Tag Archives: learning

We’re number 2! We’re number 2! Yay us! Now who’s US exactly?

Posted on November 17, 2016 by

About a month or so ago I started getting loooaads of traffic for a really old post from when the blog was still good. This one was about 4 German words we should all use, which is why it was … Continue reading →

Posted in communication, learning, systems thinking, vanguard method | Tagged , , , , | 20 Comments

Why do you need a hole in your head?

Posted on July 25, 2016 by

Why is it that a…  …is a really essential thing to have? Here’s why! You’re the head cook in a primary school. It’s your job to design the menu and make the meals. You want to make the healthiest food … Continue reading →

Posted in knowledge, systems thinking | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Look around my eyes, don’t look into my eyes. LASER BEAMS come out ’em

Posted on June 27, 2016 by

I am trained in advanced persuasion and negotiation. Advanced, mind. So much so that you really should look around my eyes, not into my eyes, cos God knows what I could do with my madd skillz in brain manipulation. This … Continue reading →

Posted in experiment, plausible, plausible but untrue, systems thinking, thinking | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

I turned down a 40% pay rise…here’s why!

Posted on May 17, 2016 by

Years ago I turned down opportunity of a 40% pay rise. Here’s what happened…. When I came into work there were 4 emails from colleagues, all saying the same thing… APPLY FOR THIS JOB. A job was advertised paid more, … Continue reading →

Posted in all wrong, command and control, knowledge, lean thinking, systems thinking | Tagged , , , | 25 Comments

How to learn Kung Fu in 1 easy step

Posted on April 1, 2016 by

Q: How do you learn Kung Fu? A: Attend a 1 hour training session in Kung Fu. Hey presto…. April Fool! That won’t work, if you want to know Kung Fu you’d have to train for years. One hour will do … Continue reading →

Posted in command and control, knowledge, learning, systems thinking | Tagged , , , | 3 Comments

The one thing you shouldn’t bother changing and the one thing you should

Posted on January 5, 2016 by

Lots of organisations try to change culture. They try and change that loads. But nobody really knows what it is. Not enough to point at and say “that’s culture there” and “that isn’t“. The Harvard Business Review says… “there is … Continue reading →

Posted in change, command and control, plausible but untrue, psychology, systems thinking | Tagged , , , , | 13 Comments

The Chris Pratt dance-off against Organisational Transformation programmes everywhere!

Posted on October 13, 2015 by

*****The gifs take a while to load, they’re not just photos but actually move. Worth the wait. **** Possibly the funkiest take down of Organisational Transformation programmes you’ll see this week…. Like all good systems thinkers everywhere Chris Pratt, or … Continue reading →

Posted in all wrong, command and control, leadership, systems thinking, systemz comix, vanguard method | Tagged , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

People rate opinion over reality, cos reality’s all facts and that

Posted on June 6, 2015 by

I was in a training room recently, with a bunch of people from around the council, and it was very dispiriting Because there wasn’t a lot to fill the time in, there were lots of STORIES being regailed to the room from … Continue reading →

Posted in human brains are weird, learning, psychology | Tagged , , ,

Why I hate Ofsted

Posted on May 9, 2015 by

I’ve got an eleven year old in final year of primary school and Ofsted are ruining his education. Next week is SATS week. In that week children of the same age all around the country will be tested on how … Continue reading →

Posted in all wrong, command and control, public sector, systems thinking | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

10 years a Policy Officer

Posted on November 17, 2014 by

This is my desk. I have sat in this, and others like it, for exactly 10 years in this organisation. My decade anniversary is today. In 2004 in the interview for this job I had to give a presentation answering “What … Continue reading →

Posted in me doing it, psychology, systems thinking | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

You are not a dog

Posted on October 19, 2014 by

I am not a dog. You are probably not a dog. So if you aren’t a dog why do you need…training? I was doing some work with a service and before we had even started gathering data, the number one … Continue reading →

Posted in command and control, learning, systems thinking | Tagged , | 1 Comment

Lesson learned

Posted on September 26, 2014 by

This is a fellow onion. Look how sad she is. We’d just finished, or rather abandoned, a project, so decided to do a lessons learned exercise. These are specific lessons we learnt during the work and what we wrote on … Continue reading →

Posted in knowledge, learning, systems thinking, thinking | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

What is a Googleplex?

Posted on December 2, 2013 by

This letter appeared on the internet in 2006. [Snopes, the bible of internet myths, says it’s truthfulness is undetermined. But just because it didn’t happen doesn’t mean it’s not true.] A few months ago I told my 9 year old … Continue reading →

Posted in learning, systems thinking, thinking | Tagged , , , , | 5 Comments

How to get it

Posted on November 7, 2013 by

Has she got it? Well, has she? This is what I’ve heard people ask, if someone has got it or not. Meaning systems thinking. Of course. It’s not like getting the measles, I know that, but I’ve been puzzled for … Continue reading →

Posted in command and control, learning, me doing it, systems thinking in housing benefits, thinking, vanguard method | Tagged , , , | 5 Comments

Lazy managers make hungry children

Posted on September 19, 2013 by

Managers working in the public sector are starving poor people because they are too lazy to bother picking up a book. Yes, I said that. The above graph shows the reasons why people are turning to food banks because they … Continue reading →

Posted in command and control, leadership, learning, public sector, systems thinking | Tagged , , , | 4 Comments

5 harsh truths you’ll wish you’d learnt earlier

Posted on July 17, 2013 by

Entirely understandable but…epic fail. No need to give up your own thoughts and copy everyone else’s! Inspired by this, and copying this virtually to the letter, here are “5 harsh truths you need to learn so you can live with your … Continue reading →

Posted in command and control, learning, public sector, systems thinking | Tagged | 2 Comments

Why changing anything is hard (Part 34[c])

Posted on September 1, 2012 by
Posted in learning, plausible, systems thinking, Uncategorized, very short posts | Tagged , | 1 Comment

Curiouser and curiouser

Posted on July 17, 2012 by

Meet George, he is the ideal employee. Despite his musky smell and alarming mating habits, he is essential in any office or factory floor, as he has the one quality that will keep him changing, improving and adapting: curiosity. And … Continue reading →

Posted in learning, systems thinking | Tagged , | 3 Comments