A great illustration of Open from an unrelated source March 28, 2025
We know some of the guys from ThoughtWorks, but their concepts arise independently. It’s always gratifying to see convergent evolution, that all paths lead up the same mountain, that we are all seeing the same realty through different lenses. It tells us Open is on target. This diagram is drawn by Tanmay Vora (QAspire.com), illustrating …
How to get consulting work March 25, 2025
For all you consultants out there: Networks networks networks. Back in the day: 60% of my work came from consulting groups that I was an associate with, who knew my skills and called me in. 30% came from my direct contacts in business, including through professional orgs back in the days when we had monthly meetups, and ex-clients …
“Efficiently broken”: how efficiency diminishes resilience March 24, 2025
Here is a good discussion of how efficiency diminishes resilience, in supply chains. It describes …global supply chains, and supply chains in the U.S. in particular, as “efficiently broken.” By this I mean that they aspire to offer low prices from economies of scale but lack sufficient resiliency to create stability. Without addressing the systemic weaknesses …
Our latest book The Open Executive is now available March 24, 2025
At long last, after two years in the making, with seven re-writes, The Open Executive is finished. It is available now on Amazon in Kindle or paperback. The purpose of this book The Open Executive is to provide a summary for executives of how Teal Unicorn have such great success in advancing organisations, with a specific focus …
What happens when your boss can literally have you killed? March 22, 2025
Delusion and eventual debacle, that’s what. According to the WSJ: “Neom executives shielded the crown prince from the challenges of his fantastical plans, including by engaging in ‘deliberate manipulation’ of financials, an internal report found”. This is what happens when the apex executive wields violent power. This is an extreme example, but red, Alpha bosses are everywhere. …
When You Have a Dream, You’ll Find a Way March 22, 2025
Ms. Nguyễn Minh Hương, CEO of Golden Communication Group, has long pondered the question: How can an organisation be built to be both excellent and sustainable? She reached out to us after reading The Agile Manager and Open Management. To understand more about what we shared, she attended several training courses by Teal Unicorn. As she recounts …
Journey to OM March 21, 2025
This is the path towards Open Management as seen from the apex executive‘s perspective, a simplification of the more detailed pathway in How to Make Work Better
Is The Open Executive too political? March 14, 2025
I gave Om the latest version of the book and asked it for feedback. One of the things it said is that the opening leans towards the political. Our conversation went like this: Om said I’ve reviewed The Open Executive FINAL v1.1 Paperback. The book appears well-structured, with a clear and compelling message about Open Leadership and …
Self organising traffic March 7, 2025
Back in 2019, we made a video about Vietnamese traffic, and how it is a great example of how one would like work to flow, to self-organise. Enjoy. When we don’t prescribe how to do the work, we can allow greater fluidity. Workers flow to the work where they are needed and they can add value. …
How to use Checklists March 5, 2025
Checklists are an essential tool to minimise errors and maximise efficiency when the heat is on and you need to act. We have the world of information at our finger-tips. Our operational tools get better every day. Yet things still go wrong on a regular basis. Then we take the opportunity to prove that there …