Ben shuffled his feet as he began to feel uncomfortable. This team huddle was becoming a bit much. There was a lot of shouting and listing of things the team needed to do. Ben could hear laughter behind him and he turned around to steal a quick glance at the other team training. They all … Continue reading Team spirit →

I think that one of the biggest reasons for not giving one’s opinion is: It might lead to confrontation. We don’t speak up because what if it offends someone and they want to argue with us. So then we just stay quiet or agree with the general consensus. And I think it doesn’t have to … Continue reading Silence to avoid confrontation →

I think rushed work is rarely good work. I think you do your best work when you’re relaxed. Don’t get me wrong I’m not saying don’t have deadlines, by all means have deadlines. They definitely help. But set a deadline that gives you ample time to think the project through. When you’re rushing to finish … Continue reading Rushed work →

I heard Steve Jobs said this once to his team of designers. And I have to sympathise with the designers. This has to be up there as one of the most unhelpful pieces of feedback. Because how does the design team find 'it'? They could break into Steve's head and rummage around but as he … Continue reading “I’ll know it when I see it!” →

James Bond and Jacob Palmer (Ryan Gosling in Crazy, Stupid Love) are two very similar characters. Similar in the sense that they both represent (nearly) every man’s dream. They are so charming they could have any woman they want. They are both devilishly handsome They have great fashion sense and clearly wear very expensive suits. … Continue reading James Bond v Jacob Palmer →

“That sentence is too casual. It’s not emotional enough” Now you have a direction. Be less casual and be more emotive. You don’t have that with a blank page. You can’t critique a blank page. As long as the page is blank you can’t go anywhere. As soon as it’s on the page, you can … Continue reading That pesky blank page →

I heard a story once of the English Rugby team going on a bonding session to an army base. Within this army base the staff set the rugby players challenges and targets to aim for. Nice and simple. Then midway through the activity, just when the rugby team was making some progress the army officials … Continue reading Moving goalposts →

When it comes to creative everyone will have a different opinion. What Terry likes is not necessarily what Amy likes. So if you’re looking to work productively the key question is... Who’s approval do we need to get this finished? Because that person’s opinion is the only one that really matters. It would be a … Continue reading Who’s approval →

Today I would like to talk about problem solving, specifically the benefits of two qualities. Persistence and other humans. Shying away from a problem because it requires a lot of effort never solves it. All you need is progress, slowly but surely applying more pressure until you crack that nut. With each night's sleep you … Continue reading Persistence & Others knowledge →

You've come to an impasse. They're asking for more commitment then you are prepared to give. Do you have the courage to take a stand? I say courage because taking a stand is uncomfortable, it runs the risk of confrontation, of offending and upsetting the status quo. So yeah, will you be brave? Will you … Continue reading Commitment Impasse →