Category: battle rhythm

10thHuman: On the value of asking a question

image from pixabay
image from pixabay

I’m reading A More Beautiful Question right now by Warren Berger and came across this insight.

One good question can give rise to several layers of answer, can inspire decades-long searches for solutions, can generate whole new fields of inquiry, and can prompt changes in entrenched thinking. – Stuart Firestein

I suspect Firestein is coming at this from a deep philosphical perspective but this is applicable to our existing businesses, too. For example, from a business perspective, I continually ask myself, How can I add value?

What is your question?

 

Warp Speed, Mr. Sulu! Or, how I am trying to be more intentional in life and business

credit: pixabay
credit: pixabay

As a society, in almost every imaginable way, we are moving at Warp Speed.

In our personal lives, in our relationships, in our businesses, we are – to quote the great Seth Godin – ‘times 10‘ all the time.

When was the last time you hit pause and throttled back for a moment to evaluate what you are doing and how?

I think about this a lot. I’ve blogged about the needs of business to have a framework like OODA, where they are engaged in a systematic evaluation of there business space. I’ve also talked about the need to constantly evaluate strategy.

Remember, what got you there will not keep you there. (me)

The ability to learn faster is the only sustainable competitive advantage.(Senge)

How are you implementing this in your life/business?

Leadership

The effect we have on others-2Happy Monday, folks! I’ll take just a moment to apologize for my silence of the last month. I’m still very much committed to the idea of daily posts as a career decision and my battle rhythm. Life often has a…penchant…for getting in the way of our operational models for the same. Tangentially related: this is a good reason for having an operational model or framework. These aren’t meant to be necessarily hard and fast but are plans. You CAN deviate from your plan. Your framework should be your baseline, to which you can return to time and time again.

Anyhow, today leadership is very much on my mind.

It’s a topic I’ve written about several times here. Definitions abound but my working definition of leadership is this:

Leadership is the thoughtful and methodical application of a continually studied framework that becomes a mindset.

Leadership is study.

Leadership is explorative.

Leadership is evolving.

Leadership is learning.

Leadership is language.

Leadership is is perspective.

Leadership is an awesome responsibility and ought not to be undertaken lightly. The best leaders I know are committed learners who have a ripple effect on those around them.

People want to follow good leaders.

10thHuman: Why you should continually evaluate your framework

Every threat to the status quo is an opportunity in disguise.I’ve previously blogged about the need of businesses to evaluate their strategies as a function of thermodynamics:

The short answer is that a business that does not engage in the continual evaluation of their operations becomes isolated from their competition. Their entropy increases.

I’ve also discussed this as a function of the evolution of a business in a competitive marketplace.

What got you there will not keep you there. 

Today, I’d expand that line of thought by citing Anthony Giddens, a sociologist, and a particular thought on structures:

Structures do not determine outcomes, but define the potential range of outcomes. (Giddens)

In the context of the running discussion here about strategies and frameworks, I think it reasonable to posit that a framework and strategy do not determine an outcome but helps define the potential range of outcomes. Specifically, it helps you consider input, evaluate your options and execute your decision in accordance with defined parameters (such as goals and values).

10thHuman: Best personal development book you’ve read?

credit: pixabay
credit: pixabay

I read. A lot.

In doing so, I hope to gain insight into the wisdom of those who came before us.

I hope to learn new ideas and perspective.

I also read toward the goal of synthesis. I hope that by reading a wide variety of books across multiple disciplines, I can see connections and add value where there are opportunities.

Along these lines, I’d ask, “What’s the best personal development book you’ve ever read?”

I highly recommend Seth Godin’s Linchpin and Napoleon Hill’s Think and Grow Rich.

Evolve or fail…

Every threat to the status quo is an opportunity in disguise.“Most CEOs see the future as a continuation of the path that got them to the C-suite and not as an ever evolving jungle.” 
– Jay Samit, Disrupt You! 

This is a lesson for anyone in a position they’ve worked to obtain. In our interconnected, global economy, disruption can occur from anywhere and at any time.

What got you there will not keep you there. 

The only way to stay on top is to continue to innovate.

Use an iterative framework, like the OODA loop, to continually evaluate what your are doing and why.

The future of content marketing…

credit: pixabay
credit: pixabay

5,000

That is the number of decisions the average consumer is faced with every day (reference The Organized Mind: Thinking Straight in the Age of Information Overload).

I’ve blogged about permission marketing and the power of authenticity but I wanted to talk today specifically about what the future of content marketing looks like.

Rachel Strella has a great post up here that talks about three major takeaways. It’s worth the read, for sure.

There’s something I’d highlight today that I think a lot about: quality, authoritative content.

With the massive amount of posts, tweets, blogs, snapchats, instagrams, etc., out there, if you are producing surface level content you are shouting into the void.

I think to make a difference, to be heard, you have to establish yourself as a passionate advocate and student of your niche. Some would say be the ‘expert’, but there’s a finality to that word that I don’t subscribe to personally.

Every day, study your art.

Every day, practice your art.

Every day, share your art.

Become the voice of your art with quality, authoritative content.

10thHuman: Why businesses need to constantly evaluate their strategies

image from pixabay
image from pixabay

Today, I want to talk about the 2nd law of thermodynamics.

This law states:

…the total entropy of an isolated system always increases over time, or remains constant in ideal cases where the system is in a steady state or undergoing a reversible process. The increase in entropy accounts for the irreversibility of natural processes, and the asymmetry between future and past.

Why does an organization need to be familiar with this concept?

The short answer is that a business that does not engage in the continual evaluation of their operations becomes isolated from their competition. Their entropy increases.

This requires continual energy input, to mantain that constant level of entropy. You have to do the work, the planning, the execution.

Then, do it again.

Then, do it again.

The strategy that got you to the top will not work to keep you there. 

You will be disrupted, unless you are disruptive.

How do you achieve this state, this disruptive nature, this continual evaluation? Through the use of a consistently applied framework.

10thHuman: is momentum in business real?

Momentum is defined as the impetus gained by a moving object. It is a principle, a vector quantity of the product of mass and velocity. It is a quality often given to politicians, athletes, brands, stars and businesses.

The question on my mind tonight is, is it real?

There are many thousands upon thousands of words out there talking about the concept amongst businesses.

I believe it is a real concept but that we make our own momentum.

Momentum is the focused application of your battle rhythm. The focused application of your minimum, mandatory processes. The focused application of a framework to develop your battle rhythm.

Then, execute.

And, execute again.

And, execute again.

What are your value adding links?

image from pixabay
image from pixabay

“A business or product can be understood as the sum of it’s value adding links.”

– Jay Samit

For me, this quote inspires me to daily ask myself, what are your value adding links in my business/product/network? 

Why is this an important question to ask?

If you don’t know where you are adding value, you cannot focus your efforts on those parts of your business. 

It seems to me that a critical part of a successful enterprise is knowing where you adding value, especially in an age of scarce resources (money, attention, time).