The more we define, the less we understand
Organisations often define everything, then define the definitions. Somewhere in the pile, understanding leaves the room. A case for clarity over completeness.
Good teaching is the creation of understanding
Good teaching is not the transfer of information.
It is the creation of understanding.
The Word at Work: Cultivate
I bought my copy of Growing a Business second-hand. Inside the cover, in a father's handwriting to his son, was a single line: "To Todd, may this nurture the seed."
Organisations are not machines
We borrowed our language for organisations from the factory floor. But the parts that decide whether good work happens are the parts no machine can see.
The anti-role model
We give a great deal of attention to the people we want to be like. The people we'd hate to become are teaching us something too — if we choose to look.
You are more than your job
It's 3pm on a Tuesday. The meeting isn't terrible. The job isn't terrible. But a small voice keeps appearing: is this really all of me?
Being an Amateur
We often use amateur as an insult at work. But the word comes from the Latin for lover — and Vivian Maier's story shows exactly why that matters.
How to lead with curiosity
The meeting moved on. Someone named the problem, proposed the solution, and the room agreed. Six months later, it turns out you were right. On developing curiosity as a practice — whether anyone listens or not.
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