Next…
When I started writing this blog a couple of years ago, it had a very obvious purpose. It was a way of recording my journey through my Systems Thinking in Practice studies.
Read essay : Next…Behind the words
K.
About the author
How did we get here? On the slow drift toward ‘normal’
I was in a meeting recently when someone made a comment that landed badly. Not dramatically – just one of those moments where the energy in the room shifts slightly, a brief…
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A misdiagnosis of tempo
The role of temporal alignment in sustainable change Have you come across the ‘Red Queen hypothesis‘?
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Of scarcity, evolution, and choice
I’ve been thinking lately about scarcity – not so much the literal absence of resources, but the way the sense of scarcity spreads.
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Uncanny
Every so often, I notice a pattern. Someone at work decides I’m brilliant. Yes, I know how that sounds, but I have years of data on this.
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A note from the edge
On the stretch between momentum and meaning-making. Everything seems to have slowed at once.
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One breath longer
Airtime, egos and the Japanese concept of Ma. Have you noticed how the same few voices do most of the talking?
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Two words
A passing glimpse of entangled geography, perception, and power. Walking along one of our favourite stretches of the Dorset coastal path – not any designated viewpoint or charming…
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When the blueprint doesn’t fit the building
How systems thinking exposes organisational blind spots – and what we do about them This post sits alongside ‘What can it do?‘, another reflection on the gap between designed…
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What can it do? (Revisited)
Systems thinking, resistance, and the ethics of pushing change In 2014, I wrote a short blog post inspired by the film Apollo 13.
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Held together, loosely: The space isn’t changing
Part of the Held together, loosely mini series. Some systems are built not to move. They’re cemented by hierarchy, hardened by habit, and buffered by the comfort of routine.
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Held together, loosely: How do you relate to someone angry at the system you’re part of?
Part of the Held together, loosely mini series. There’s a particular kind of discomfort that I’ve encountered a few times now – enough for it to start forming a pattern.
Read essay : Held together, loosely: How do you relate to someone angry at the system you’re part of?
Held together, loosely: The edge of control
Part of the Held together, loosely mini series. I like clarity. I like purpose. I like getting things done. That’s not a confession – it’s a pattern I’ve often been praised for.
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Held together, loosely: Reflections from the field (mini series)
Introduction: The view from here.This mini-series is a little different from my usual posts.
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When nothing happens
Maybe the work isn’t always to provoke change. Maybe sometimes it’s enough to bear witness – to notice, to reflect, and to remain open to what hasn’t yet arrived.
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The test is a mirror
How challenge reveals — and reshapes — who we are and the systems we inhabit In 2017, I wrote a short blog post called Time for reflection (the test is a mirror).
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Aftershock: Outlasting the system
I wrote a post at the beginning of the year about ontological shock – that moment when your understanding of the world breaks apart under the weight of new truths.
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Ontological shock: The ground beneath your feet
Remember that moment in The Empire Strikes Back, where Darth Vader looms over Luke Skywalker and delivers the big ‘I am your father’ reveal?
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The lies we tell ourselves (your unreliable narrator)
The unreliable narrator is one of storytelling’s most fascinating devices, appearing in literature and film alike to challenge our sense of truth.
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Pop will eat itself: A natural cycle of growth and self-consumption
The phrase ‘Pop will eat itself’ often brings to mind Andy Warhol’s commentary on pop culture.
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It follows
Have you come across the horror-ish film ‘It Follows’? The premise is one of a slow-moving, but unyielding, creature that pursues the protagonists.
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A field manual for tempered radicalism
(Undercover change-making for the office rebel) Ever felt like a secret agent in your own office, trying to make things better without blowing your cover?
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The world in a grain of sand: Clarity through complexity
Navigating Leadership Challenges: Balancing Reductionism and Holism I’ve found myself a bit stuck lately, between the good intention of keeping things simple, avoiding…
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The edge of chaos
‘The edge of chaos’ is a term borrowed from the study of complex systems. While it may evoke images of turbulence and disorder, this idea holds profound insights.
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Whoever has the most flexibility, controls the system (flexibility is power)
Another Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) expression: “Whoever has the most flexibility, controls the system.” While it might sound a bit abstract, this principle holds valuable…
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The map is not the territory
“The map is not the territory”. This simple yet profound phrase (Google says first coined by Polish-American philosopher and engineer Alfred Korzybski a century ago), contains a…
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It gets easier every day (but you have to do it every day)
I love this phrase – totally lifted from BoJack Horseman. For me, it contains some profound truth.
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The observer effect: (Not a post about quantum physics)
I find that when I start thinking about something, I see it everywhere. (Not the observer effect.
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Beware the golden goose
First published July 14, 2016 (then partially lost and rewritten) Do you have a Benefactor Client?
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Have you forgotten your ‘Why’?
First published November 8, 2016 (then partially lost and re-written) In the fast-paced world of what we do, it’s easy to get caught up in the daily grind.
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That VUCA Feeling
First published June 2017 (then lost and part re-written) You may already be familiar with the term, but even if not, it’s likely you’ve encountered it.
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What’s better than a horse? (Part 2)
First published February 5, 2020 In case you’re not familiar with the concept of customer journey, any customer (/potential customer) can be said to go through a number of…
Read essay : What’s better than a horse? (Part 2)
What’s better than a horse?
Part 1 – “It’s new therefore it’s confusing” What happens when you have an actual, real, smart innovation to offer to the market, but the market isn’t ready to jump on it… yet?
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Brilliant distractions
First published July 2nd 2018 Right from when I was a kid, I was told to stop daydreaming and focus my attention on the task at hand.
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Trust the process
Part 1 first published April 11, 2018 In our contemporary, fast-food, ‘show me the money’ culture, we’ve grown accustomed to quick results and fulfilment on demand.
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I don’t care about what anything was designed to do; I care what it can do!
First published June 13, 2014 Do you remember in Apollo 13 (Tom Hanks, Kevin Bacon, 1995, “Houston we have a problem”) where the on-the-ground technicians urgently have to find a…
Read essay : I don’t care about what anything was designed to do; I care what it can do!
Time for reflection (the test is a mirror)
First published December 13, 2017 “The test is a mirror” – I stumbled across this enigmatic expression the other day, and it got me thinking.
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The flow state – Just get lost
Have you ever been so absorbed in an activity that the world around you seemed to melt away? Hours felt like minutes, and every action felt effortless and natural.
Read essay : The flow state – Just get lost