To Change The System Of Work We Must First Change Leaders’ Mental Models
Attempts to change an organisations culture is a folly, it always fails. People behaviour (culture) is a product of the system; when you change the system peoples’ behaviour changes. — John Seddon
^ADJ: Insightful article by Scott Millett - so many good takeouts. Primariy written for an IT Management audience, but the themes and points raised work across all parts of an organisation.
- "IT leaders have historically been put in positions to control IT resources, largely due to other execs not being able to fully understand what IT does and through the mis-understanding that it was a predictable production process rather than an emergent design process"
- "as IT has moved beyond a service provider and is now deeply integrated into the core of what makes a business work, IT must adapt, innovate, and move at the same pace as the business"
- Shift from Linear Thinking to Systems thinking is required if we truly want to shift the dial
Highly recommend spending 30 minutes or more on this and forwarding around your company!
The Secrets to Successful Strategy Execution
Summary: When a company finds itself unable to execute strategy, all too often the first reaction is to redraw the organization chart or tinker with incentives. Far more effective would be to clarify decision rights and improve the flow of information both up the line of command and across the organization. Then, the right structures and motivators tend to fall into place.
Experian Was Being Disrupted by Fintech Startups. Then They Turned the Tables
Great case study of true strategy at work!
What we look for in a resume
I remember Great CVs that stand - I think because so many are poor or don't truly articulate the value that a candidate could bring to the role, and this might get me in trouble, but sometimes, because there is simply nothing remarkable and the candidate has had poor leadership to date. Whilst this article has a tech perspective, I think there is enormous value, especially in:
"I do care about metrics. I especially appreciate metrics that are presented with two components: How they can be tied to business objectives, and Your contribution in achieving that metric."
Why Incentives So Often Fail. Sound leadership is not about prodding…
There is an old saying that “when you change incentives you change behavior,” and there is some evidence to support that it can work.