jangan dabla thinking

För spännande, del 2

2012-01-28T13:43:00.001+01:00

Idag var det löpning på schemat. Funderade på vilken runda som var bäst med tanke på snö och väglag. Och absolut bäst är ju faktiskt den rundan som är samma jag gick när jag var med om jaktäventyret. Jakten måste ju vara över nu.

Underställ, träningskläder, dubbar, mässa och iväg! Underbart underlag. Vacker skog och det gick lekande lätt att springa. Inte heller några jägare eller vildsvin.

Inte förrän efter en timmes löpning vill säga. Där stod en hel hög med bilar parkerade och män med gevär på ryggen spatserade omkring. De verkade färdiga med sitt värv och de blängde inte så irriterat på mig när jag rusade förbi.

Jag tyckte mig skymta något hårigt som låg en bit in bland jägarna. Men, vad det än var så var det inte levande och skrämmande längre. Jag funderade på om jag skulle skrika "Smaklig måltid" när jag passerade. Men bestämde mig snabbt att lustifikationer av det slaget passar bättre att delge obeväpnade människor.

För spännande

2012-01-15T13:26:00.003+01:00

Idag är det träningsfri dag. Ingen löptur - men istället en lång promenad. På med varma kläder, mössa, vantar, ja allt och iväg. Bestämde mig för rundan som är cirka 13 km och som är fantastisk promenad genom både ekskog och barrskog.

När jag skulle vika av från "stora vägen" in på den lilla såg jag skylten:
"Lösa hundar - Jakt pågår - Kör försikigt!"
Hmmm. Inget förbud mot att gå där. Och bara en varning att man ska köra försiktigt så man inte mosar deras hundar. Det är säkert inget farligt - och förresten så har vi ju allemansrätt här.

Redan några hundra meter in på skogsvägen händet det första otäcka. Jägarna har parkerat sina bilar vid kanten. Så, när jag passerar en av bilarna hoppar plötsligt en hund upp inne i bilen och storskäller. Eftersom jag inte var beredd blir jag givetvis rädd. Jätterädd!

Jag hör nu också skott på håll. Ka-blam! Verkar vara rätt långt borta och inte alls i den riktning som vägen tar. Det är lugnt och ofarligt med andra ord.

Men, ganska snart ser jag jakttorn överallt. Och de är bemannade. Hmmm. Jägare är läskiga tycker jag. De har gevär, knivar, hundar och vet hur man dödar. Och sannolikt gör filmer som Jägarna och Sista Färden sitt till för att jag ska känna lite extra obehag inför jägare.

När jag passerar tredje bemannade tornet stannar jag och söker ögonkontakt med jägaren däruppe. Han pekar artigt geväret åt ett annat håll, men tecknar samtidigt att han inte vill att vi pratar. Jag försöker med teckenspråk fråga var jakten pågår. Han svarar något med sina händer som jag inte förstår. Jag frågar vidare - med tecken - om jag kan gå vidare. Han svarar igen något obegripligt och tar fram geväret igen. Jag har ingen aning om vad han menade - men tänker "Äsch. Jag går vidare. Vill han stoppa mig kan han ju komma ner och springa ifatt mig. Eller skjuta mig i ryggen."

Den sista tanken kändes först kul, men sen obehaglig. Det händer ju faktiskt att jägare skjuter folk av misstag. Och tänk om han blev sur för att jag gick vidare när jag borde vänt. Nu inser jag också att jag har bara mörka kläder på mig. Kläder som gör att jag på håll kan se ut som ett vildsvin eller hjort. Borde tagit en annan mössa. Eller tagit på mig en reflexväst.

Japp. Min rädsla ökar nu för varje torn och jägare jag passerar. De ser alla väldigt arga ut och blänger på mig. Jag ler så stort och charmigt jag bara kan och hoppas att de använder sina radioapparater för att varna varandra om "flinande pucko på väg - skjut inte - även om det är frestande".

Nu blir vägen rak och går längs en skogskant. Till höger är den täta skogen. Och till vänster är det fält med högt gräs, enstaka träd och flera torn med jägare. Tornen står kanske 30 meter ut i fältet och de är alla riktade mot mig - dvs skogskanten. Det är i skogskanten de räknar med att djuren ska komma fram som de ska skjuta. Det känns kusligt att tänka att de alla har sina vapen riktade mot mig. "Jävlar att jag inte tog andra kläder"

Det knakar till och ett ENORMT vildsvin kommer som en vild mammut rusande ut ur skogen. Tio meter framför mig! Jag fryser och blir paralyserad. Man hör hur den flåsar och stönar och straxt efter den en hund med reflexväst eller något slags handtag. Jag står helt stilla när svinet springer förbi - men tänker "Nu riktas massor av gevär mot svinet - och nästan mig. Jag vill inte dö!"

Vildsvinet och hunden springer in på fältet och när de passerat tornen:
KA-BLAM (BLAM blam...blammm...) ekar skottet. Jag förstår vilket torn det var som sköt. Undrar om de träffade. Så en gång till:
KA-BLAM!
Den här gången ser jag inte vilket torn det var. Jag står kvar. Oförmögen att röra mig. Försöker tänka. Ska man stå still? Kan det komma fler? vad är bäst?
Efter ett tag får jag någon slags ögonkontakt med en jägare i ett av tornen. Han viftar kraftfullt med armarna. Jag tolkar det som "Gå vidare, för helvete, ditt jävla pucko!". Jag sätter fart med darriga ben.

Jag har aldrig sett ett så stort vildsvin levande förut. Och aldrig så nära.

Jag hör hundar överallt skälla. Jag hör gevären. Jag går fort vidare och försöker lyssna på musiken och inte tänka så mycket på hur läskigt det var med vildsvinet som hoppade fram och skotten som dödade.
Så småningom hörs gevärsskotten mer avlägsna och hundskallen glesare. Livet återvänder och jag behöver inte leta efter faror överallt.

Jag börjar tänka "Jäklar vad läskigt det var". Och jag tänker "Undrar om familjen och vänner kommer tro på mig". Jag går där och tänker att jag måste ju blogga om det iallafall. Det är ju inte varje dag man är så rädd som jag var.

Brak! Knak! Med "Smoke on the water" (Deep Purple) i lurarna uppfattar jag ändå ett ljud i skogen till vänster om mig. Jag tittar snabbt däråt och ser en hjord! Flock! Mörka raggiga mammutliknande djur rusar rakt mot mig. Det är fyra skräckslagna vildsin på väg rakt mot mig. Inte så stora som den fick sätta livet till. Men, samma fart. Och det är fyra stycken!
Hjärnan frös. Kroppen likaså. Jag blev stel som ett träd på vägen - med nävarna knutna. Tre av vildsvinen springer precis framför mig - medan den största av dem väljer att springa bakom mig. Precis när de passerar blundar jag och hör hur de flåsar och stönar. "Chroo- chrooo" låter det liksom. De verkar andfådda som att de sprungit en lång bit.

Det smäller i vägen och de är snabbt över på andra sidan. Jag tittar efter vart de tar vägen och ett av svinen stannar upp, vänder sig om, och tittar på mig. Min dotter hade säkerligen sagt att den var gullig. Jag såg bara en mörk, raggig best som nyss nästan snubblade på mig. Jag vågar inte stå kvar utan börjar gå - och jag hör hur svinen också fortsätter in i skogen. Snabbt.

Resten av promenaden blev nu en hetsig transportsträcka hem. Jag har nog aldrig gått så fort som idag.

Nästa gång jag ser "Jakt pågår" ska jag fundera en gång till innan jag klampar på. Och jag inser att det här äventyret var alldeles för osannolikt och spännande för mig. Nu hoppas jag på en extremt lugn dag som kompensation....

Hamlet seat

2012-01-09T19:21:00.002+01:00

Every seat on the plane is Hamlet seat. It is either 2B or not 2B.

Passivitet

2012-01-04T18:17:00.003+01:00

Igår hamnade jag i en situation där jag var alldeles för ivrig. Jag fick då rådet - eller ledtråden - "Passivitet lönar sig". Jag slappnade av och gjorde nästan inget. I lugnet som uppstod agerade efter ett tag någon annan - löste problemet - och vips - magi! Vi hamnade där vi ville vara.

Det är ofta vi försöker för hårt. Och det kan upplevas som pressande och stressande av andra. Även om alla vill samma sak - eller åt samma håll - kanske någon annan måste få ta initiativet och leda för att komma dit. Om rätt personer slappnar av och låter någon annan leda ett tag så kan mirakel och magiska saker ske.

Jag är oerhört tacksam att rådet "Passivitet lönar sig" uttalades så tydligt. Det var modigt gjort av personen att säga till. Det gick verkligen inte att missförstå. Och att belöningen kom så snabbt och tydligt var ren magi. Resultatet blev vad alla ville - och rätt person ledde arbetet dit.

En magisk lektion i att inte forcera något. Utan att ibland istället slappna av. Göra inget, låta någon annan leda.

Catch 2012

2011-12-31T14:05:00.002+01:00

Yes. That is me some time ago. Trying to fish. I don't think I ever got any fish with that rod. But, it was fun. And I tried. I am also pretty sure I used my imagination creating the most wonderful and large fishes I would catch.

Unless you try and make a real effort you don't know what you can catch. And while "fishing" you might also have some fun and learn something.

So, go out there. Bring out that special rod of yours. And aim for some big fishes.

What are you trying to catch next year?
Well, whatever it is - Happy Hunting in 2012.

Magic!

2011-12-28T17:07:00.002+01:00

Today has been a playful day. Met a couple of highly interesting, creative and fun persons. We had a very good time.
Seemed we learned to know each other rather quick. And once we were on speaking terms the magic started. We played, giggled, told stories, asked questions, watched, observed - and had fun together.

Of course the fun and play ended too soon.

I would not mind another day with that Magical Team! Just give me a shout - and I'll be there again!

Low profile

2011-12-25T13:24:00.001+01:00

My mother came by on Christmas Eve for a brief visit. As usual she told my children how I was as a kid. Here is one of those stories:

In some sort of pre-school I impressed the teachers with my extreme knowledge about all sorts of things. We often sat on floor and a teacher showed a picture with an animal, plan, flower, insect, vehicle - well anything. I never raised my hand - but teacher sometimes asked me anyway. And every time I immediately provided the correct name of the animal or flower. Every time! Apparently teachers were impressed and reported my deep knowledge to my parents.

The trick? Well, all signs had the names of object printed below the picture and apparently I was the only kid in that class of very young people that could read! And this was apparently a well kept secret.I played along in all sorts of game - hiding th fact I could read and write.

My parents revealed I could read and write and the mystery was gone. After that my mother asked: "But why didn't you tell them you could read? And why didn't you raise your hand?"

"But, mum, don't you think we should give the other kids a chance too?"

The end.

Coolest list ever

2011-12-09T07:52:00.001+01:00

Andrew Townley made some recommendations about interesting people he had found. (Lists were/are located at http://atownley.org/about/ )

It was very flattering to find myself on one of the lists. Together with two persons that inspires me a lot!

The list was:

(List is rather old. But still very flattering :-))

Details

2011-12-06T16:44:00.001+01:00

To see a grain in a world of sand
And a wild flower in heaven
Hold your hand through infinity
Or at least an hour of eternity

(Modified version of William Blake's:
To see a world in a grain of sand
And a heaven in a wild flower
Hold infinity in the palm of your hand
And eternity in an hour.)

Proud

2011-11-26T17:19:00.001+01:00

I guess all parents are proud of their kids. I know I am. Maybe my children are as amazing and fantastic as I imagine. Maybe they are *the* best.

But maybe I also love them so much that I focus on their good sides. I see the good things they do and are and pay less attention to whatever less charming aspects there might be. If we treated fellow persons as we see our kids - would they also become as amazing? Would they also make us proud?

Well, regarding my kids I don't care if my love makes me blind. They *are* still the best!

Brand loyalty

2011-11-17T20:17:00.001+01:00

Yesterday we had expensive production creating high quality products. The high quality created brand loyalty, i.e. the consumer would buy some brand next time as well. But,these high quality products were long lived, thus reducing number of purchases made.

Like ths upper small model in this. The harmful expensive production create (neutral) high quality products. They have (harmfully!) long lives making purchase a rare event. When a purchase is made though, the consumer will due to the brand loyalty created bu high quality pick the right product.

In the lower model we have instead cheap production creating (neutral) low quality products. Those are short lived and the consumers need to buy more products.
In the lower model you instead need to create brand loyalty some other way:

Support
Functionality
Advertising
Image
...

This way you will also be able to create a "need" to get next product even when product is not broken...

Shooting star

2011-11-15T08:43:00.001+01:00

While driving, early this morning, I saw an amazing shooting star. Immediately I wished I would see another one. Moments later my wish came true! Another shooting star.
Since the first wish came true I realized this was serious business. Therefore I spent the second wish on something more personal and valuable.

Now I just need to work hard to make sure that the wish come true.

Challenge your knowledge

2011-11-13T19:15:00.001+01:00

We know so much Sometime too much. We should challenge our knowledge more often. When faced with a challenge or need to take a decision - challenge the knowledge you have. And maybe the knowledge you don't have.

When you brain says you "know" something, challenge and ask "How do I know that?"

Where did I read that?
Who told me?
Can it be verified?
...

You can also ask yourself why you know it.

Do I only know things in special areas? Ignoring other perspectives?
Am I part of a culture, society, religion ... encouraging this knowledge?
Was knowledge given to me with a (hidden) agenda?
...

And lastly consider what knowledge you also need - but still haven't:

Am I lazy and happy with just this knowledge?
What perspectives am I missing?
Where can I find the knowledge needed?
...

Of course there are many more questions and considerations. The fields of "knowledge", "learning", "knowledge management", etc are huge. But maybe the above three questions can make you slightly more aware of the quality (and purpose) of your knowledge?

Mexican standoff

2011-11-13T17:44:00.001+01:00

Solutions can counteract (or solve) problems, but they can also produce other problems. And a problem can counteract (obstruct) another solution.

Here is a sort of Mexican Standoff with problems and solution. In real life you would need analysis from different perspectives and probably stakeholder analysis to deal with the situation.

(An arrow means "produces", and a 'crossed' arrow meand "counteracts". Red is harmful and green is useful.)

Common enemy

2011-11-12T14:38:00.001+01:00

A common enemy unites. But it is also a risky setup and will drain energy from achieving the goal.

Here we have two countries A and B with a common enemy C. The red lines to C illustrated "opposed" or conflict and tension.

Country A have a goal - to achieve A(2). And of course it will get help from country B - since B also is enemy of C. In order for this setup to hold A now have to:

Watch the relation with C. Prepare to attach or defend.
Continue to work with B and encourage the A-B-relation.
and also make sure that Country C remain enemy to B

So A have to spend energy on many things in order to continue to operate (emphasized with blue):

Having an energy drains energy. But as illustrated, having a common enemy drains more energy!

You might not be able to avoid enemies - but keep them few. And to not create a setup where you rely on having "common enemy". You will waste energy and focus. And risk is always there that it will collapse into:

Here B has instead joined C. A do not have any allies - only enemies. And no help to reach the goal. Playing the game with "common enemy" can put you int the place of being the common enemy. It is a delicate balancing act.

Best setup in the above is of course:

Here A will get help from both B and C to reach the goal. And no energy is wasted at all. Maybe a sort of Utopia - but certainly the best to aim for.

Imagine also the original setup when Country D comes into play. What allies, enemies and boundaries will be created? How much energy wil be wasted just to maintain a setup including enemies?

Summary:
- Avoid creating enemies
- If you have to have enemies: Avoid having "common enemy" (will drain extra energy!)

Small thought

2011-11-02T15:19:00.002+01:00

Build a model and they will comment.

Ad?

2011-11-01T07:38:00.000+01:00

So, to prove I am a person I have to type this company's name?

Is this a very subtle form of a small ad? Or just co-incidence?

TRIZ quote ... almost

2011-10-20T13:21:00.003+02:00

"Do or do not - there is no try" (Yoda)

I wonder if G Altshuller instead would have said:

"Do and do not - there is no try"

To be able to "do and don't do" you need to solve a contradiction. And solving contradictions is a main theme of TRIZ.

(Click TRIZ to see what Wikipedia says. And you can find more about Altshuller at various sites - why not start here. )

Details II

2011-08-25T11:46:00.003+02:00

Last post was Swedish. This addendum in English.

Details are so fun. Take this video for example "Hva gor vi nu lille du"

Pay attention to the girl at 2:15. A great detail showing a dedicated fan. A fan that has seen the band and heard the song many times. Almost too many times.

Lärande och detaljer

2011-07-01T08:21:00.004+02:00

Detaljer är intressanta. Många gånger är det "små detaljer" som gör att jag lär mig saker och som startar lärandeprocessen. Det är de små detaljerna som skapar intresse och hunger.

Bäst är det när detaljerna är så små att de inte syns. Och att de behöver uppmärksammas för att man ska förstå hur de fungerar och hur smart det är.

På Towern i London finns det många och trånga spiraltrappor. Det är ingen slump att de skruvar sig åt det håll som de gör. De är byggda så att den som anfaller, dvs kommer nerifrån, i princip måste använda vänsterhanden för att kunna slåss. Och tvärtom blir det alltså väldigt enkelt för den som är uppe att använda högerhanden. Inget ont om vänsterhänthet, men det är betydligt vanligare att man är högerhänt och därmed bäst svingar ett svärd med den handen.

Fundera på åt vilket håll trapporna skruvar sig nästa gång. Om tanken någon gång varit att använda trappen för försvar så bör den skruva sig så att det gynnar försvararen!

En annan detalj i trapporna på Towern är att inte alla steg är lika höga. Det är också något som gör det svårare att rusa uppför trappan. Då och då är ett steg lite extra högt och - Klonk! - ramlar soldaten som inte uppfatade det höga steget.

Detaljer är ofta osynliga först, men väldigt tydliga och naturliga när man upptäckt dem.

Var uppmärksam på detaljerna. De är viktiga. Och de är ofta inbyggda och uttänkta med stor precision. Det som ser ut som slumpmässigt gjort är sällan det...

Och lyssna på de som känner till detaljer! Det kan vara guiden på turen i Towern. Eller experten i din närhet. Eller den erfarna teknikern som jobbat länge med samma sak.

Empty

2011-05-30T08:22:00.003+02:00

[This space will be recycled]

Heights

2011-05-23T09:01:00.004+02:00

Heights are different.

When you look at something around you from ground level it does not seem very high. A chair, table, a roof - chance is high that you would be able to jump down from these. At least when you see them from below.

Now try to climb that chair or table. When you now see the height from above it (most likely) feels very different. The height is now much higher and that "jumping down" might seem less attractive.

The height might be the same, in meters counted - but your perception and ability to act is very different depending on your position.

Do the experiment. Climb your desk and see how high it is.

Taking the looong way

2011-04-24T20:08:00.003+02:00

You cannot avoid death. But you can try to take the longer way there.

Of course you cannot fully avoid sickness, accidents, becoming a victim of something etc. But you can try.

I sure will.

I will at least never take any shortcuts to get there (death) sooner. Well, a few perhaps. I mean, life is there for you to live, right?

Death is the only thing that is certain in life. But no need to rush it there.

Remember the destination is not the goal - the journey is. Have a great journey!

1st - Share view

2011-04-16T13:26:00.006+02:00

Not sure if it's happen a lot. But when it does it makes me sad...

Manager: "When I asked him how to deal with the problem he said he didn't know. So I told him what to do. "

This is of course bad in many ways.

(1) Expecting to get a solution (answer) immediately only works for Simple situations. If the problem or situation is Complicated or Complex we need another approach. (see Cynefin framework)

(2) The manager has also now taught the employee to treat everything as Simple. No time to waste. Everything is just Best Practice and common sense. Just do it!

We need to first figure out what domain the situation and problem belongs to. And in that process we need to see and understand how the other part and team view the situation.

-"I need to protect me from this animal!"
-"Simple. You need a weapon. Here, take this shotgun!"
-"Eh. It's an ant..."

Share the view. Build the solution.

Snygg eller bra?

2011-04-01T10:30:00.005+02:00

Här en underlig annons som dök upp på ComputerSwedens webplats (2011-04-01). Och det är väl tur att det är 1:a april.

Kan man inte vara bra om man är snygg?

Det finns säkert en smart tanke bakom annonstexten ... eller?

Footsteps

2011-03-08T19:02:00.003+01:00

"Don't tell me the sky is the limit when there are footsteps on the moon" (Todd L Hoefert)

Brilliant!

Catching balls or ideas

2011-03-08T18:49:00.003+01:00

If someone catch a small ball it is easy to catch it. Just open the hand and grab it. Well, if aiming and coordination works as they should.

You can also grab another ball. Just use the other hand and grab it.

Now it becomes more tricky. To catch the third ball you have to let go of the first. Drop it. Once dropped one of your hand is free to catch the third ball. Although one ball is now on the ground.

A better way of catching the third ball (and fourth and...) is to start juggling. While juggling you can catch more balls, keep them in air and hand - and if you are skilled you will drop none. How many you can catch is a matter of your juggling skill.

To make this even better you can now start to collaborate. Use the people around you. Share the balls with them. They have hands and maybe juggling skills too. When juggling skills or hands are depleted - grow the team. As the team grows and collaboration skills increases you can catch and maintain more balls.

And now you can also be part of other people's ball catching games.

Now, lets play with ideas and balls at the same time:

1. First you need to open your hand and mind to be able to catch any ball (or idea)
2. To be able to receive and develop many ideas you need to have at least basic juggling skills. (Yes, keeping two balls without dropping any, counts as basic skills.)
3. But, to be able to really get moving you need to collaborate and share the ideas with other people. That way you can develop all the ideas you find.
4. And now you are part of other people's idea development network.

(Thanks to @redmamba and @KRCraft for making me think.)

Bla bla bla bla...

2011-02-13T19:35:00.001+01:00

Bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla... bla bla ? bla bla bla! bla bla bla

1. BLa bla bla
2. bla bla bla bla bla
3. bla bla bla

Bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla.

The Hidden Process

2011-01-26T18:05:00.004+01:00

A request I made got stuck in a "corporate process" some weeks ago. When looking into it and hunting the request I obeserved some interesting things.

The process contained several steps - each performed by different departments. And a ticket system was used to send forward and update the request.
The process was designed to do: A --> B --> C --> D --> E

But, that was designed for a slightly different setup. The requests we now made did not need to perform step D. In fact, doing step D would have negative impact. So, when submitting the request we added information about "skip D - we handle that in another way later".

When the request hit D information about how to perform D was missing. Of course, since we didn't want that step. The supplied information about ignoring step D was ignored.

Since D could not complete its step it just returned the request to C. C got confused and did the only thing they do - passed it on to D. After bouncing a few times it stopped. And neither C or D bothered more about it.

The ticket was stopped in this magical corporate workflow....

When tracking the request it turned out that every step only knew how to receive the request and how to pass it on. No step know more than previous and next. No instance saw the whole process. No instance was able to make sound decisions - take an overall approach and look at the request and process and see that it should be passed on - not to D but to E.

Having a silo based organization where workflows involved many silos can create interesting situations. Like the one above. Where the organization has become incapable of seeing the whole - and only knows how to receive and send small chunks of work.

Focus on the result and value of the process - not on the individual steps.

Putting paint on a brush and apply to a canvas a thousand times do not always create a Mona Lisa. But the chance is higher if you know what you try to paint. Instead of just doing 1000 small movements with a brush with paint.

Attacks and options

2010-12-09T19:21:00.011+01:00

Noticed something in the newspaper about "A defending B by attacking C". Probably very common. But there are other options of course.

Here is the basic situation. An attacker counteracting (=attacking) a subject:

If we want to help in this situation, we can do as in a street fight. Lets attack the attacker:

Attacking the attacker will hopefully reduce the original attack and make the attacker focus on us instead. And that way we support and defend the subject.

But we can also defend and support the subject by supporting it. Coaching the subject in the fight. Or provide supplies to the town under siege:

This way the subject grows strong and the attack is less effective.

Another interesting way is to attack the attack - or completely make the attack worthless:

Think about the attack and make sure it doesn't hit. Close the light? Push subject into the water so that bullet doesn't hurt? Take away the gun?

Yet another option is to create a barrier or wall to protect the subject:

Why not unload a lot of sand in front of the subject so that the arrows and bullets cannot get through? Or let the subject into your protective house?

And if that doesn't work you can create a decoy. Making the attacker attack the decoy instead of subject:

And if we don't want to attack the attacker to defend the subject we can instead provide a powerful weapon to the subject. That way he can defend himself (or herself). Many countries use this option to support their allies of course.

And speaking of allies. Just the fact that a subject have a lot of allies can weaken or remove the attack. So, why not join and line up a number of allies to stop the attack:

And on it goes... Remember, there will always be one more option for you.

So, when you feel the urge to attack the attacker to defend something. Think again. There might be much better and effective ways.

Good luck!

[The above small models were created playing with Southbeach modeller. ]

Winter

2010-12-01T10:00:00.000+01:00

Snow, lots of it.
Cold, -25C this morning.
Dark.

Lovely!

Similar

2010-11-23T08:35:00.000+01:00

Learning 2

2010-11-18T19:56:00.003+01:00

Been thinking more about learning. Added a lot of things the model (you can find in earlier post) - and now I need to sort and find the patterns. Currently it is just a mess and would provide very little meaning to show here. Hopefully I can find some patterns and make something meaningful out of it.

Meaningful to me at least.

Searching is useful

2010-11-18T19:52:00.004+01:00

The process "search" can be seen as harmful since it takes time and can consume resources. The search is not the goal - but to FIND is.

But while searching you will find other things. And you will most likely learn a lot.

Searching can find not only what you are looking for - but much more!

Learning

2010-11-07T15:31:00.012+01:00

Started to think about learning. Far from finished. Just uploading a 1st model to encourage myself to continue...

Create knowledge

2010-11-06T14:36:00.003+01:00

You cannot really transfer knowledge. You need to create knowledge in every mind.

Just like a growing tree you need to provide directions to the tree. Remove things that shade and show where the sun is. Make sure that roots will get water. Possibly support the young tree when it is blowing. Maybe scare away the rabbits trying to eat the tree.

When the tree gets the resources it will grow. You just need to make sure resources are provided.

Do not force it. Provide & support & guide - and let the magic happen.

Sometimes we provide too much resources when trying to build knowledge. "Here, these are all the documents you need". That is the same as giving the young tree a whole lake of water. The result will be a drowned tree and no growth.

Same with too much sun.

All knowledge is created in the mind. Just like the wood in the tree. And it takes time and must happen from the inside.

Let resources be available, support the growing, show some directions and watch the tree, eh, knowledge grow.

So, do not transfer knowledge. Create and grow knowledge.

Grey, wet, cold

2010-10-24T16:16:00.002+02:00

And I love it! I feel most alive in October and November.

"Triading"

2010-09-08T07:13:00.004+02:00

I have always tried to connect people. Some people think I am plain lazy, not able to work myself. But I tend to think that it is better if right persons collaborate and share and work together to achieve results. And if I am not the right person I should not be middle-man, filter, obstructing or in any other way hindering or slowing down the process.

In the picture below there is me and two other persons I know. The three of use could now work with me as middle-man - passing messages for example between the two persons.

Or that I would continue handing out tasks to person A or person B.

But that would not be very efficient. Instead I connect the two directly. Introduce them to each other, explain why I think they should collaborate. Of course I spend time with both - and with them together - to help build the relations and get the "work" started.

Focus for me is to make sure they are "connected". If my knowledge about the persons were right they will not start to collaborate and share. A new relation exists and work can get done in new way. And for me - just getting out of their way.

Since I still have the relations with A and B I can see what is happening. And even join the work! And when person C comes along we have new connections and relations to make.

This way connections are made and stable network can grow.

This process of "triading" is very well described in the book Tribal Leadership (http://www.triballeadership.net/)

Read it. Try it.

Smooth sea or rough sea?

2010-07-15T17:05:00.005+02:00

"Smooth seas do not make skillful sailors" is a proverb you hear now and then. But maybe it is a little bit more complicated than that.

On the right side (in model above) you can see the "rough sea" that has at least two sides. One is of course the fact that it provides training, turning the sailor into a great sailor. But it is also dangerous and might cause the death of sailors. And maybe make other sailors abandon the job - becoming a farmer or tailor.

On the left side we can see that "smooth sea" creates romantic settings which can inspire to romantic meetings. And romantic meetings can result in children. These children grow up to become either sailors or non-sailors. And those who become sailors might get a chance - in rough sea - to become great sailors.

Being a great sailor increases the chance to return to harbor and have romantic meetings of course. Smooth sea also increase that chance, of course.

Another consideration is that romantic meeting might not always be good since the sailor might prefer romance over rough sea training. And that way missing out on training and fall back to become an ordinary sailor.

The yellow boxes are both needed, i.e. we need both rough sea and smooth sea to create great sailors. Not at the same time, and not with same purpose. But both still needed.

So, the answer to the question "What sea is best? Smooth or rough?" is always:

"Both smooth and rough."

Best answer to "or" is often "and".

Forward & Backward

2010-07-12T13:31:00.004+02:00

We can think forward and backward.

I like the cute example with an acorn on the field. A kid and mother comes close and the kid asks "Why is there an acorn there?"

In backward-thinking mode the mother now can respond by telling how it got there. Look back and explain. As in:

"Well, maybe a squirrel dropped it there" or "The large tree over there dropped it" or "Maybe a kid or animal played with it and just left it there."

All good responses. And only imagination limits the kind of answers the mother can give.

In forward-thinking mode the response looks into the future. As in:

"It is there to grow and become a large oak tree" or "It is there to become a squirrel dinner" or "It is there to be found by a kid. And the kid will play with it."

Switch between these forward and backward modes when answering questions. Not all why-questions has to be answered based on the past.

And many times it is more interesting what will be or become - than what has been.

There is sometimes also a non-thinking-mode when answering questions. How about if the mother in the above example answered:

"Shut up and keep walking" or "How should I know? I didn't put it there!" or even "Don't you learn anything in school?"

So, Think when you respond. And use both forward and backward thinking. And practice forward-thinking to explore and shape the future!

Package & map & improvement

2010-07-09T08:09:00.009+02:00

Found an old map of some thoughts about packages. It really jump-started my brain again. Making me think about different perspectives about packages and why they are useful. And why they are harmful.

Re-thinking some of the "good" and "bad" sides could lead to interesting improvements and innovations.

Making a "map" of a product or situation makes it easy to start improving. Start anywhere in the map and re-think. Play with the map and find ways to remove and reduce the red (harmful) and add and increase the green (useful).

Enjoy!

"Why models?"

2010-07-06T08:03:00.002+02:00

I love the book "Orbiting the Giant Hairball" by Gordon MacKenzie. In fact, I asked the publisher for permission to publish a small section of the book. I was allowed to publish the section for a few months for a fee. But, I didn't. Seemed silly to pay to be able to quote Gordon for a limited time.

Anyway - here you can find one great text from the book: "Why models?"

Path Perspective

2010-06-27T12:42:00.004+02:00

When you are at A and you look forward you will see multiple paths. One way leading to B and the other way to another destiny. The future contains multiple choices and opportunities.

But when you are at B and look back you do not see multiple paths. You only see one rather straight path that connects B with A. And maybe you do not even reflect on the selection of path that actually made it possible to get to B.

Look forward and you see lots of opportunities and choices. Lots of decisions to make. Lots of paths! Magic!

Look back and it just seems very natural and obvious that you are where you are. A straight line. And it almost seems inevitable that you ended up where you right now are.

Words matters

2010-06-24T09:54:00.005+02:00

Language creates images and patterns and influences our thinking and behaviour.

Here are some simples transformations that could make your life more fun & interesting.

Replace "but" with "and"

Replace "or" with "and"

Replace "is" with "be" and "become"

Replace "no" with "yes"

Try it. If you don't give up immediately there is a great chance that your thinking and problem solving will change. You will most likely start to see new opportunities and get a new perspective on things.

Consider that strange device you have in the garage. Why worry what it IS. Why not think about what it can BECOME.

And how about being rich AND healthy. Why only one of them?

Second time

2010-05-29T13:13:00.002+02:00

Today was second time I cut my hair myself. And this time the back of my head felt more familiar. Next time I expect it to be pure routine.

Amazing how fast we learn! Even I!

Sheep and lambs and patterns

2010-05-15T18:22:00.003+02:00

Took a long walk. And halfway to nowhere I found a large herd of sheep. I sat down and watched...

First I thought it was all chaos. Sheep walking in circles, eating grass, lambs jumping and playing. No order at all. No structure. No patterns.

But after a while I could see patterns. Sheep joined, ate some grass. Lambs played and repeated the "games". Other lambs joined their mothers for a few minutes - and then returned to game.

Not all sheep mixed. There seemed to be three or four groups of adult sheep. But only one group of lambs.

Occasionally a mama-sheep would say "Bah" and her kids would run to her for some food.

I sat down for at least thirty minutes and studied the herd. What first looked like chaos was instead more like multiple organized dances. Not strictly linear order - but creatures moving around with respect for each other and all belonging to the herd. And I was almost (but only almost) able to predict how the individual were moving around.

Next time you see chaos. Sit down and see what patterns you can find. Be patient and give it some time!

Superheroes are bad

2010-05-02T09:53:00.004+02:00

Well, Superheroes do solve problems for us. Which seems to be good. But:

The superhero solves the problem using his superpowers. So, we need that superhero with superpower around. Every time! And what happens when superhero is on vacation?

Since the superhero solves the problem we (=people) do not learn how to deal with problem using our own capacity and resources. We get dependent on the superhero. We get a meal - but we don't learn how to fish.

The superhero is fast and efficient and thus not giving anyone else a chance. Having a superhero around will make it harder for others to become heroes.

So, while superheroes first might seem like a good idea they:

- Stops us from learning (to deal with problems)

- Makes us dependent (that hero is around)

- Blocking the path for others (to develop themselves)

Next time a superhero comes around - send him away. You will be better off in the long run without superheroes.

Oh, and another reason to send superhero away is that their presence often attract a lot of bad guys with superpowers too...

[For Swedish readers - Kolla den fantastiska "översättningen" av denna lilla text på http://ifrihet.wordpress.com/2010/05/02/regeringen-ar-dalig/ ]

From the back of my head

2010-04-24T11:42:00.005+02:00

Today I cut my hair for the first time. My hair has been cut before of course. But not by myself.

Lots of mirrors. Patience. Re-doing it.

And for the first time I really experience the back of my head. An area full of craters, mountains, valleys - and lots of hair pointing in all directions. Even individual hairs pointing in all directions!

This is an area not far from my eyes and ears. But still - I have not seen it before. Not the way I did today. Not the way you have to see it when you try to cut your hair by yourself.

Then it struck me. If the exterior of the back of my head is this interesting and hard to see and reach, how about the interior of the back of my head.

What amazing stuff can be found in there. What things and thoughts dwell in there. And how can I get into that space.

The exterior of the back of me head can be seen and reached with double mirrors and twisted arms. What tools do I need to get into the interior of the back of my head?

The result of the hair cut was not too bad. And the chain of thoughts started even better... how do I make use of my full head. How do I turn my whole brain on. How do I access the back of my head...

The journey to the back and middle of my brain has begun.

My name is And - almost

2010-04-22T19:40:00.004+02:00

Amazing!

Today I realized that my first name starts with "And" and my last name ends with "and".

Would that explain why I prefer "and" over "or"? Probably not.

But I do prefer and over or. And I am glad that I finally saw that my name is very connected to that super-word (i.e. "and").

To model is to play.

2010-04-10T17:52:00.004+02:00

Today I swapped from winter to summer tires on one of the cars. Started some thinking about accidents, injuries and tires.

So I started Southbeach and started to play.

It is not something complete. Or finalized. It is just the result of me thinking, playing and illustrating a few situations for a few minutes.

Anyway, the good part is that I find modelling, eh playing, very relaxing and inspiring. And I almost feel like an artist, like Michelangelo. Changing perspectives, adding elements, removing. Re-thinking.

So, why not model, play, draw, sing, build your problem or situation. You might get surprised from what you learn. And how fun it is.

Communities separates

2010-04-03T09:46:00.003+02:00

Every new community community, group or network creates new boundaries. Bring people together for a cause or idea will also identify the ones not joining or supporting the idea (actively).

The idea with a community is to bring people closer together. To share knowledge, spend tie together, enjoy each other company and so forth. But it also creates distance to non-members. And as such could create tension and conflicts.

Obvious? Perhaps.

Hole in earth - stone falling....

2010-03-21T21:26:00.002+01:00

If it was possible to drill a hole in earth - passing center of earth. And then you dropped a stone in that hole - what would happen?

Would the stone come up in the other end - stop at highest point - and then return back. And for each turn making smaller and smaller turns, finally stopping at center of earth. Or would the stone stop at the first passage at center?

Assume that the stone don't melt or get stuck against the walls of course.

What do you think? What would happen to a stone that you drop in a hole drilled through whole earth?

Zzzzzz....

2010-03-20T20:37:00.002+01:00

Working long hours.

But that is not why I am sleepy and exhausted. It is all the details and loose ends. They keep me awake at night.

Need to figure out how to handle those and get some sleep.

All snow dragons seems to have left now. Snow is melting fast now.

So, all in all, life is good.

Time

2010-03-06T15:42:00.002+01:00

Time is the only thing we have. But also something that we run out of. Often!

Time is equally distributed. We all have (approximately) 24 hours to use every day and night.

You cannot save time for another day. So, you'd better use your time now. Every moment should be enjoyed right away.

To fly you have to...

2010-02-12T15:53:00.004+01:00

...jump.

(Photo: Karin Grein)

Wonderful and inspirational photo. To fly you have to spread your wings, take a risk and jump. You cannot sit in your nest and fly.

The birds in the picture are re-inventing the art of flying. And every bird has to do it. Just as we have to re-invent ourselves. Over and over again. Sometimes that includes stepping out of comfort zone (nest) and take a risk (jump).

Explorer in my backyard

2010-02-07T20:12:00.004+01:00

So much snow. I took a small walk - just around the house to see how much snow there was. And possibly also save some trees. Snow depth was between 60cm and 100cm.

It was hard work. It was snow all over. Every step was a challenge. Pulling one leg up and try to put it forward. Not successful every time. And I fell a few times too.

It was not a long walk - or adventure. But it took a long time. And was fantastic adventure.

I was a real explorer. Finding new paths and amazing sceneries. In my own backyard!

Not-so-creative

2010-01-30T12:15:00.004+01:00

Once upon a time in a galaxy far away....I had this weird experience about "creativity"

A senior executive heard about me and that I was supposed to be good at coming up with fresh and convincing ways of describing solutions. In this case we needed a way to show to a client how we would deal with a rather complex multi-project setup. There were multiple programs running lots of projects. Many relations and interdependencies. The mess was huge!

The exec asked me to illustrate how we could move forward while yet keeping control over the situation. He made some notes on a paper. This was supposed to be some start for me to work out details and solution from.

I took the note. Spent some time thinking. Talking. Discussing. After a few days I had a solution. I showed my work to the executive. He was not happy.

He made some new notes on a paper. Now with more details. And he was not using my work, but made it on blank paper again.

Once again I thought and discussed. Went back with a new solution to the executive after a day or two. Same procedure - a not happy executive. And now he started to question my creative ability. At least it felt like that.

And for the third time he made notes on a blank paper. Draw some charts, symbols and numbers. And patiently asked me to use all my creativity and skills to come up with a solution.

This time I took another approach. I took the last notes he made - just opened a blank presentation on my computer. Copied the hand-made notes and charts into that presentation. Added a title page. Done!

When I this time returned he was mighty impressed. He studied the electronic version of the notes he made, praised my creativity and was very happy. "I knew you could solve this problem for me!"

All I did was transforming his notes into an electronic version. I did not feel creative at all.

Nowadays I am very careful when taking on assignments like that. Trying to find out what they really want, and what level of freedom I have. Many times they are complete with the creative part and just need someone to put it on paper.

Imagine you get the instruction "Draw me somehing nice. Anything." and you come back with a horse. And gets the response "Well, I had more of a circle in mind - can you do something with a circle?".

Next time you get "Well, I had a blue circle in mind. And slightly smaller. Can you give a go?"

And so it continues...

To all execs: If you know what you want; Say it. And If you want persons to use his/hers creativity - let them do that.

Action box

2010-01-21T19:04:00.005+01:00

Think outside the box is something we all have heard. I guess. And possibly also that we have to think within. Or there is no box at all. Or the box is giraffe. Or whatever.

This morning I found another box. Here:

This is not about thinking. It is about action. A man and an action arrow and a box.

Does it say "run to the box" or does it say "push the box forward". There are many ways to interprete that picture. It is designed to be fast to read - so we can follow the instruction immediately.

The sign also says "if you take action and run for the box you will be ok".

So, thinking inside and outside of boxes is ok. But we also have to get into action. And if we don't we will be trapped... When you're done thinking outside the box - RUN to the box! Move the box!

Coffee break storytelling

2010-01-17T19:57:00.002+01:00

Last week at the coffee table I took out Rory Storycubes. I did not show what it was - but I rolled all dices on the table and used my hands to hide them all. The cubes have six different smal images printed. On the nine cubes you have in total 9x6=54 small images.

I took out one dice. Pushed it towards the girl sitting closest. Looked her in her eyes and said "Once upon a time" while pointing to the image at the top of the dice.

She immediately continued on the "Once upon a time" using the small image on the dice as inspiration and trigger for the next part. She did not hesitate but just started to tell a small story. It was the beginning of a quite amazing story full of mystery and adventure.

I took out another dice and gave it to her. And another... She did not try to select another image on the cuce - but used the image on top to keep telling.

All staff round the table just sat and listened. A group of adult people listening to a made-up story inspired by nine dices with printed images. Pure magic!

There were no instructions or rules. Just the "Once upon a time" and then small images on plastic cubes for inspiration.

Fun!

You can find out more about the Rory Storycubes at http://www.thecreativityhub.com/tools/storycubes/

Ska du rösta på Specialmodekraterna?

2010-01-16T19:49:00.003+01:00

När hela familjen satt och åt för länge sedan satt den mycket unga sonen och tittade förunderligt på oss. Vi diskuterade politik och ett kommande val. Efter att ha suttit tyst en lång stund och lyssnat ställde han så den fråga som var tvungen att komma ut:

"Vad är det för bra med de där specialmodekraterna?"

Ett fantastiskt ord. Och ett fantastiskt partinamn. Och en fantastisk fråga.

Fundera på den ända fram till det svenska valet. Vad är det egentligen för som är bra med de där specialmodekraterna. Och hur ska vi skapa en vettig framtid. Kan vi lita på alla specialmodekrater?

Är politiken bara fantastiska etiketter? Eller finns det substans och framtid hos specialmodekraterna?

(Och visst är det väl ett bra namn om alla partierna skulle gå ihop?)

Bah!

2010-01-11T20:37:00.001+01:00

Just had to say "Bah!". We cannot be smart and clever all the time. Sometimes I can produce nothing but a "bah". And sometimes I produce something of more value. I hope.

Outcast

2010-01-09T15:52:00.006+01:00

It is cold outside. Real winter with snow and ice. Today it was -26C when I woke up. Went outside for a short walk and realized that the sound I made with every step was close to the squeaking sound the hero makes in the opening scene in the best PC-game ever made (so far!): Outcast. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Outcast_(video_game)

It's an adventure game with intelligence. And action. Groundbreaking when it was released. Breathtaking sceneries, but a bit dated graphics for closer objects critics said. Clever, non-linear, plots and....well, you get it. GREAT GAME.

Game was released 1999. The company Appeal worked on a sequel that didn't make it to the shelves. The company itself is no more. So, even if the game was groundbreaking, amazing, breathtaking, intelligent - it was not good enough. Not enough for a sequel at least.

After the short walk I had to see if it was still playable. And yes! It was.

If you haven't played it yet - do it! Give it a chance. And as a bonus you get high class game music - performed by Moscow Symphony Orchestra. You should be able to find it rather cheap...

(Warning though: since the game is old it might not work in newer windows-versions. There are discussions and hints on how to make it work...but...well...)

Here you can see the "hero" in the winter landscape. Just in the beginning of the adventure:

Did I mention it was released over ten years ago?

Silence

2010-01-02T18:40:00.003+01:00

First blog post 2010 will be just a moment of silence. Just stay silent for - say - 30 seconds when you read this. Be still and focus on what you hear. What you will hear? I don't know.

Start now. Shhhh....

Mix of toilets

2009-12-30T15:41:00.008+01:00

In tweets today toilets and women were discussed. And that women in general need more toilets. Taking more time due to more complicated procedure? Spending more time washing hands? Adjusting make-up?

I do not know - but here is one clever thing to improve the situation.

In the picture below you can see a configuration with toilets and washing-hands/mirrors equipment. At the top the small red "circles" are where you spend time adjusting make-up, wash hands etc. And at the bottom you see cubicles with toilets. Each with door and lock.

Gentlemen will enter this facility from left and ladies from right. In the gentlemen area there is also a red box - representing a urinal.

The clever thing is that there is a wall separating women from men. Creating the illusion of two facilities. The wall can be moved if the population contains more women. Or just to let women have more toilets and mirrors.

In the set-up above men have six toilets and the urinal while women have six toilets.

If the event is a ladies-only event you could slide the wall and create:

Now men only have one toilet and the women have eleven! And if it is a football game you could consider to place the wall elsewhere.

To be able to adjust the mix of toilets seems like a simple way of making the situation better. And still there is illusion of totally separated women and men toilets. Which seems to be desired in many cultures/communities. Note also that number of mirrors also changes...

Not sure how common this solution is, but I have seen it in at least one hockey/event arena.

Demonstrations against global warming.

2009-12-22T12:52:00.004+01:00

[Got this picture from a colleague. Rather cute demonstration. And I assume that any kind of warming is a threat to these guys!]

"reply all"

2009-12-17T18:02:00.005+01:00

In mail-systems where there are distribution lists there is always a risk (or chance?) that someone uses one of the larger lists by mistake. And sometimes that leads to persons on list responding to that mail - using "reply to all" function.

If more people do the same it will trigger mails with the message "do not use reply to all" - possibly also sent to all. Of course.

Here are some real data from such "incident" today. Already after 17 minutes the apology was out "Sorry. Did not mean to send to all. Please ignore".

In the diagram you can see what kind of mails was sent using "reply to all" in the next few hours:

On the x-axis you have 30-minutes periods from first email sent. And y-axis is frequence.

As you can see there are lots of email just saying "You probably got the wrong guy."

On second place comes the "Do not reply to all" messages (sent using "reply to all").

And then there are some people that would like to be removed from the list, some trying to explain how to send emails correctly - and also someone that was just a bit upset about.

Remember. The chart shows only the mails I could see and that was sent using "reply to all". I assume that the person sending the mail to distribution list in the first place also received some direct mail.

Anyone else having more data and patterns describing this?

Make-up or Photoshop?

2009-12-16T19:52:00.005+01:00

Richard Veryard said "Aren't cosmetics and airbrushing basically the same thing, or have I missed something? http://tinyurl.com/ydc2r5m #Twiggy #Olay" in a tweet. (tweet)

I tend to agree. Both make up and digital work on photos will change the face. And I assume that you can do lots of magic with make-up. Almost the same thing as with post-production digital editing. At least in order to show a pretty face with perfect attributes.

Here:

Starting with the face at the top you can either take the left path - with make-up to "edit" face and then just camera to make it digital and be able to show it. Or if you take the right path where you create the digital image first - then edit the image of the face - in order to display. The viewer will not see "real" face in any case.

Editing before or after camera. That is the question.

Different rainbow

2009-12-06T17:31:00.003+01:00

When you think of a rainbow you most likely think of something like:

Something curved and with seven bright colours. Pretty!

But it is also a very common picture of a rainbow. Maybe too common?

What happens if we tried to come up with a more unique rainbow. A more creative rainbow. Just playing a bit with the setup of the standard rainbow.

We might end up with something like:

Not seven colours, not even seven shades of grey. Just one shade of grey. And just straight lines.

This is a more unique rainbow than the standard rainbow. And as you can imagine there are many more unique rainbows just waiting to be created.

Some people would argue that this it not a rainbow anymore. It does not follow the rules for being a rainbow. But should we not challenge rules? Should not even rainbows challenge their rules? Would this grey rainbow get acceptance in rainbow community?

When you think of a unique rainbow - what do you see? How much can be challenged and changed?

Make differences visible!

2009-12-05T16:33:00.005+01:00

Last week I read a report from analyst firm. It analyzed a lot of companies and illustrated its findings in 2x2 systems. But all diagrams looked the same. All companies were put int the top right box.

All diagrams looked like:

All companies very successful? Well, nice - but boring. The 2x2 system is more interesting when it used to illustrate differences, tensions and how the companies really differ. "All companies doing well" is nice. But not very useful.

I suggest that if you want to use 2x2 system in you should work with the scale so that differentiators are clearly seen. Then you could see how they differ and what they could do to change.

Here I just rescaled the first picture. And in my opinion much more interesting. I now see that two companies are in the top left quadrant. Wonder what they can do about that? And how about those two companies in bottom left? What should they do?

2x2 boxes can be useful to illustrate differences. And it is the differentiators and differences that can create a movement between the boxes. It is the visible and categorized differences that will trigger most thinking.

Make sure you use a scale so that differences gets visible. And exciting!

Having nothing makes you agile

2009-12-05T12:47:00.004+01:00

I like quadrant systems (2x2 boxes) to describe things. I like how they can be used to see differentiators and how paths can be chosen.

Not only can they trigger action. They can also bring you problem! And make it harder to move.

If you are in the top right box you have it all. But having it all might make it harder to improve. If you already have a good car - why get a great car?

If you are in low right corner you have one of two. That will make the game tough to play. You need to get the second - and still keep the first. Same with top left box.

In the low left box you are free. You have nothing and can move in any direction. No need to protect anything. Nothing to watch. Moving in any direction will improve your situation.

Since I like to think in metaphores - here we go:

Here you can have a mouse and a bird. The real winner - in the absolute top right of the system - would have a large bird and a huge mouse (or rat even!?). Having any bird and any mouse will of course also place you in the top right box.

Imagine holding a bird and a mouse in your hands. Both alive of course. How easy is it now to upgrade to a larger mouse. Let go of the mouse in hand - and try to grab a new and larger one running by? Same with bird. Let go of the bird and try to catch that swoooshing-by bird. That is hard! And risky. You might loose what you have when you try to improve.

It's a bit easier to have a mouse in hand and try to catch a bird. At least slightly. You can even try to grab a larger mouse while holding a smaller. Tough work - but possible.

It is easiest to hunt down a mouse or bird if you have nothing in your hands. And you are also free to choose strategy. If you aim for the bird first you will look up and hunt in the air. And if you go for the mouse you can start to crawl on ground tracking the beasts.

So, being in top right box can paralyze you. You have your hands full being there so you have a hard time improving since you like to avoid risks of loosing. In two other boxes you have a least one hand free to hunt. A bit awkward since you need to protect what you have - when hunting in the other dimension.

Having nothing gives you freedom to select strategy and nothing to loose. And keeps you very agile since you have all hands free...

Having nothing can make it easier to catch the largest bird. Or the most impressive mouse.

About silver bullet

2009-12-04T18:10:00.001+01:00

Noticed: Only people not having the silver bullet says "There is no silver bullet".

Expectation on ideas

2009-12-04T07:44:00.004+01:00

Do you expect ideas to be ready to be implemented? Do you expect a "business case" together with the idea? A project plan perhaps?

Well, that might not be a clever strategy.

If you expect ideas to be ready, well defined, proper ROI calculated etc you will get a behaviour following this expectation. People will spend more time working with their ideas. Polishing, preparing, powerpointing, details added, risks handled, marketing explored.

All to make a brilliant, shiny and excellent presentation so that you can understand the idea and buy into it.

But, what now also happens is that the person with idea will spend a lot of time and effort with his idea. When you spend time and effort you will hate to see it ruined. And you will also most likely fall in love with your idea, especially since you have covered all angles and perspectives. "It's a brilliant idea. I have it all covered." (Sure you do. But only from your perspective....)

So, now you have a person that spent lots of time on his idea. And really loves it. How will he react to suggestions? Criticism? Alternatives? Questions? "My idea is perfect. Look here...and here... and here...And I also have spent a lot of time on this!"

There is also a risk that when you see the idea you take this into account. "Oh, he spent lots of time on this - Let's be careful when dealing with this." And thus accepting to move forward with a bad idea - only to be kind.

So, if you expect ideas to be ready when you hear them you will foster an organisation that delivers shiny ideas - carved in stone - hard to adjust - and possibly worthless.

Expect high quality - and you might end up with no quality at all.

Better to encourage people showing their ideas early - and raw. Help them build upon the ideas. Support them. Do not expect a finalized business case - help them build the business case.

Adjust the direction of the ideas. Get expertise and right knowledge involved.

Expect any and every idea to be raw. Support the development of the idea instead of analyzing and judging it (too early). Let the judgement grow - while you together explore the idea.

Expecting ideas to be "raw" works amazingly well for ideas that actually are shiny and ready too.

Relevant message

2009-12-03T19:18:00.011+01:00

We all want messages to be relevant. But what is a relevant message?

Like this:

Should we consider content and quality? Channel? Format? Probably. But what is more important is what happens afterwards.

From a senders perspective, say company ACME, it could be like this:

A relevant message will trigger the receiver into an action that will create value for ACME. Maybe buying its product? Hiring their consultant? Letting a brother play in the team?

An unrelevant message do not trigger an action that leads to value for ACME.

From the reciever perspective we have this instead:

Here the relevant message is the message that triggers the action that gives the receiver most (or more) value.

@lawlesz suggests that time necessary to process message also influence higher relevance. Less time means higher relevance.

A relevant message is not really about content or channel. It is more about what actions it triggers and what values follow. What is a relevant message for the sender does not have to relevant for the receiver.

Think of "relevant message" as a verb - creating value. And faster is better.

No cow on the ice

2009-11-28T09:38:00.008+01:00

"There is no cow on the ice"

This is a very well known Swedish proverb. Well, in Sweden at least.

It means "There's nothing to worry about ... yet." No need to panic yet, we still have (some time).

The proverb above is actually just a short version of:
"There is no cow on the ice as long as it´s behind is still ashore"
which maybe makes more sense. No need to panic, yet, the whole cow is not on the ice yet. We still have time.

Having a cow on ice can be a rather interesting adventure I guess. So, as long as the cow is only halfway on the ice there is no need to panic. But as soon as the all of the cow is on ice you need to worry... Cows are not well designed to walk on ice.

Why should there be cows on the ice anyway? Well, Sweden have lots of lakes and large archipelago. And there is also ice on these lakes and water in the winter of course. So, relocating cows using iced lakes and waters was not uncommon. Might be a lot easier as well than using small ferries to transport cows in summer.

"There is no cow on the ice."

One of the best Swedish proverb around. And when using it you should never ever use the long version.

(In Swedish: "Det är ingen ko på isen" - and a long version: "Det är ingen ko på isen så länge rompan är på land.")

A thought about Monty Hall

2009-11-25T19:21:00.005+01:00

There is a classic problem called the Monty Hall problem. (Here you can read about it http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monty_Hall_problem)

Lets explore an interesting twist on this. Lets use three cards instead of three doors. One of the cards is a King. The other two something else. The three cards are on the table showing the back side.

Carol now picks one of the card - but she does not turn it. The Game Host Eric now turns on of the other two. He shows Carol (and the audience!) that it is not the King. Eric then puts the card in his pocket.

Let us assume we have the version of the Monty Hall-problem where the game host always shows a non-winning card (i.e. he knows where the King is and select a non-King to show and put in pocket).
He then asks Carol if she wants to swap cards, i.e. picking the other card on the table. Should she?

Yes, she should swap. When Carol picked the first card probability for her was 1/3 to pick the King. And 2/3 that the King was among the other two. When Eric reveals a non-King nothing changes really. And by swapping Carol will increase her odds to win. (Read more in the wikipedia article!)

Let us also assume that John now enters the room from a short bathroom visit. What he see is a table with one card close to Carol. And another card closer to Eric. John asks the person sitting next to him what the game is about - and neighbor responds: "One of those cards is a King. And Carol can keep her card or switch to the other. If she gets the King she wins."
John do not know that there was a third card. (Now in Eric's pocket)

Carol is now convinced she should swap cards and that the odds for her to win would then be 2/3. (Again: Check the wikipedia article to see why the odds are like that. Remember that the game hosts knows where the King is.)

John on the other hand is convinced that the odds for winning if she swap cards is 1/2. Two cards on the table - one if King. Simple as that.

So, now we have two persons in the same room. Seeing the same table and cards. But they are convinced that probability for win if swapping are different.

Who is right? Are they both right?

If Eric now would tell John about the third card and how Eric put it in his pocket. Should Eric rethink the probability? Will past event influence probability from Johns perspective? Would a hidden card from the past in Eric's pocket change John's calculations?
...

Questions & words - revisited

2009-11-22T15:15:00.004+01:00

Thinking about questions and "what" and "who". And looking up a classic piece on how to put forward questions and how to answer these correctly. And yet, in this scene the answers create more confusions than knowledge. Or?

Here is one of many versions: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OfsozTcieVY

Enjoy!

Question words

2009-11-19T17:55:00.006+01:00

We have questions words to explore and get answers. They work in different ways and are many times also received differently.
Do not just jump in and fire away all your 5W1H questions. They are different tools. Just like hammer and saw are different tools for a carpenter.

what? is used to establish. Fact oriented. "What is that?" "What happened?" "What are going to do?" Often a rather neutral word. Will rarely create any upset feelings.

where? do not establish - but used to clarify. Cannot stand on its own. No danger in using this question. Just clarifying something.

when? is also a clarifying question. Often related to something we learned from the "what?"

who? is getting tougher. Now we want to know who did something or who should do something. We are touching on responsibilities and blame (or reward!). Not a good question to start with. And who-questions can also create feelings and emotions.

why? is the hardest. Now we search for justification or reason. "Why did you do that?", "Why does it work that way?" We are asking for opinions and justifications. We are not creating actions with "why". Watch out with this one. It is nice to know why something happens or why we should do it. But it is a risky question.

how? is an action trigger. With how you either trigger problem solving or story-telling. "How did it happen?" "How can we do this?" No blame - just a request to tell a story. This is also the question that best engages the other person. We are talking to the other persons knowledge and intelligence and asks for a story or solution.
This is not always fact-based so the answer can be more "free".

This is of course over-simplified. But consider that question words are different. What do you want to achieve? Are you running a trial? Solving a problem? Looking for a way forward? The different tools will shape the discussion, responses and relation differently.

Select your tools wisely!

I like the "how"-tool best. But I also use all the other questions too.

About your love

2009-11-15T17:12:00.006+01:00

This is what your love does to me:

Yes, that's right. Your love keeps lifting me higher, higher, higher and higher.

And I would not be surprised if there are songs using this theme..

Four types of "dialogues"

2009-11-08T15:34:00.007+01:00

There are many types of discussions and dialogues. Recently I have found that I sometime think I am in one of the types - while the other part is acting as if he is doing another type. Very confusing!

Here are four different types of dialogues.

Think of the dialogue as a dog-fighting arena. You and some other person meet at the arena and you bring your "systems" there - to the "battlegroud". You let the systems into the arena and then the dialogue starts.

In the first example (top left) person A (pA) brought system A (sA) and person B brought system b. Both will now argue to make their system win this fight. To find out which system is the best. There will be arguments and pro and cons and similar. And the focus will be the tension between the two systems. Pretty much like two dogs fighting.

In the second (top right) we have Exploring. Here the persons bring their systems. But also possibly let other systems in. Here they look at each other systems and try to figure out how they work. No system is right. Focus is on understanding the systems and how they relate. And also consider other alternatives, like System C and D (sC & sD).

Third example is Building. Here the persons bring their systems. But focus is to build something new. Create something together. The existing systems might be used in whole or as parts. But the focus is on creating something together. Build a new fighting dog (sF).

In the last (bottom right) the persons do not bring anything to the arena. They are more interested in the person and relation. The dialogue is socializing to learn more about the person. Possibly to be able to enter one of the other boxes later. You are often here when you meet someone for the first time.

Imagine what happens if person A think that the dialogue is Arguing - and person B think they are in Exploring or Building. Being in different "boxes" will make it harder for them. And they will not understand what the other person is up to.

If both persons are in same box - the dialogue and understanding will be improved! And the outcome could be understood by both. It is like establishing rules for the "dog fight" and how the arena will be used.

Make sure you are in same box...

Reflection

2009-11-06T07:14:00.009+01:00

This is me. Back in 2001. Well, it was my avatar in the online game Anarchy Online. This is a Sci-Fi based game with people from all over the playing, eh, interacting. Not as popular now as back then. (Game developed by Norwegian company Funcom)

To better understand gaming and game industry I back then volounteered as game reviewer for a couple of web-sites. I received a few games every week, played and wrote. And for some game - like Anarchy Online - I received a free game account. And being part of an online game was a very interesting experience. Not so much for the technical details or gameplay - but for the social interactions with all sorts of people. Some playing in-game roles - some just reflecting themselves into the game.

I was a role player. My solder was brave and loyal. And not focusing on being the strongest - but the kindest. Playing a female role was a great advantage back then. Even though I suspect that all people knew I was "man" - they still acted as if I was a girl. Well, I was a girl -ingame - but the boundaries netween real and in-game are very fast blurred.

I married a brute enforcer that took care of me. And I even had a sweet little sister. It was all a huge experiment. Fun, rewarding and great for learning how to meet different people. Most people were kind - and some were the opposite. Since I decided to be the kindest I never had any enemies. I befriended even the most awkward and rude.

Well, it was all fun and play.

Until September 11 , 2001. It was amazing how that event not only changed the world. But also the interaction in-game. The discussions were intense. Lots of people afraid and looking for support and comfort ingame.

Every chat-channel in-game were filled with the lively discussions about "why, what, how, whats next why, WHY?"

Having the ingame chat we were all brought together. People from New York reported ingame, sharing with people from Russia, Norway and anywhere. We spent a lot of time trying to support each other. But also working together in the game. The tool - the game - brought us together, made the world smaller and less scary.

What we saw in-game back then was probably pretty much what we today would see in Facebook, Twitter and similar if happened today.

Hopefully these tools are bringing us closer together today. Day by day. Tweet by tweet. Bringing common understanding. And understanding and acknowledging each other perspectives.

The tools should not support us after the disaster. The tools should help us prevent it.

I am hopeful.

About a good laugh

2009-11-04T20:19:00.000+01:00

"Nobody likes a good laugh more than I do… except, perhaps my wife… and some of her friends. Oh, yes, and Captain Johnson. Come to think of it, most people like a good laugh more than I do, but that’s beside the point!"

(Graham Chapman line from Monthy Python)

X and Xing - revisited

2009-11-03T18:56:00.006+01:00

Since I included no graphic in last post about X and Xing I am now revisiting this topic with some illustration.

Sometime we see it like: (Green is useful - and solid green is "goal")

We have a neutral process producing some result X. And we think of X as the goal and our focus area. But even if X is our goal we could focus on the process. Focusing on the process can improve the quality and make it a lot more rewarding. Like this: (The yellow border indicates focus area)

And often X is not the goal. It is just something that will be used in another process. When we are cooking to create dinner - dinner is not the end-goal. It will be used in another process - eating. Like this:

And here us the beautiful part when we focus on the process instead of the result. The process will actually help us take the next step - run the next process.

When we are cooking we will prepare for our eating as well. We will get more hungry perhaps. And we will touch and feel all the ingredients. We also learn how the meal is preparaed so that we better can eat and enjoy it. And while cooking dinner we can socialize with our dinner guests and make the dinner conversation even more interesting.

Like this:

Here the "Knowledge", "Preparation" and "Socializing" contributes to the next process ("Ying"). And there are more elements that could be outcome of Xing that will contribute to Ying.

The same goes for planning. The plan is nothing. But the plan will be used in some other process. Running a project, fighting a war, celebrating an uncle etc.

And even when Xing do not directly contribute to Ying we still have more knowledge, socialized a bit, prepared something and had some fun. We have only won things!

So - do not focus too much on "end-result" - but use the processes as a learning and preparation stage to make next steps even more rewarding. And while at it - Have fun!

X is nothing - Xing is everything

2009-10-27T20:57:00.004+01:00

Many times the process is more important than the result. The verb is more important than the noun.

The planning process can be more important than the actual plan. The running can be more important than the run. The cooking process more important than the dinner.

When a child learn to do the math the method and process is often more important than the actual result. We want the child to learn how to calculate - not the answer "53". Or "78".

You often learn and build knowledge in the process. Maybe you do something with someone else having a great time together, and the end result is of less importance.

X is nothing - Xing is everything

Ebberods Bank = "Financial success"

2009-10-23T17:31:00.005+02:00

There is an old movie and play called Ebberöds Bank with an interesting business concept.

In the small town of Ebberod a bank is started. This is the first bank in town. With some clever PR and marketing the first customers are attracted. And the business is excellent - they lend out money at 4 percent interest rate but gives 8 percent on the savings accounts.

How is this possible? "It is all about volume", says management.

The bank gets very popular and everyone wants to loan money and immediately put them back into a saving account. And since the bank is attracting so many new deposits and everyone continues to put money into saving accounts the bank has plenty of money...(Like a pyramid game, of course, a bubble that will burst one day....)

Everyone is happy! Business is excellent!

Everyone is happy except for a larger bank in the big city nearby. All their customers are leaving to put their money into Ebberods bank. Eventually the big bank is forecd to buy Ebberods Bank. Which means that the owner of Ebberdos Bank gets money for the bank and gets rid of the problem of a faulty business model. And a lot of soon-to-be unhappy customers...

Stupid? Well, the larger bank got into panic mode. Seeing all customers run away. And seeing a new bank with a business model they could not understand. Maybe thinking "They cannot be giving away money - so they have someting that work".

Ethical? Sustainable? No. But it is interesting that a business concept that do not work still can be a financial success for the "creative" person.

And I bet there are real Ebberod Banks out there. Business models and operations that seems to work in the short run. But are doomed to collapse. We need to figure those out, instead of getting into panic mode. Think twice when you see something very "succesful" that you do not understand. Questions to ask: "Is that sustainable? Sound? Ethical?".

I like that movie!

Step back and move forward

2009-10-20T20:36:00.009+02:00

The ability to step back and outside of the system can be very valuable.

Lets say you are engaged with something. Maybe solving a problem, or discussing or arguing with someone. Lets illustrate that with "You" and an "object". The object is whatever you are engaged with. Like this:

If you now step back and try to see the situation from the outside you will learn new things. And see the situation with fresh eyes. If you are in a discussion you can see the other persons perspective. And you can see how you behave and act in the sitation. Are you stubborn? Unpolite? Not listening to the other person? What are you doing? How do the "object" respond? What progress are you making?

What do you see now - from the outside - that would resolve, speed up, assist, improve the situation?

Here you can see yourself on the outside:

The three arrows show that you can study yourself, the "object" and how you interact. And you can now "coach" yourself in the situation.

You can also step back further. And actually see yourself studying the system with you and the object. In this perspective you can learn more about yourself and how you learn and what you learn when stepping back. In this mode you become yourself your own coach for your coaching skills.

Like this:

So, step back. Get new perspective of the system, yourself and how you act. Step back further and become better at stepping back and how you learn.

When you step back the perspectives you get and what you learn will make it possible to move forward faster. And this is a skill that you can improve and get better at. All the time.

Good luck!

Lenses, Lenses,...

2009-10-17T14:59:00.007+02:00

Different lenses can be used to study systems and solve problems. Read more about lenses and lenscraft at the Lenscraft WIKI.

Different people have different preferences. First example is where you just apply a lense to study something. You get a result and use the result to get into action. Maybe you use a SWOT analysis to figure out your strengths, and then step into action to use those strengths.

But you can also use two lenses in parallel. For example, do a SWOT analysis and a TRIZ Ideal Final Result. When you have results from both you can use it and move on into action.

Third example would be to use the lenses in sequence. First you use a TRIZ Ideal Final Result (for example) to see where you would like to be. And then you apply a SWOT-analysis to learn more about the obstacles and ways to get there.

Last example is when you take (two or more) lenses and combine them. Use them together. Maybe doing a TRIZ 9-window and a SWOT within each ofthe nine boxes? The result would be something different from applying the lenses in sequence or individually in parallel.

Imagine what magic would happen when other lenses are combined and used. Using multiple lenses in different ways is a powerful "tool".

In the examples I have only used SWOT and simple TRIZ-mechanisms as illustrations. Learn more about other lenses and join the discussions! And good starting point is http://lenscraft.wikispaces.com/

Illustrated quote, sort of.

2009-10-15T07:54:00.003+02:00

Graham Horton said "Research means converting money into new knowledge. #Innovation means turning new knowledge into money."

I like that. Here is simple image illustrating the quote.

Thanks, Graham.

Crime as an example for shared creation.

2009-10-12T19:57:00.008+02:00

Was just playing with modelling tool and trying to show to a young person how options can become clearer when drawing pictures (and models). It became a magical moment of shared creation.

In the picture you have the "honest" person box in right bottom. Working to get money for pleasure and expenses. And possibly also save some for later consumption. (Later consumption illustrated with a delay arrow.)

In the dashed box you have the criminal acting. Doing crimes to get money from the honest persons.

To stop the criminal we pay tax to get police officers. And the police have (at least) three things to do. Put criminals in jail (assuming they are guilty of course), stop crimes and possibly try to stop money "transfer" to criminal.

We could also spend time (work) to try to stop the criminal from stealing our money.

When we put the criminal in jail he becomes a prisoner. And after that he becomes an honest person. (We hope).

Of course the model is incomplete (In fact all models are...or should be?). But the most interesting thing was how easy it was to continue discussion about the model and how reality works. The youngster added a lot of questions and perspectives. And we could easily have built a more detailed model. And also find some "solutions" to the problem we could spot in the model.

Like "How do we make sure that the prisoner becomes an honest person?" and "How do we deal when criminals steals from other criiminals?"

I love to see how shared modelling and storytelling sparks thinking and discussions.

When you now see this model I do not think you get the same value from it as we did when doing it.

Key is "shared creation". The model and modelling is the playground for this "shared creation".

The shared creation process is often more important than the resulting model. But, the model is very valuable when we want to continue the shared creation or move on to problem solving, discussions, presentations,...

Be the child and something green

2009-10-10T13:15:00.008+02:00

When running workshops including some sort of creativity (which all should....) I sometimes bring up child perspectives. How curiosity, simplicity, creativity, play can be used to find solutions and approach problems.

When asked if we could use child perspectives and thinking during the workshop everyone nods. We agree to be naive, curious, play and approach things as children do.

So, I then make a small test. And I ask:

"What is huge and green, lives four meters under ground and eat rocks and stones?"

Noone has yet instantly answered that question in my workshops. Sometimes complete silence. Sometimes some giggling and laughter. Possibly some whispering in the other end of the room.

I then again remind them:

"Well, think again and bring forward that child in you. Any suggestions?"

And usually some good answers are now voiced. First a bit unsecure. Than louder and with more laughter added. And as I acknowledge all good suggestions we usually end up with the beast I had in mind:

The Big Green Stone-Eater.

Most of us acknowledge how useful it can be to think like a child. But still we find it very hard to do it. In groups even harder.

Challenge yourself - be the child you are! And be prepared that it is hard work and you need to practice!

And when someone asks a complicated question - the answer might be something as simple as The Big Green Stone-Eater.

Aj, så klumpigt.

2009-10-06T20:05:00.008+02:00

Det händer att det ringer ideella föreningar - som jag är medlem i - och vill ändra hur jag betalar (exempelvis) medlemsavgiften. Så här kan det låta:

- Hej, jag ringer från föreningen X.
- Hej [hinner jag nästan säga]
- Jo, först vill vi tacka dig för att du är medlem. Och snart är det dags att förnya medlemsskapet.
[Här ville jag komma in i samtalet - men fick inte...]
- Och då undrar vi om du kunde tänka dig att ändra till autogiro. Så skulle vi spara pengar och administration.

Aj! Det gjorde ont. De vill att JAG ska ändra mig för att spara DERAS pengar. Oavsett hur behjärtansvärt ändamålet och föreningen är så måste det gå att säga på annat sätt. Och framför allt; sälja in det till mig.

Varför inte starta ett samtal? En riktig dialog? Lyssna på mig? Kanske vill jag berätta något för föreningen - eller göra något mer.
Och sedan kanske berätta hur livet blir lättare och bekvämare för mig. Samtidigt som de också kan göra sitt arbete i föreningen enklare och effektivare.

Att ringa upp någon - inte lyssna - och föreslå "Vi vill att DU ska ändra dig så att VI sparar pengar" - är INTE en vinnande strategi. Ännu sämre (och dyrare för föreningen!) är det de gånger det är en inhyrd telemarketingfirma som gör jobbet åt föreningen.

Nästa föreningen som försöker samma sak får en omedelbar uppsägning!

Use a map to find'em all - Revisited!

2009-10-06T18:38:00.006+02:00

In earlier post "Use a map to find'em all!" two parties were described and how they could focus their efforts to "win".

Today on radio a debate indicated very clearly that there were parts missing in that model! The persons debating focused not on any of the things described in the earlier model. They skipped today and the future and instead they focused on the past. Trying to show how succesful they had been in the past. And how the other party failed in the past.

In this map these two new potential focus areas are indicated (yellow border boxes)

1. When listening to debate the earlier map was considered and it was clear something was missing. Having a map (or model) means you have a chance to better see what is missing or needed.

2. Maps should and could be re-visited! The landscape changes or more details becomes available. Or something was missing from the start.

Maps and models are useful. And fun.

Kinth!

2009-10-05T13:50:00.003+02:00

I like to kinth.

Kinthing is useful for many reasons. Kinthing can solve a lot of problems for you, and it is often very fun and rewarding. When normal thinking don't work - kinthing might.

And it is easy! Anyone can do it. Just do it and soon you will be able to kinth fluidly. And in any situation.

Kinth; think backwards and/or re-arrange and/or re-group.

Doing the same thing creates change.,

2009-10-03T12:17:00.003+02:00

Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. (Albert Einstein)

I disagree. Or rather, there are situations where doing the same thing over and over again is the key to create different results.

So, if you do the same thing over and over again you should very often expect different results. Doing the same thing will trigger change.

If you every morning ignore your wife your marriage will change. If you take a hammer and hit the wall the wall will change, and one day there will be a hole. If you treat people in a fair and consistent way the respect for you will change - grow.
If you kick your dog over and over again it will die. And with the last kick the result will be different.

There are plenty of situations that are less drastic of course.

Every sound qoute makes sense only in specific contexts.

Shhhh....secrets....

2009-10-01T21:13:00.004+02:00

We talk a lot about openness, sharing information, publishing. But what about if you want to do the opposite. Keep something secret.

To keep secrets we could learn some easy-to-use principles from the military.

This is an excerpt from an instruction book for how to classify information - used within Swedish military and others:

"Våra försvarsförberedelser är i vissa fall svåra, i andra lätta, att dölja för omvärlden. Det är svårt att dölja våra resursers existens, något lättare att dölja resursernas egenskaper och tillstånd och lättast att dölja våra avsikter beträffande resursernas utnyttjande."
(RISK 1990 - Riktlinjer för sekretessbedömning inom försvarsmakten, M7745-705003)

The text says that it is hard to hide the existence of something. A bit easier to hide performance and status and easiest to hide the purpose or objective.

Presence, Performance, Purpose = 3P as guide for how to keep secret.

Example 1. It is hard to hide that your country develop a new bomber - B8. You can hide the fact in the early phase perhaps. When the "enemy" has discovered your bomber - you can still hide performance and status. How many bombs can it carry? What sort? What range can it operate within? But even those things will be known soon. So, now you can still hide its purpose or objective. How are you going to use the bomber? And what country will you attack first...

Example 2. You have a secret lover. Your husband will find out eventually. Denying the existence would then be silly. But performance and status, such as hair-color, sexual performance, how often you meet the lover can still be hidden. After a while even thse things will be known. But your last secret - purpose/objective - will be the hardest to figure out for your husband. Will you leave husband for lover? What is your plan with the lover? Will you get another lover?

If you want to keep something secret - consider the 3P - Presence, Performance and Purpose. Be prepared that the secret will be known by others in that order.

Do not struggle to much hiding its Presence. Hide the Performance instead. But most important - never give away Purpose!

Solving same problem multiple times...

2009-09-27T13:53:00.003+02:00

When you decide to solve a problem the method, tool and approach you select will take you on a journey towards the solution.

In the picture below the upper path (marked with "1") is the first time you solve the problem. When solving the problem you will learn things and get insights (e.g. Insight A in picture).

If you decide to use another method or tool or approach you might get the middle path (marekd with "2"). Another journey that could possibly lead to the same solution. But in the process you made new insights (Insight B).

Yet another go would be the lower path ("3"). And in that path you will again make new insights. But also possibly solve some other problem. And you might end up with another solution to the original problem. An alternative solution. A solution that might be better than the first you found (using path 1).

Problem solving is a journey. And the methods and tools you select will form the path. Each path could give you unique solutions, new insights and solutions to other problems.

The first solution and problem solving process will of course influence the following attempts. But the new method and tool selected will make the path different anyway. The methods and tools will force you onto a new path. Just like different transportatoin methods will change your real life journey - although destination might be the same.

Another good thing with using mutiple methods is that you gain experience. You learn what methods works best and how to use them. And you can compare and build a toolbox for when to use what...

And you can describe the solutions achieved using different perspectives. Maybe the audience prefer to learn that solution was gained using path 2. Even though you first solved the problem using path 1.

Solving the same problem multiple times can be very rewarding.

För eller mot?

2009-09-20T10:15:00.004+02:00

För några år sedan samlades hela byn för att demonstrera mot rasism och främlingsfientlighet. Många föräldrar och barn stod uppställda i mörkret. Facklor delades ut och leden formade sig.

När jag stod där i mörkret blev frestelsen för stor. Jag knackade damen framför på axeln och frågade:

"Jo, ursäkta, men vet ni om det här är fackeltåget FÖR eller MOT rasism?"

Damen snäste - precis som de gjorde i gamla pilsnerfilmer och flyttade sig snabbt några platser framåt i kön. Hon tyckte inte det var ett dugg kul. Jag däremot fnittrade hela vägen där vi gick med våra facklor i mörkret.

A short story and a few questions

2009-09-17T19:41:00.011+02:00

[Not sure about the details but on the news on the radio this morning there were some news about drugs, resistant bacteria and how to keep drug companies happy. It made me think... Check out http://www.southbeachinc.com/ for more information about the modelling language used and symbols]

Once upon a time there was a company producing drugs. They were good. They had a great research department. And even some money to spend on research, since they knew they would sell the drugs.

The owners were happy since they got their profit. And they continued to invest in research, find new medicine, sell and become richer and richer. Like this:

In the same country there were doctors and hospitals of course. When they found a disease they treated it. And if drug A helped - they would use it.
The drug A would counteract the disease A. Like this: (the special arrow is "counteract")

But, now a problem was seen. When treating the sick with the A-medicin resistant bacteria developed. Or suddenly appeared. The doctors were not sure how, but it was a fact that they now had to deal with disease B. And it seemed that it was the wide-spread use of drug A that "created" or "allowed" the resistant bacteria to enter the scene.

The drug A did not cure people with disease B. So, they really needed the drug company to come up with a new medicine.

The situation looked something like:

The drug company developed drug that doctors used. While using the drugs resistant bacteria appeared and new disease was born. And that triggered the need for new research. All this created another loop with diseases, resistant bacterias, need for new drugs. And so on.

Can you see any problems?

The most clever people in the country met and discussed. Here are some of the questions they were discussing:

- How do we limit usage of drug A in order to avoid disease B - while still helping people with disease A? Should we help now - or consider the future? Or both? How do we balance this situation?

- If we limit usage of drug A - How do we ensure that the company can do research and have happy owners? If they cannot sell drug A they cannot research new drugs.

- Should we by ethical means do everything we can to stop every new disease? Thus risking to create new resistant bacteria that we need another drug for. All in a spiraling effect...

And I actually think they they still are discussing these matters...

[If nothing of this makes sense, or is completely unrealistic, remember: its just a story :-)]

Life is a verb

2009-09-14T20:27:00.004+02:00

And Life is not only a verb. Life is full of verbs. Actually, it's just verbs all the way down.

Thanks, @pattidigh , for these insights.

(You can learn more about Life is a verb and meet Patti at 37DAYS)

Project myths

2009-09-12T11:30:00.003+02:00

Project management is not always easy.

But there are many things we complicate quite on our own. Based on project myths, methods, stereotypical thinking about projects etc.

Sad.

Because there are principles and basic thinking that makes project work more successful. Very fast! But, we really need to get back to basic thinking. Re-think a lot. Not complicated thinking - quite the opposite really.
And it is not snake oil, or fairy dust solving it all - but very basic thinking and insight what a project is - and how it can be successfully executed...

How to share this "wisdom"? How to get it out in the open to be shared, discussed, used and ignored. Blog about it? Write a book?

Hmmmm.... thinking.

Use a map to find'em all!

2009-09-06T20:36:00.010+02:00

Lets say we have two parties, X and Y, with two different solutions to a problem. The solutions also have negative side effects.

Here is a picture of the situation: (follow the link to left to a Southbeach Quickguide for more information about Southbeach modeller and how to interprete the model/images)

If we now consider how party Y might argue to gain followers or voters. They have lots of possibilities and can act on almost any of the items in the previous picture:

The blue boxes contains what the Party Y might say to win. And with Party Y perspective the various effects (arrows) now are of different "strengths".

It can be very beneficial to illustrate a situation with a map. And then consider what might happen to or how to act upon each item in the map. With the knowledge gained you can build a strategy and plan to execute. Or solve the problem you have.

And as you can see there are plenty of blue boxes that Party Y could use to form their strategy!

Use a map to find'em all!