Brain Hurt Scale - 2/10 - The first of a world-wide mini-series exposing true life stories behind the number 1 impediment to workplace success - politics.

Mike Harris is an accomplished former executive and consultant with deep personal skills in consulting, sales, marketing, operations and product.

He gives us three examples from a storied career. The first of which is 30mins about a successful turnaround at Phillips.

On the surface all three stories are about political conflict and resolution. But also cover common constraints you'll frequently encounter in the workplace: interdepartmental cooperation, incentive dynamics, culture, capability, alignment and executive communication.

But they're also just great examples of basic strategy hygiene: diagnosis, problem identification, objectives and action. A skill Mike says has been lost in the face of a few modern trends that are getting in the way. Even though his first story is from the 90's, the takeaways are perhaps even more relevant today than they've ever been.

So no matter what sized business or what position you're in, I'd be very surprised if you don't learn something very valuable by listening to this series of wisdom-laden episodes.

Especially if you want to know how to deal with people to get what you need done

Let the games begin!

I Knew What I Was Doing