Thoughts on building great teams, delivering results and becoming successful
Let’s start with a little challenge. Before you scroll further, look at the image below and count the number of times the letter F appears in the sentence. Take 5 seconds. Count carefully. (This is the actual slide I use in class) Ready? So, how many did you count? Three? Four? Five? Six? Almost every … Read more
Most people think leadership is a skill someone learns from books or job titles. A promotion comes, a new role comes, and suddenly the expectation is to lead. But leadership does not start with the title. It starts much earlier, in the moments where people naturally decide to follow someone. During my project leadership classes … Read more
And why nobody talks about the first ten days.Preparation decides everything — in surgery as well as in projects. Most people believe projects fail at the end.When deadlines slip.When budgets explode.When coordination collapses.When everyone is frustrated. But the truth is different, and far more uncomfortable: Projects do not fail in month six.They fail in week … Read more
“Communication is rather an art than a science.” — Thich Nhat Hanh Fully true, in my opinion. Just like in art, communication comes in many forms and styles. Which one you prefer depends on your personality and on how you naturally connect with others. But mastering this art pays off immensely. A Harvard Business School … Read more
One of the most important skills to be developed during anyone’s career is the ability to make things happen. When explaining at university what I believe is the basis for good management, I usually start talking about DRIVE and BARBECUEs. THE BARBECUE! We all know this, we have all seen this. Imagine you are hanging … Read more
If you don’t know where you are going, no route will take you there. (Lewis Carroll, Alice in Wonderland, 1865) Without defining what is to be achieved, efforts can’t be coordinated and success becomes impossible, both for individuals and for organisations. As one of the most influential managers in Silicon Valley and the 1997 Time … Read more
Effective work follows principles which are even more important when working remotely. Since almost 3 months I’m working from home now. Although it felt strange at the beginning, I really got used to it by now. As additional handicap this new home-office experience came along with being at home while also everyone else was at … Read more
Knowing who is doing what is a prerequisite to implement change. Organisations will always try to evolve their business by enhancing, improving or widening their line of products, services and channels, by redesigning their processes or by starting completely new lines of business or partnerships. The way to implement those changes is to execute projects. … Read more
You can’t manage the zebra without structure. Without good structure, work can’t get done, communication fails, and organisations become ineffective. The importance of structure can’t be overstated. If you run a project, if you manage an organisation, or if you simply want to communicate in a way that your audience actually understands, not following a … Read more
Organisational debt is lack of structure evolving around individuals. Organisational debt is one of the hardest things to straighten out in an organisation. It’s very similar, and just as hard to cure, as its sibling “technical debt”. Technical debt Technical debt is a phrase originally coined by software developer Ward Cunningham. Wikipedia defines it as … Read more