You are not in control
I am working with a client company on writing a book. They have come up with a fascinating concept, combining system thinking, biology, AI, execution, silo busting, culture, collective leadership with a toolset to help CEOs manage their business much more effectively.
The beast
Managing the ghost in the machine, the beast, the fourth dimension, the worm, the parasite, the WTF!?, the unintended consequences, the lack of full overview, dealing with the symptoms instead of tackling the root cause.
Illusion
Tackling the illusion of accuracy and control. How you can improve efficiency by 30% in a heartbeat. How 50% of what you are doing is a waste of time. How you completely misunderstand cause and effect. How to apply the efficiency of industrial organisations and their management techniques to the service industry. How to understand your real cost structure by applying activity-based costing. How to measure how much of your expertise you actually apply productively. To really understand metrics.
Changed perspective
I just finished the first of two days in Haarlem (the plan is to do another three times two days in other nice locations). It has completely changed my perspective on how organisations operate. A master class. Making system-thinking exciting for the first time. In preparation, I read a few books on system thinking, and it is mind-numbingly dull. This book won’t be.
Other books
A combination of “Principles”, “Work Clean”, “The algorithmic leader”, “Black box thinking” and “Breaking bad habits’. Maybe even “The day after tomorrow” and “Zone to win”, but in a very different way. A little of “The Navy Seal art of War”.
40 things
Understanding the difference between the activities in the engine room and the adaptive layer of the organisation. The end of command and control. The importance of shared values, mission and vision. Underpinned by standardisation. There is no need to do one thing in 400 different ways (that is a real story). You only need to do about 40 things right.
Collective responsibility
What I think is most exciting is the way their toolbox will help the CEO to get the organisation to collectively worry about the same things that he or she is worried about. With deep customer insight as the main driver of the organisation. Making the system work for you. Where nothing is endemic. According to the authors, that is just another word for management abdication.
Writing
If you are interested in this topic, drop me a line. Love to hear from you. If you want to know more about the book writing service, you can go to https://bookin8days.nl/
