Improve Something Today

Continuous improvement

Dan’s Device: “Now that I see it… [it’s completely wrong.]”

What comes after “now that I see it” & why you need to hear it as early as possible.

Meditation

Noticing little things & little thinks

Noticing at work. Noticing on the cushion. And noticing while out and about. These three are related, but I am still figuring out how.

Learning

Starting a new project? 3 things to figure out immediately

The things I do before I do anything, and why they’re worth the effort.

Continuous improvement

Open space technology, principle 3: “Whenever it starts is the right time”

Each moment prefigures the next. But in certain moments, a huge change can begin.

Continuous improvement

Disconnected improvement events fail. What to do about that

Instead of drawing a box around the problem, tether it to something important.

Facilitation

My 4 favorite Liberating Structures for continuous improvement

Whether it’s portfolio planning or uncovering weird new ideas, Liberating Structures & lean make a great combo.

Meditation

The world of silence: marking Disability Pride Month

Being a hearing-impaired person whose job is to listen. Quiet, noise, and rest.

Facilitation

Using Liberating Structures to facilitate continuous improvement

You’ve gathered everyone together around a problem. Now what?

Learning

23 reasons to write online

Write to dispel the curse of knowledge, to find your people, and to become.

Continuous improvement

The jewel of resistance

Resistance to change is precious. Here’s how to make the most of it.

Continuous improvement

On doing more with less

More of what? Less of what? 90 years ago, Bucky Fuller had a very different answer.

Facilitation

Premortem: before starting a new project, learn why it will end in failure

A simple method for uncovering big, “undiscussable” risks to a project—in order to work around them.

Continuous improvement

Merely being the person you are

The consulting advice that made me a better person (and a more effective consultant).

Facilitation

Open space technology, principle 2: “Whatever happens is the only thing that could have”

Planning for a facilitated event involves being ready to throw the plan away.

Facilitation Featured

The Strategy / Culture Bicycle: one picture that replaces an infinite amount of bullshit

A strategy method that gets right at the good stuff.

Continuous improvement

On speeding things up

What I've learned from the hourglass and the snake.

Facilitation

How to make any meeting better with 3 simple fenceposts

Identify a purpose, rational aim, and experiential aim—quick action with a huge effect.

Continuous improvement Featured

5 ways to approach goal-setting. Only one is worth a damn

Why it’s better to have an impossible goal than a goal you meet-and-exceed every time.

Continuous improvement

Ditching ‘assume good faith’ as a way to talk about respect

Time to fix problems at the source rather than tolerate awful behavior.

Continuous improvement

Optimization & other failures

“By what method?” ... “To what end?”

Learning

Lee’s Law: a URL for every idea

“Every idea should have a URL, bonus points if one does not have to make the URL oneself.”

Continuous improvement

Want water? Get a bucket. Want improvement? Get PDSA

Back to basics with the Plan-Do-Study-Act cycle.

Learning

Make your next presentation a spiral, not a line

Cycling through your main point helps your audience. Here’s how.

Continuous improvement

Winning’s the great deodorant

John Madden and Ed Catmull get me through a tough week.

Facilitation Featured

End your meetings with this short, powerful question

“What did you notice?”