Complex Ideas For A Competent You
"Strategy Safari" is a "War and Peace" of the Management literature. Everyone says you should read it to acquire good taste for competent thought and get wiser but when you have time to read it, you are too young to understand it, and when you are finally old enough to understand it, you don't have… Continue reading Introducing “Strategy Safari”: Are You Sure Strategy Is What You Think It Is?
“With a controlling personality [Edwina] was unsuited to a recent promotion, which put her in a leadership position. While new to the role and learning the ropes she made many mistakes. Those around her experienced her as manipulative and bullying and began to react defensively. In turn, Edwina herself experienced their reactions as offensive and… Continue reading Concluding “Authentic”: Heal The Space Around You
My first version of the headline was “3 exercises to BOOST your authenticity”. Although catchy and enticing, it made me uncomfortable. Authenticity is not a skill, after all. It does not grow – it deepens. And here are a few exercises that prove just that.
In February 2019 my father was diagnosed with leukemia. Back then my parents lived in Israel and when I visited them in March, thanks to the exceptional Israeli oncology treatment, my Dad looked like he was going to be well in just a few months. I was quite lost at the time. My job seemed… Continue reading Introducing “Authentic”: What will you regret in the end of your life?
Have you ever experienced an act of leadership that you would compare to a sunset or beautiful symphony? Towards the end of his "Management of the Absurd", Richard Farson approaches the topic of leadership in an unexpectedly poetic way: “Management and leadership are high arts. When they are working well, they compare favorably to the other great aesthetic moments of our lives, to symphonies and sunsets”. I long thought of a good example and I think I got one (captured in this article). Do you?
To all my fellow Business Operations folks reading this, do you remember that one time when your boss told you “This isn’t working, we must drastically change our approach” only to hear out your detailed plan a week later and claim that the organization was not ready for it? They say they want it but… Continue reading “Management Of The Absurd” Deep Dive: Why Is Change So Hard… For Those Who Initiate It?
No, there isn’t. Well… Not in the long run at least. Let’s take a closer look.
I first read Management of the Absurd: Paradoxes in leadership about a decade ago, way before I familiarized myself with the American corporate culture and became a manager myself. I knew it left an imprint on me but only when revisiting it last year, I realized how many of its ideas affected my approach to… Continue reading Introducing “Management Of The Absurd” by Richard Farson
Knowledge In Action 