Author Archives: Dr Ken Hudson

How to think and work smarter

We have all been told to work smarter not harder. But how do you actually do this? I suspect the starting point is to step back and ask yourself and/or your team a number of questions. The first one is: What is a smarter way to do this? Then work your way through a number of ‘how to’ type questions: Could we for example: – Stop this activity all together? - Can we delegate it? - Have we asked the users (recently) if they still want it? - Can we use technology to help us ... Read more

How you can achieve big goals

We all have big goals. Our group and team also have collective big goals. For example — it could be to reach a certain stage on our career by a certain age or to earn a certain income or develop a better work – life balance. Or it could be to lose weight or run an event on a certain date. It doesn’t matter what the goal is. We sometimes also have big ideas and maybe were guided by an even bigger vision. But the challenge is to make these a reality. One way is to break down ... Read more

What is a small wins mindset?

We all like the big idea or a bold dramatic action. Or the big decision or speech. These are often amazing to experience. But they are infrequent and often limited to a few leaders. There is another path to long-term, systematic and sustainable success. It’s called small wins. But it needs a shift in mindset. Fortunately a small wins mindset can be learned and developed. A small wins mindset believes: – It is better to make a start than continue to plan or over-think. In short ... Read more

Is disruptive innovation the only game in town?

I was recently invited to attend a conference on creativity and innovation. I applaud the people behind this conference because we need more not less innovation. But the opening spiel troubled me. I quote from their web site: Innovate or die? Disrupt yourself or pay the price! The challenge of this century is to transform our organisations to adapt flexibly and rapidly to the ever-changing and volatile environments we face. Giant disruption always heralds huge opportunities. To be sure, ... Read more

The 1 question all future leaders should ask themselves – every day

I play golf once a week (also go to the driving range). Nothing surprising about this really. But…………. After every game I go to a cafe and whilst waiting for my scrambled eggs I reflect on my game. I ask myself: What shots could I have played differently today? You see, I still want to improve! When I worked in corporate life I did something similar. At the end of the day when I was travelling home I would ask myself, What could I have done differently today? Perhaps I missed a chance to ... Read more

How a small change in my business card made a big difference

I still have business cards. I know some people have moved on but I still find them useful and in some cultures (e.g. China) essential. A few years ago I changed my title on my card. I became a CIO. Chief Idea Officer. It is amazing to me how many people comment on my title. It stops people and engages them. It even brings a smile to their face. It’s a small change that has a big impact. The new title implies new, different, originality and a slight dose of fun and irreverence. All ... Read more

8 ways to overcome a fear of failure

No-one really wants to fail*. But the fear of failure can be paralysing. Here are 8 practical ways to overcome this fear. 1. Separate the failure from the person Part of the problem with failure is the personal stigma. If you fail, you worry that you will be branded a ‘failure’. Yet this is certainly not the case. Most entrepreneurs, for example, (in the US anyway) view a failed business venture as a badge of honour. Separating failure as an activity from the person might encourage ... Read more

A key innovative behavior – bouncing

One of the most important innovative behaviours is what I call ‘bouncing.’ It’s when one person has an idea and they bounce it off another person. The concept of bouncing has a long history in creative collaboration. For example: “We’d sit down and say, ‘OK, what are we going to do?’ and we’d just start off strumming and one or the other of us would kick off some kind of idea and then we’d just develop it and bounce off each other.” – Paul McCartney on his ... Read more

Design Thinking vs Small Wins Process

Design Thinking is a very powerful process. It has been made famous by the Stanford Design School and organisations such as Ideo. According to some writers the Design Thinking Process consists of 5 steps: – Empathise - Define - Ideate - Prototype and - Test The small wins process also has 5 steps after a challenge has been defined (i.e. a problem, opportunity, issue etc). – Create - Test - Measure - Learn and - Share As you can see there are many similarities: – both ... Read more

How can you be an amazing leader – everyday?

I worked with a leadership group today of a major financial institution. In my workshop I asked the group: How can you be an amazing leader – everyday? The emphasis was on the everyday. Because leadership in an organisation is often more about the everyday type rather than the big dramatic gesture. We did a Blitz and the 9 most common responses were: 1. Smile 2. Be fully present in any meeting. 3. Actively listen 4. Give immediate feedback. 5. Be energetic. 6. Conduct a quick scrum at ... Read more