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  • SenseMaking from the Web

    3 science-backed ways to train your brain to have a growth mindset Posted on November 11. There’s a key link between helplessness and mastery, it’s worth figuring out. A growth mindset is the belief that a trait (like intelligence or resilience) is malleable and can be developed through hard work, good strategies, and the ability…

  • Cutting bureaucracy – 5 ways to sharpen your scissors

    I’ve been on the case for cutting bureaucracy before in relation to my profession, customer success. Beyond that, there are so many good reasons for doing it. It’s the bane of modern life and often the preserve of large, monolithic organisations. But no one is immune and especially in an already chaotic and complex world,…

  • Stop waiting for the permission bus

    I’ve made it analogous to waiting for a bus, this whole topic of permission, and how it pertains to work. What I mean is I often see teams or individuals waiting for permission before they take any action. Sometimes they know who they seek permission from, often not – they are just waiting for someone…

  • Microsoft 365 customer questions – Viva Amplify boosting internal comms

    I have written about Microsoft Viva before, in relation to an employee experience trend report I am working on as well as in answer to other customer questions on the multiple Viva modules being rolled out. As that roll out continues, I continue to address the new opportunities and questions that arise. Past posts below…

  • SenseMaking from the Web

    The missing apex of Maslow’s hierarchy could save us all Posted on October 28. In his later years, psychologist Abraham Maslow added a new apex to the pyramid of human needs: self-transcendence. It’s Time to Rethink the Employee Experience Posted on October 28. The research found that 96% of survey respondents consider recruiting CX employees…

  • Features that delight – delayed receipt and sending of messages

    I love some of the options we are given to skip receiving something or delay sending something. The benefits are many, chief amongst them that you have the time to address the message properly at a later stage. This works in both instances, i.e. you snooze the message to a time when you can address…

  • SenseMaking from the Web

    Growth hacking is really just growth testing Posted on October 10. Who knew that “growth hacking,” a term coined in 2010 by Sean Ellis, the first marketer at Dropbox, would become so commonplace in 2022? Considering the fact that growth marketing wasn’t even a formal function at startups 12 years ago, I think it’s okay…

  • Why do we work if not for meaning

    This is a gloss on an Annie Dillard piece when she was writing about writing. I read her classic book called The Writing Life not too long ago and this excerpt stuck with me. I thought it could easily apply to many things but especially work. If you want to find the original piece, go…

  • SenseMaking from the Web

    3 simple tricks for driving change in your workplace, no matter your role Posted on October 7. The authors of ‘Hack Your Bureaucracy’ explain a central misunderstanding about getting things done: change happens just because the person in charge declares it should. In our experience, too many people think that the president—or your CEO, organization…

  • Launching a business in a recession – 4 of 4 – Selling

    This is a post in a series of four detailing how you can start a business during a recession (find them all eventually under the startup innovation tag). I think it is a commonly held view that we are about to enter into or are already in a recession. For whatever reason you are thinking…

  • Unlocking Potential

    I’d like to think this is one of my superhero skills. Maybe it’s because of the mentoring work I do. I am often trying to figure out, with the individuals in the company’s I mentor, or simply the individuals I meet, how to unlock their potential. A lot of the time they are young people,…

  • The Business Impact of Employee Experience on Customer Experience

    I am working on a new trend report covering this topic in part and this is based on the work I do (disclosure) – more on the report here: Employee Customer Experience Connection. One of the primary assumptions I’m exploring for the report is that effectively driving a positive employee experience has interrelated benefits on…

  • SenseMaking from the Web

    Empower and energize employees with Microsoft Viva | Microsoft 365 Blog Posted on September 23. Work trend index pulse report When employees thrive, companies flourish. Microsoft Viva, the first integrated employee experience platform for the … Looking at 320 pitch decks, here’s what science tells us works best Posted on September 23. Investors are spending…

  • Microsoft Viva keeps growing – roundup of latest announcements

    I have some new announcements to share on this subject, or should I say Microsoft has (disclosure) and the full details are captured in this blog post: Empower and energize employees with Microsoft Viva | Microsoft 365 Blog. In this post I just wanted to capture a few things I think are particularly noteworthy, especially…