This is an excerpt from an essay I'm working on to describe developing perspectives and practices for mapping an organizational ecosystem. I recently ran a workshop with Agitare, the Defense Entrepreneurs Forum, and the Federal Innovation Network to explore how we view, create, and use maps of our massive, interconnected community, and how co-created and inter-subjective approaches … Continue reading Mapping Organizational Ecosystems: Predetermined vs Relational Roles
Innovation, Design, and the Adjacent-Possible
This is a simple depiction of this concept called the adjacent-possible. I'm going to use this visualization to describe a few thoughts about innovation strategy and practices that I hope you will find useful. The concept of the adjacent possible originated from Stuart Kauffman, who used it to describe evolutionary potential in biology. For any … Continue reading Innovation, Design, and the Adjacent-Possible
Grief at One Year
One year ago today, we said goodbye to our daughter Rebecca. We had spent our lives in orbit around that little girl for 14 years. For 14 years she was the center of our universe...and then one day, after a long, slow, painful decline, after countless times over the years proving that she wouldn't go … Continue reading Grief at One Year
Please Use More Emojis/Reactions in Digital Spaces
This is your occasional reminder to use more emojis and reactions in your digital spaces. Mash that 'like' button. Give things a thumbs up or a "thinking face" if you're feeling grumpy. Like that tweet, even if you only kinda like it. You might be wondering why you should use emojis and reactions. Here is … Continue reading Please Use More Emojis/Reactions in Digital Spaces
Expertise as Limiting; Uncertainty as Enabling
There's a common manifestation of "The Expert" in every field--one who has allowed the weight of their accumulated knowledge and experience to drag them down into an unfortunate state of certainty. The Expert has gained so much confidence in their field and craft that they see themselves as qualified, empowered, and even obligated to make … Continue reading Expertise as Limiting; Uncertainty as Enabling
When people show you who they are… don’t believe them?
People really like to share that quote from Maya Angelou that goes "When someone shows you who they are, believe them the first time". I am an enormous fan of the poet Maya Angelou, but this quote has always bothered me, mostly because of how incompatible it appears to be with a growth mindset, and … Continue reading When people show you who they are… don’t believe them?
On Death, Celebration, and Seriousness
The first time I questioned my decision to join the Air Force was in basic training, but it wasn't while being smoked by some screamy, sadistic TI (Training Instructor), who were mostly cartoonish, amusing, and annoying. It was when they sat us down to watch a hype video of bombs being dropped and detonating on … Continue reading On Death, Celebration, and Seriousness
Why the Old Paradigms Don’t Work & Introduction to Cynefin (Video + Script)
https://youtu.be/ACkoVBnwaaw Script: For the next 20 minutes, I want to introduce you to a little bit of theory, and it might come across as somewhat abstract, maybe extremely abstract, but I have found some of these concepts extremely useful in understanding why the old paradigms and our default problem solving and sense-making methods often don't … Continue reading Why the Old Paradigms Don’t Work & Introduction to Cynefin (Video + Script)
A Few Steps Further
I was pleased to hear from my friend Austin that he felt inspired (or perhaps compelled is the right word) by a story I told recently, “Miles to Go Before We Sleep”, to write on the subject of diversity and inclusion in the Air Force and defense innovation community. His piece, “Path Before I Rest”, … Continue reading A Few Steps Further
The Path Before I Rest
I hope you will take the time to read and heed some of the insights shared by my friend Austin in this piece, which he shared with me as a response to a story I wrote about a white senior leader using his platform to silence the voice and experience of a Black Airman.Austin and I … Continue reading The Path Before I Rest
