I am a huge fan of the Rocky movie franchise. Stallone really nails the hero’s journey through battle, failure and redemption. The Disorganizer in me feels his pain, and the sweetly melancholic victory. By Rocky VI, the protagonist may have … Continue reading Dis!Organize Ep. 61: Rocky Balboa.

In the social age we have multiple, divergent and emergent narratives, we have billions of data points, facts, and opinions to sift through. In order to make sense of it all and determine the pathway forward, we need to ask difficult questions … Continue reading Dis!Organize Ep. 60: Cultivate Curiosity.

Over the last decade I have been working in the personal branding space. My interest is in trying to move beyond the job description in activating my skills and those of my colleagues.  Calling myself a disorganizer is about saying … Continue reading Dis!Organize Ep. 59: Self-Evident.

The designer Bruce Mau shared his Incomplete Manifesto for Growth 20 years ago.  It is a work that every disorganizer needs. My favourite proclamation therein: Begin Anywhere. OK then, I will. The most exciting outcome of social media and so-called social … Continue reading Dis!Organize Ep. 58: Everyone, Anytime, Everywhere, Anything.

I was reading Scott Anthony’s Little Book of Innovation. He defines innovation as: something different that has impact. Sounds like a disorganizer’s credo… One of his ideas that really resonated with me was about working backwards: “Start with an answer and … Continue reading Dis!Organize Ep. 57: Work Backwards.

I used to walk past a window display that had a beautifully calligraphed message for the world:  All of my good ideas are battles… I think about that sign often. Not much that I do or achieve comes easily. There is a … Continue reading Dis!Organize Ep. 56: The Battle Is Everything.

R-E-S-P-E-C-T. Find out what it means to me… Ah, Aretha. I feel ya. When she’s singing, “All I’m askin’ Is for a little respect (just a little bit)…” I’m thinking, “OK, how to go about getting some?” By definition, a … Continue reading Dis!Organize Ep. 55: R.E.S.P.E.C.T.

Please excuse the white male privilege in my workplace experience, but here goes… Have fun at work. If your focus is on the pain and not the gain, the politics and not the breakthroughs, then you can end up self-actualizing … Continue reading Dis!Organize Ep. 54: Have Fun.

Breakthroughs usually require some bravery. The entrepreneur “upsets and disorganizes”, in the words of Peter Drucker.  How does the intrapreneur break through? Usually by using their wits and thinking outside the box. Imagine you have “10 IDEAS TO CHANGE THE COMPANY.” Some experiments … Continue reading Dis!Organize Ep. 53: Ask The C-Suite For Coffee.

There is a simple graph that best describes the experience of trying to make a bigger difference inside an organization. On the X axis, your desk. On the Y axis, your head. The graph shows an elegant, consistent motion between … Continue reading Dis!Organize Ep. 52: It Might Get Ugly.

“Disruption” can be a trope, a cliche.  Its overuse makes it empty of meaning. Be careful with your language, of how to describe your skills, your value add.  Look around and find that definition or title. Experiment with it, start by using … Continue reading Dis!Organize Ep. 51: Engineer, Don’t Disrupt.