Navigating big goals is often unpredictable, resembling the twists of a roller coaster. Expect challenges as success can feel like failure, prompting emotional turmoil in the workplace. Embracing confusion can lead to valuable learning moments. The discussion includes insights on evolving procedures and the importance of adaptability in changing environments. A new seminar is introduced, blending speculative fiction with critical thinking, encouraging participants to explore complex work dynamics creatively.
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Sean's Process Struggles
Tara McMullin shared how she explained process challenges to her husband Sean during tough times in their podcast agency.
Sean felt his procedures were a mess despite being objectively well-managed, illustrating the emotional toll of process complexity.
insights INSIGHT
Perception Drives Performance Drift
The mismatch between actual procedure performance and perceived failure leads to a drift to low performance.
Fearful perceptions often worsen the system more than actual issues do.
insights INSIGHT
Entropy Fuels Learning
Entropy, or disorder, is a natural and necessary part of learning and system evolution.
Confusion fosters adaptation, enabling new, better arrangements to emerge.
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This book introduces readers to systems thinking, a critical skill for 21st-century life. It explains how to understand and interact with complex systems, highlighting the importance of internal system structures and feedback loops. The book is divided into sections on system structures and behavior, the relationship between systems and humans, and strategies for creating change within systems. It aims to help readers develop a deeper understanding of systems to address global issues such as climate change, poverty, and social inequalities.
Small Arcs of Larger Circles
Small Arcs of Larger Circles
Nora Bateson
No matter how fastidious you are about creating and executing a plan, working toward any big goal will require adjustments. No matter how diligent you are about documentation and maintenance, any process will break down over time. The work we do is always changing—whether because of the people we work with, the market we operate in, or the cultural context our work is received in. Even when it seems like smooth sailing is just one standard operating procedure away, things will shift.
That can feel like failure, or at least like you're not doing quite as well as you should be. But really, it's an opportunity. You can embrace the confusion, the entropy, the breakdown... and learn.
Today, I've unlocked and revised an episode I put out in February 2024 for premium subscribers. If you like it, you'll love Summer Seminar, a 7-week program that combines speculative fiction with curiosity about our own lives and work. This year, we're reading Sofia Samatar's The Practice, The Horizon, and The Chain and venturing through 6 explorations of systems thinking. Learn more and register with choose-your-own pricing.
What Works 