Dobby is a free elf.
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 Sandy 🗝️: “I wonder if it's possible to hard‑wire your brain to objectively evaluate yourself without becoming emotionally
Weird.
It's a little weird. I just got an email from myself. This happens every Sunday. It’s a copy of The Weekly Reframe, the memo I send out for others to read. What’s strange is reading it back as a subscriber. There are parts I don’t
The Weekly Reframe #15
3 things that made me think differently and why they matter. 1/ Notice This week’s been a tough one emotionally. We’ve just exchanged contracts to sell our home — a house that’s been in my wife’s family for over 70 years. That’s a big deal. It’
Systems
A working system delivers consistent outcomes. Which means there are never bad results. Now, there may be undesirable results, because the system was designed to deliver one thing, and it's not what you want now. Maybe it was never what you wanted. So, stop blaming the system. The
Special relationship?
Can a 'special relationship' be transactional? Consultants aspire to Trusted Advisor status. And that's what some clients want. But others are looking for a Vendor. The only 'trust' they want... for you to do what they say. And if you don't, if
Pain. Prescription. Prevention.
If your offer is clear but your leads are messy, this is why… Some customers feel pain and seek the fastest, cheapest, easiest pain relief (paracetamol). Others are looking to solve the problem that causes the pain (physio). Yet others want to prevent potential future pain, but have never experienced
Consensus
Consensus for high-stakes decisions. I thought ‘what a stupid idea.’ I was wrong. And too embedded in the way business decisions are typically made. The leader consults and chooses. A steering committee. A majority - “let’s vote”. Each with positive intent. Majority rule feels fast. A committee feels like
The Weekly Reframe #14
3 things that made me think differently and why they matter. 1/ Notice A very interesting talking point from Daniel Priestly: Enjoy cheap AI while it lasts. This year AI companies will spend $600Billion building AI data centres. They last about 4 years so they need to recoup $150Billion per
Quitting
There's no quitting... When you're committed. I spoke with an old friend this week. Their once thriving business hit a wall. The work is valuable, the feedback exceptional. So they're trying new ideas to get their message out there. A client of mine faced
The small things
Small things impact experiences. And you can craft these for impact. I was reminded this week how expectation setting swings a client’s view of your service. Two experiences. Different businesses. On Monday, I flew with Ryanair. The deal is no-frills. You buy a seat and room for a small