Weeknotes 418
Did:
Was off work this week so didn’t do much.
Read:
Just enough research
I’m a big believer in balance and ‘just enough/in-time’ -type thinking. Tom Kerwins’ article and diagram is really helpful for setting the context for decisions about doing research. He says, “… we accept that we can’t predict the future, but that we can make better decisions. And we learn to make better decisions by creating tighter feedback loops: hours and days, instead of weeks, months or even years.”
How to Create More Belonging for Yourself and Others
“The way we treat each other can help us feel like we belong—or not. Belonging is the sense that we’re part of a larger group that accepts and values us for who we are, to which we can contribute.” This research shows how little things make a big difference.
Humble Enquiry
I meant to buy Edgar Schein’s Humble Enquiry a while ago but I forgot. It seems like one of those books/ideas that is fundamental to a good delivery management practice (not my area but very much adjacent).
I have enough books to read at the moment, so this psychsafety article is a good introduction to Schein’s idea. “The humility Schein is advocating for isn’t a permanent change to our status or a call for greater deference in general – it’s what he calls here-and-now humility – a recognition that in that moment the person we are talking to has some knowledge, insight or understanding that we don’t. Having here-and-now humility is at the heart of genuine interest in and curiosity about the other person, and it acknowledges our dependence on them, and therefore our vulnerability. It also empowers them, to help (or hinder) us. This kind of exchange is key to building a positive relationship with them.”
Thought about:
Resistance
The obstacle is the path. Resistance to change also. Focus where the things are stickiest and slowest. Reveal the resistance, wade into it, make a path through it.
Downstream impact
Trying to find a way to understand work that you expect to enable other work. How different is it to the user-facing, value-driving work? What makes it different, and is it an imaginary difference like project/BAU? How can you compare it to more upstream work?
Community of Co-conspiritors
Community of practice, yes. Community of interest, sure. But build a community of co-conspiritors too. Bring together people who share the same vision for change and agree about how to make it happen. Stand up for each other. Swap ideas. Co-conspire.