Can anyone still troubleshoot?
A trend I’ve noticed recently. Plenty of people who can install things... far fewer who can diagnose and fix non‑standard problems. Don’t we train people to think like troubleshooters anymore? To test, isolate, and eliminate causes in a logical way, instead of just swapping parts hoping to
Two useful tactics for better listening.
Two useful tactics for better listening. 1/ Stop talking and offering opinions. Ask open ended questions. Longer pauses... Silences are golden, don't fill them. Uttered encouragers. Hmmm, go on, say more ... Give the person a chance to answer. 2/ Reassure people you're paying attention. Done well
Shafted
A client executive shafts you for a year. Then get themselves into trouble. This causes you further pain. They try to guilt you to help. What's your response?
Who steals wins.
It seems that way nowadays. Synthetic artwork. Synthetic writing. Synthetic music. AI has a lot to answer for. Most of this is done thoughtlessly. By people without talent, or practice. The artist who can't mix colours. The writer who has low imagination. The musician who never learnt an
The Weekly Reframe #16
3 things that made me think differently and why they matter. 1/ Notice Today Dobby will be trying third-person self-talk. He will only use observed data, ignoring narratives and feelings. This started as a light-hearted response to a question from my friend Adrian: “I wonder if it's possible
How long is your shadow?
How long is your shadow? Yesterday I snapped this photo on Conwy Morfa beach. The perfect place for a dog walk and to blow away the mental cobwebs. Looking at the photo I was reminded of the long shadows we human cast. We tend not to think about it much.
Take breath
Yesterday I woke up to this view. Snowdonia with a sprinkle of icing sugar. No fake billboards with perspirational quotes. No sycophantic industry rewards. No not so humble brags. Unexpected. Awesome. Real. Take breath. Stop scrolling. Find your centre. That's it. For today.
Think Different
I love it when there's a seemingly Unreasonable Agenda. The Apple Think Different campaign epitomised this. Just look at the change makers: Albert Einstein: Questioned absolute space-time. Bob Dylan: Reimagined song meanings poetically. Martin Luther King Jr.: Envisioned equality beyond segregation. Richard Branson: Ignored business conventions fearlessly. John
Here to share
Posting regularly on LinkedIn one starts to appreciate the different social engagement circles. You've got your lurkers. They follow but never engage. You've got your collectors. They connect to boost their numbers, but aren't truly interested. You've got your barnacles (HT Dean
Molly vs the Machines
Monetising misery. A machine for manipulating behaviour. Global architecture of surveillance. Computational governance. -//- Yesterday I watched Molly vs the Machines on Channel 4 catch up. I feel it's a must watch for anyone with children. The phrases above are four of many I wrote down, used