
Trigger Strategy
We’re Tom and Corissa from Trigger Strategy Group. In each episode, we dig into strategy and sense-making while taking our baby for a walk.Our work is about embracing uncertainty and complexity, making sense of the world so we can act in it.We cover strategy, organisation design, facilitation, research and experimentation, peppering our chats with anecdotes, rants and occasional adorable babbling from the baby. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Latest episodes

Sep 13, 2024 • 21min
073: Brat summer for billionaires
All credit to friend of the pod Pete Shaw for the "Founder mode sounds like brat summer" observation.Founder Mode triggered a beefstorm on LinkedIn, so we take a little stroll around the topic and share our takes. 3 parts nuance, 2 parts spicy, 1 long run-on sentence where Tom gets lost and forgets what he was trying to say.Topics include alignment, coherence, intuition, taste and more.References:Paul Graham's Founder ModeOur article We need to talk about Airbnb Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Sep 10, 2024 • 29min
072: Granularity part 2 – Snowmobiling
Explore the chaos of excessive meetings and how a concept called 'snowmobiling' can rekindle creativity by remixing ideas. Discover the importance of granularity, breaking down tasks for innovative outputs. Learn to streamline meeting cultures and navigate misaligned objectives through flexible approaches. The podcast emphasizes storytelling and playful brainstorming as key to fostering collaboration. Unlock the potential of everyday concepts to enhance organizational efficiency and spur new ideas.

Aug 13, 2024 • 47min
071: Granularity part 1 – decomposing people via ASHEN
This discussion kicks off with clarifications on terminology to enhance understanding. The concept of granularity is explored, emphasizing the balance between broad ideas and detailed data. The ASHEN framework is introduced as a tool for breaking down roles and capabilities into actionable components. There's a dive into the nuances of team dynamics, especially the impact of losing key members. Personal anecdotes illustrate the differences between corporate environments and startups, highlighting the need for adaptability and effective feedback.

6 snips
Aug 10, 2024 • 54min
070: Lobster dinner with a toddler
In this engaging conversation, Tom, known for his insights in personal coaching and Estuarine Mapping, shares eye-opening experiences from his one-on-one coaching sessions. The discussion delves into how constraints can spark creativity, illustrating this with the humorous chaos of dining out with a toddler. They also tackle the complexities of communication and perspective-taking in business. Tom offers valuable insights on navigating personal and professional growth, emphasizing adaptability and self-reflection in challenging environments.

Aug 6, 2024 • 43min
069: The alignment problem (not the AI alignment problem)
The hosts introduce the quirky term 'bungus' while discussing alignment issues. They explore how misalignment can sometimes be beneficial in both teams and startups. Insights on the psychological effects of sunk cost bias and strategies for innovation are shared. The challenges of navigating emotions during product development and the slow process of market discovery highlight the complexity of fostering creativity. Personal anecdotes add depth to the conversation about aligning strategies with genuine market interests.

Aug 2, 2024 • 49min
068: Modest visions vs sci-fi visions
Corissa and Tom dive into the complexities of aligning visions within teams, tackling the challenges of operational and strategic misalignment. They discuss the nuances of post-COVID workplace visions and the balance between modest and sci-fi ambitions, using Tesla and SpaceX as examples. The pair reflects on how lofty goals need practical steps to motivate teams effectively. With a light-hearted nod to lunchtime and Douglas Adams, they emphasize the importance of clear, actionable strategies to engage talent and drive meaningful progress.

Jul 30, 2024 • 36min
067: Coping with "I'll know it when I see it"
The conversation delves into the challenges of navigating creative work without a clear brief, often leading to vague expectations. They discuss how people often can't articulate what they want until they see it, making feedback essential. The hosts explore innovative ways to manage ambiguity, emphasizing collaborative exercises to refine ideas. They also highlight the importance of fostering a supportive environment and embracing creative chaos, encouraging spontaneous approaches that break from traditional thinking.

Jul 26, 2024 • 57min
066: Feeling the edges of the Vision Chasm
Tom & Carissa delve into the challenges of aligning visions in organizations and the importance of balancing deliberate and emergent strategies. They highlight the complexities of managing multiple visions within a company to accommodate individual aspirations. The podcast also explores the evolution of the modern business landscape in a VUCA world.

Jul 23, 2024 • 12min
065: The inherent bigness of ideas
Exploring the growth of ideas, the conversation highlights how a simple concept can evolve, often straying from its original intent. The discussion emphasizes the importance of simplicity, demonstrating that restraint in design and creativity leads to clarity. A psychological perspective offers insight into why subtracting elements can better solve complex problems. The hosts also touch on the balance of length versus engagement in writing, stressing the significance of compelling ideas over sheer brevity. Ultimately, designing for intrinsic value rather than feature overload is underscored.

Jul 19, 2024 • 41min
064: Problems get replaced by better problems
Tom & Corissa talk about how understanding and tackling problems requires more than just a linear approach, like is often inferred through something like the Double Diamond. A bunch of metaphors, real world examples and other fun in this one. We also offer practical tips for engaging with solution-oriented colleagues and suggest some methods and recipes to see and solve more problems differently. Plus: a somewhat tortured supermarket metaphor.00:00 Welcome to Trigger Strategy Podcast00:11 Dental adventures00:31 Exploring problems and solutions02:09 The arrogance of designers02:54 The horse poo problem06:12 The Double Diamond design process13:32 The Iron Triangle and trade-offs14:37 Abductive logic and interconnected systems19:49 The over-reach of the Enlightenment20:13 The secret life of trees21:12 Complex vs. complicated problems22:33 Problem "validation"24:16 The supermarket metaphor28:34 Be more Cal Newport by putting solution recipes first? 33:25 What to do with solutionizing colleagues38:34 Wrapping up in utopia Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.