Trigger Strategy is now Tentacles

Hands up, who else loves a spot of brand-flavoured navel-gazing? Two years ago we picked the company name Trigger Strategy Group in a last-minute scramble for our first client project. The name has, shall we say, one or two issues. (On the upside, it was a perfect example of Hard Test Easy Life: if you can make something work despite its flaws, you know you might be onto something.) But it was about time we gave things some proper thought.How naming a company in 20 minutes can haunt you for 2 yearsThe surprising violence baked into “trigger strategy” (thanks, game theory)The difference between command, control, and cephalopodsWhat bees, psychiatric hospitals, and chatGPT have in commonIn short, our company is now called Crown & Reach, and our podcast is called Tentacles.Why? To find out, you'll have to listen...References:Hard Test Easy Life https://triggerstrategy.substack.com/p/stop-polishing-turd-products-withInnovation Tactics Pip Deck https://pipdecks.com/products/innovation-tacticsDave Kang's Octopus Life https://davekang.substack.com/Taylorism - Frederick Taylor’s scientific management model Coherent Heterogeneity, a concept from complexity thinking https://cynefin.io/wiki/Common_fallaciesChildren of Time by Adrian TchaikovskyOther Minds by Peter Godfrey-SmithCrown & Reach Website https://crownandreach.com/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In which we sit in the garden, roast gently in the sun, and talk about cognitive biases, Panglossian optimism, Russian roulette, snakes on planes, and why most design is... fine actually. A very one-take kind of episode. Leaf-in-coffee energy throughout.Confirmation bias affects individuals. But if you want to harm an entire organisation, you need validation.You can be right, they can be right, or (more likely) you’re both missing something and a third way exists.Heuristics are usually good. It’s when you step into a new context that they betray you.Change start with acceptance. Weirdly, that’s when things can shift.Almost everything on our shelves is poorly designed in some way ... and yet it’s still there.Links, Ideas, and People ReferencedGary Klein – firefighter heuristic/pattern recognition story – more at https://youtu.be/QKpMLYwLRR4?si=8ie9txFbL__Q88gIDaniel Kahneman – cognitive biases, focusing illusionNora Bateson – snake instinct, context-specific intuition XKCD’s "10,000" Comic – https://xkcd.com/1053/Taylor Pearson on Ergodicity – https://taylorpearson.me/ergodicity/Prisoner's Dilemma – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prisoner%27s_dilemmaCandide by Voltaire – Dr. Pangloss and "all for the best" satireGary’s Economics (YouTube) – https://www.youtube.com/@garyseconomicsOliver Burkeman – stress, lateness, perspective10–10–10 Rule – “Will I care in 10 minutes, 10 months, 10 years?” Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

You were hired to fix it. You did! Customers are happier. The company made millions. Your reward? They shut it all down.We sit on a garden bench and talk about those times when you feel like you're being punished for doing your job well.It turns out you can't mostly change a narrative with data. Your choices are power, influence, or acceptance.We share real stories, reflect on past mistakes, and explore safer (?) ways to inspire change when truth-telling gets you sidelined. Along the way: multiverse mapping, toddler psychology, and why the best performing landing pages often don't stay live.Books & Articles:Stealing the Corner Office by Brendan ReidPower: Why Some People Have It—and Others Don’t by Jeffrey PfefferWhy Design is Hard by Scott BerkunWhy Your Org Doesn’t Want Optimization to Succeed by Andrew AndersonHow to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale CarnegieRamit Sethi’s framing: “If someone is succeeding doing something that looks stupid… what do they know that I don’t?”Frameworks & Tools:“Show the thing to change the thing” – concept from John WillshireWardley MappingMultiverse Mapping (Trigger Strategy Substack)Play the hand you're dealt – "Don't start with what you want people to do. Start with what people want to do." – Dave TrottCharacter References:Wormtongue and Gandalf (Lord of the Rings) – models of influence Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

While sipping homegrown bay leaf tea, we explore how road signs, surprises, and deliberate confusion can unlock better thinking.From missing signs under railway bridges to the tangled journey of Google Glass, we trace how aporia — the ancient art of being productively confused — can help you build faster, align better, and see the hidden struggles that are gonna derail your projects.Why some signs should disappear to make things flow betterHow "productive confusion" can trigger better decision makingWhat Google Glass, magic roundabouts, and fast food kitchens have in commonHow to rapid prototype a billion-dollar product... with clay and wireThe curse of "pseudolignment" and how to catch it before it wrecks your teamThe Align-o-matic: an emerging tool to help you spot hidden assumptions earlyLinky goodness:Magic Roundabout (Swindon, UK): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magic_Roundabout_(Swindon)"A symphony of efficiency, not a waste of motion" from The Founder: https://youtu.be/F-7cjdtrQ9Y?si=3eyzPlVq71Ws-R8oTom Chi rapid prototyping: https://youtu.be/d5_h1VuwD6g?si=h29WjP8xvX3vxPakRory Sutherland on defensive decision-making: https://fs.blog/defensive-decision-making/Zeigarnik Effect: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zeigarnik_effectWe may have confused Zeigarnik with Ovsiankina: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ovsiankina_effectInnovation Tactics cards we mentioned:Language Market Fit: front | backSolve for Distribution: front | backHard Test Easy Life: front | backTime Machine: front | backGet your copy of Innovation Tactics: https://pipdecks.com/products/innovation-tactics Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Dive into the intriguing world of emergence and its opposites, where the hosts explore complex strategies in business. They dissect philosophical ideas, contrasting ancient and modern views on complexity. The discussion highlights the pitfalls of oversimplifying problems and the limitations of traditional A/B testing. Learn how embracing complexity can enhance conversion strategies and why unconventional choices in design matter. This conversation is a rich blend of insights aimed at boosting your understanding of effective strategies.

Reaching the 100th milestone, the hosts reflect on their podcasting journey with humor and insight. They discuss the value of focusing on the creative process over the end goal, sharing personal anecdotes that highlight authenticity. Teamwork is celebrated as a key driver of quality content creation, illustrating how collaboration fosters unexpected results. They also tackle the complexities of language and the pitfalls of the word 'should,' encouraging deeper self-awareness in communication. Listeners are invited to engage as they celebrate this significant achievement.

We talk about signals. Specifically, how can you settle on success signals when your wider context is always changing? We talk about a small example: setting Pivot Triggers for our Multiverse Mapping course, while our context is always changing in terms of overall cashflow. When the runway is tight, we wish the course would hurry up and sell more, but how do we avoid over-reacting or putting all our eggs in one basket?We map that onto what happens in organisations when they need a new value stream to spool up quickly, how they can set unrealistic expectations, and how you can use something like Multiverse Mapping to figure out what's reasonable, and something like Pivot Triggers to help avoid sunk cost bias without having to be "the negative one".Linky goodness:J P Castlin's Strategy in PraxisGary's Economics – interview with Krishnan Guru MurthyIntro to Multiverse MappingMaster Multiverse MappingNotes on Chasm Crossing – a "better" version of the S-curve, because it shows the dip you'll feel in the early part of the curveSignals > Stories > OptionsEpisode 095: Enshittification Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Procrastination can be a startup's silent assassin. The hosts tackle mental blindspots, sharing their own humorous experiences and insights. They introduce a time machine exercise to visualize failure and discuss the emotional hurdles founders face in engaging with their audience. The balance between market demands and personal authenticity is explored through dance teaching anecdotes. Ultimately, they emphasize the crucial need for early market conversations to prevent stagnation and foster personal and organizational growth.

A lovely, meandering conversation about the nature of success, the binds we often put ourselves in and more.Along the way, we touch on maverick musicians, maddening constraints, and McDonald's coffee.Linky Goodness:Henrik Karlsson's note: https://substack.com/@henrikkarlsson/note/c-95418840My note on his note: https://substack.com/profile/2368401-tom-kerwin/note/c-95543621Paul Millerd's Pathless Path: https://newsletter.pathlesspath.comNotes on an introduction to Christopher Alexander: https://www.edovanroyen.com/p/notes-of-ryan-singers-introduction-to-christopher-alexander Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Explore the intriguing differences between multiverse and estuarine mapping as the hosts answer a listener's burning question. Delve into how individual perspectives shape organizational success and the role of storytelling in sharing insights. Discover the contrasting methodologies of these mapping techniques and their impact on strategic planning, risk management, and innovation. The conversation emphasizes personalized narratives for effective communication, alongside the importance of diverse user experiences in technology design. This insightful discussion is a treasure trove for those interested in modern mapping strategies.