the problem arose but brings no lasting difference to the situation. A staff member quits, we recruit a new o
How to Know What You Really, Really Want
In what may be the most unlikely reference we’ve ever made in one our blog posts, we’re recalling for this post some lyrics from a Spice Girls’ song: “I'll tell you what I want, what I really, really want.” The song then goes on to say: “If you want my future, forget my past.” Granted, not exactly the most poetic lyrics ever written, and yet they introduce several important points related to the process of creating powerful visions. Here’s what we mean: While it may seem obv
Why Your Unconscious Mind Craves Meaning
Vision statements. Most of us have made a few with colleagues over the years and can recall the hours spent in discussion, carefully wordsmithing, scribbling on flip chart paper and a white board, finally agreeing on the perfect vision statement, then filing it away or posting it on a wall and pretty much forgetting about it. If you’ve had that experience you may be wary of the practice. So were we, until we began experimenting and eventually developed an entirely different p
