“If you can’t measure it, you can’t manage it” is one of the most persistent leadership myths. Often attributed to Peter Drucker, it distorts his thinking. This essay explores why measurement brings comfort but not always insight, and why true leadership begins where data ends.
“What gets measured gets managed” is one of leadership’s most quoted lines, often credited to Peter Drucker. Yet the phrase hides a deeper truth. Measurement can guide or distort, depending on intent. When leaders use data to learn rather than to control, numbers become tools for meaning. This article explores how to build a healthier relationship with metrics in complex organisations.
The phrase “people don’t leave jobs; they leave managers” feels true, but it tells only part of the story. This article unpacks the evidence behind the myth, revealing how turnover reflects not just bad bosses but broken systems, poor design, and misaligned purpose. Explore what really drives people to stay, to leave, and to lead better.
"Culture eats strategy for breakfast” is one of the most quoted, and misquoted, lines in business. Peter Drucker never said it, yet it endures because it feels true. This essay explores where the phrase came from, what research really shows about culture and strategy, and why effective leaders treat them not as rivals but as partners in shaping organisational success
In a world of volatility and uncertainty, traditional planning falls short. This article explores how pilots, probes, and experiments help leaders navigate complexity, build resilience, and foster curiosity. Learn practical ways to turn uncertainty into a learning advantage through small, safe-to-fail actions that reveal what truly works.
Most teams build charters to align around purpose and values, yet the document often fades after the workshop. This guide explains practical shifts that turn team charters into living agreements that strengthen trust, clarity and collaboration.
Five Questions That Change Everything by John Scherer offers a simple reflective practice for authentic leadership and personal growth. This practical summary explores the five questions and how to use them in everyday work and life.
Like the woodcutter who paused to sharpen his axe, effective leaders know progress requires renewal. The SHARP EDGE framework helps teams reflect, refocus, and stay sharp over time.
Leadership maturity begins where control ends. The Circle of Control reminds us that what defines us is not what happens, but how we meet what happens. This piece explores the mindset that turns reaction into responsibility.
Discover how great leaders use the E + R = O formula: Event plus Response equals Outcome, to stay composed, intentional, and effective under pressure. Learn practical ways to lead with awareness, shape outcomes through choice, and build a culture of conscious leadership grounded in self-awareness and reflection.
Patrick Lencioni’s Five Dysfunctions of a Team is one of the most popular leadership models today. Its simplicity and storytelling make it appealing, yet it misses how real teams grow. This article explores why the model falls short and introduces a more human, sustainable alternative: the Living Cycle of Team Effectiveness, built around Safety, Dialogue, Clarity, Accountability, and Learning to create lasting team performance.
Discover how Nancy Kline’s Ten Components of a Thinking Environment help leaders practise stewardship, build trust, and create shared responsibility.
Every tough situation we face has hope, if we are capable of standing back and seeing the possibility. A short piece on finding and creating hope.
Stewardship by Peter Block is a foundational work on shifting leadership from control to service. This practical summary highlights the ideas that support trust-based partnership, shared accountability and long-term responsibility in organisations.
A practical summary of Peter Block’s Community: The Structure of Belonging, highlighting the key ideas that help leaders, facilitators and community builders create genuine belonging, trust and shared ownership.
The book in 3 sentences The Empowered Manager is a practical guide for managers who want to lead with integrity, not control. It shows how managers can choose partnership over hierarchy, service over self-interest, and accountability over compliance. By making these personal shifts, managers can foster trust, ownership, and meaningful change, regardless of the system they work in. Who should read [...]
Link to Medium post: https://benzweibelson.medium.com/the-semiotic-square-and-systemic-logic-a-technique-for-multiple-futures-206b996cf30f
This is a hub of resources around mentoring. Within it you will find a range of links and recommendations that may help you on your journey to become a mentor or being an even better one. If you have any additional resources you think I should share, please let me know. A short selection of books that are worth [...]
The authors have uncovered ways to build high psychological safety and trust cultures in workplace teams. The rewards? Higher purpose and performance. — Read on www.talent-quarterly.com/in-team-we-trust/
Research around whole brain thinking and a simple coaching tool to support right brain thinking.
LINK to an article on "How to Assess Uncertainty in an Unpredictable World"
link to article on boundary management
» The IPK Design Kit — Read on www.i-p-k.co.za/ipk-design-kit/
Book summary of Stewardship
Maturity Mapping overview and its connection to cynefin and Wardley mapping
Link to a stakeholder mapping process
A series of blogs developed as tools for leaders from the Wharton Business School: https://whartonleadership.wordpress.com/2010/08/26/nano-tools-for-leaders/#more-64 Visual by Mara C one of the Drawify Team.
Link to an interesting article on productivity.
Link to some nice visual templates on storytelling
Link to the issue on Sustainable Leadership from Developing Leaders Quarterly
Link to a MITSloan article on collaboration failure
Link to the free self assessment to support reflection on career
Article link that explores "Connection before content"
Saving for later...... On Monday, I had the honour to talk to Sue Borchardt. Do not let her twitter bio "mereologist in training" fool you, Sue is a true polymath despite the fact she did not permit herself to use that name. In the video, Sue covers lots of important aspects of using Wardley Mapping for personal development, such as searchin [...]
Read once and saving for a deeper read ' reflection: Flexuosity untangled – Cognitive Edge — Read on www.cognitive-edge.com/flexuosity-untangled/
How to deal with Polarizing Topics in difficult conversations
Saving article for future reading https://engineering.atspotify.com/2014/09/16/squad-health-check-model/
Saving for reading https://www.epicpeople.org/sensemaking-in-organizations/ Follow on article: https://www.epicpeople.org/sensemaking-methodology/
Held to read the complete series later,,, This is the fourth in my series of Playing to Win Practitioner Insights (PTW/PI). The first was The Role of Management Systems in Strategy, the second was Is the Opposite of Your Choice Stupid on its… — Read on roger-78069.medium.com/strategy-is-what-you-do-not-what-you-say-a6e483840557
Saving for later. The ideas don't seem radical, but certainly not common practice https://medium.com/@drsaraschung/radical-listening-to-improve-understanding-of-system-dynamics-f1bacee8c875
Saving this for future reading.. https://www.ccl.org/articles/leading-effectively-articles/what-is-psychological-safety-at-work/?utm_campaign=1-LeadersAtAllLevels%2C2-LE_Article%2C3-Custom&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter&s=09
Article on Adaptive Leadership from HBR
Slide deck showing what is covered each week in B329
Plotting Strategy in a Dynamic World — Read on sloanreview.mit.edu/article/plotting-strategy-in-a-dynamic-world/
Interesting research on change design, support and evaluation
A pretty long read, so Savin for later..The pandemic is an unprecedented opportunity – seeing human society as a complex system opens a better future for us all — Read on aeon.co/essays/complex-systems-science-allows-us-to-see-new-paths-forward
Interesting tips on virtual facilitation
Link to Julian's new 100 days process on curiosity
A good article that outlines the Treacy value disciplines strategy model
Article on engagement in Covid-19 times
