Frustrations about others, are (not surprisingly) frequent topics of my coaching conversations. The clarifying question “So, what are you frustrated about him/her?” is often answered with a mix of (1) unmet needs and what I call (2) “righting.” It’s a … Read More
In coaching enabling conversation skills, I find Karpman’s Drama Triangle (1968) very useful. (1) Blaming, shaming and guilt tripping, (2) victim mentality and (3) “chief problem solving officer” are three recurring patterns of impediments to enabling conversations. The Drama Triangle … Read More
There’s science and philosophy behind Design Thinking’s divergent and convergent double diamond. It’s the logic of deductive and inductive reasoning. Also: “Experience by itself teaches nothing… Without theory, experience has no meaning. Without theory, one has no questions to ask. … Read More
We know the sound of two hands clapping. But what is the sound of one hand clapping? – Zen Master Hakuin Ekaku (1686-1769) A Zen Koan (riddle) made famous by appearing in J.D. Salinger’s Nine Stories. Enjoy thinking about it. … Read More
The map is not the territory. – Alfred Korzybski, 1931 Semantic scientist and philosopher Korzybski coined this term to distinguish our beliefs from reality. The concept is helpful in understanding how misunderstandings happen. > What we perceive as the territory, … Read More
I actually think planning and designing are pretty similar. It’s just that designing is much more colorful, multi-faceted, free form. Probably more fun too. Planning for your trip? How about, “designing your next trip”? Sounds more adventurous and intriguing, doesn’t … Read More
My stance is that, change and transformation is a result. We don’t change for the sake of changing. Rather, I place importance in improvement. So, with me, you’ll be seeing frequent reference to Kaizen (改善), which is continuous improvement. See, … Read More
The importance is to experiment and iterate. What approach you take is of secondary importance. Chose whatever approach that best fits the situation, and eventually you’ll get there. Time after time, trial and error has been proven most effective.
We are highly functioning professionals. When we see a pattern, we know what to do. So, Know-Do. The challenge of Know-Do, is predictable results. What if we want out-of-the-norm break-throughs? So, Stop. Think. Design. Make. Sharing my favorite visual from … Read More
