Intent
Prepare capabilities to adjust mentally and systems to take meaningful action to flourish in an era of exponential change.
Feedback Loops
Shape Our Destiny
Sell Better Stories; Engineer Better Systems; Make Meaningful Progress
The greatest thing by far is to be a master of metaphor; it is the one thing that cannot be learnt from others; and it is also a sign of genius, since a good metaphor implies an intuitive perception of the similarity in the dissimilar - Aristotle
The meta of the matter is what matters most
Conviction
Business and People are the same, they both need a strong sense of purpose to believe in to sustain their existence. Stories are how we remind ourselves of their Identity and Purpose to focus attention and commit energy to the cause.
Progress starts with awareness there are opportunities to improve.
- Better stories inspire better practices
- Better practices develops better people.
- Better people make better decisions.
- Better decisions lead to a better world.
Everyone needs a to perfect their pitch, first for themselves and then to convince others to join the journey.
Practice selling your story with conviction
The Journey
Te Whare Tapa Whā, key areas we all must develop on the journey towards fulfilment.
- Whenua: Home
- Taha Whanau: Connections
- Mahi Me Te Tākaro: Work and Play
- Taha Tinana: Movement Health
- Taha Hinengaro: Mental Dexterity
- Taha Wairua: Culture => Soul
Through honest review of problems, practice selling better stories that provide direction and drive to improve.
You have more chance of reaching fulfilment if you can define what you value most
What Next? Dis-ease
The path to a fulfilling life involves a combination of inner work, clear vision, and consistent practice. By mastering our inner world, aligning actions with our story, and cultivating a resilient mindset, we can navigate the "What next?" question with greater ease and clarity of intent.
- Vicious vs Virtuous Circles
- Envisioning the Endgame
- Sell Better Stories
Vicious vs Virtuous Circles
Our lives are shaped by the cycles we create for ourselves. Vicious cycles are fuelled by uncertainty and doubt, leading to feelings of dis-ease and unfulfilled potential. On the other hand, virtuous cycles are driven by clarity, commitment, and purposeful action towards our goals.
To break free from vicious cycles and cultivate virtuous ones, we must establish systems, rituals, and procedures that keep us on track. These practices help us avoid the traps of endless rumination and indecision, allowing us to make meaningful progress.
Envisioning the Endgame
Investing time and energy in building a clear picture of our desired endgame is crucial. When we have a compelling vision of where we want to be, we can more easily summon the belief and courage needed to take the critical leap of faith.
Dis-ease and anxiety often stem from an inability to fully commit our attention and efforts to a plan of action. By crafting a roadmap towards our goals, we can alleviate this uncertainty and channel our energy into purposeful progress.
Sell Better Stories
Selling better stories to ourselves is a powerful way to build belief and create paths towards the outcomes we truly value. When we frame our journey in a positive, empowering light, we are more likely to invest our time and energy wisely.
By replacing FUD (Fear, Uncertainty, Doubt) with BAR (Belief, Adaptability, Resilience), we can cultivate a mindset that propels us forward, even in the face of challenges.
Positive Practice
Practice with Purpose to replace Fear Uncertainty and Doubt with Belief Adaptability and Resilience.
- Build Good Habits
- Build Connections
- Build Expertise
- Build Confidence
- Build Goodwill
- Build Belief
Every positive habit needs to be practised twice, first in the mind and then in reality. It is much easier to embody better practices within environments that develop social glue.
- Establish systems and rituals to break free from vicious cycles and cultivate virtuous ones.
- Envision your desired endgame to provide clarity and motivation to take meaningful action.
- Selling better stories to ourselves builds self belief and helps to find allies with like minds.
- Replacing FUD with BAR fosters an optimistic, resilient, growth-oriented mindset.
Learn to Build, Learn to Sell
Systems Engineering
Use First Principles thinking to Engineer Systems that maximize potential to provide value with no negative side-effects.
- Value System: Moral compass that guides decisions and actions.
- Belief System: Capability to see the future and your part in it. Intuition and Mental Rehearsal.
- Control System: Knowing which levers to adjust to alter direction and velocity. Positioning and Distribution.
Evolve systems through evolutionary bets to realise step improvements that test leaps of faith.
Focus on interactions where people make real world connections to solve real world problems.
Value System
What things are valuable?
- What do you value most and why?
- How do you qualify and quantify value?
- How do you create and distribute value?
Thoughts:
- Be of service
- Trust
- Humour
- Security
- Agency
- Freedom
Belief System
What next?
- How does the world work? and how is that changing?
- Potential, what are your strongest capabilities?
- Positioning, what can you do to influence positive outcomes?
Thoughts:
- The purpose of software is to free people up to focus on making more important decisions.
- Every decision is an investment in the future.
- Systems Engineering wins in the end
Future forecast:
- Technology always wins, and is developing at an exponential rate.
- AI and Blockchain technologies will have a massive impact on every business model and industry.
- Many people will soon have their mental models upended by AI
Control System
It is much easier to talk a good game than it is to live it. Engineer Platforms to evolve Protocols that promote Teamwork to align actions with spoken intentions to build trust and eliminate dis-ease.
- What are the rules of the game?
- How do you adapt to change?
- How do you maximize leverage?
Thoughts:
- Systemize learnings from mistakes and successes
Market Forces
Understand forces (Push, Pull and Glue) that influence markets to position yourself for success.
- Problems and Fears: Trigger action
- Strengths and Desire: Build belief and provide direction
- Obstacles and Challenges: Require agile teamwork of complimentary talents
- Leap of Faith: Test of trust under pressure
Fear will drive a person into action, desire sets the direction, problems dictate the critical path, social glue is the true reward.
Experience
I have used systems thinking across engineering design, manufacturing, project management, and software development to link inputs to valuable outputs by focusing on performance metrics that focus attention on the critical path to success of aligning strategy with operations.
- ISO-9001 Engineering
- Manufacturing
- Factory Construction
- Telcos Margin Optimisation
- Blockchain Game Development
- Health Practice Operations
- Business Development for Growth
I learned the value of standardized engineering protocols and disciplined documentation while working on the biggest dairy factory in the world in a pressured environment to deliver on time or face an ecological, financial and reputational disaster.
Engineering is discipline.
Contact
I want to build a network of people to work with that have, vision and purpose, dedication to the truth, depth of character, and most importantly can maintain a sense of humour when the going gets tough.
The value of writing is the process of thinking