Shipulski On Design

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In business, we have vision statements, mission statements, strategic plans, strategic initiatives, and operating plans. And every day there are there are countless decisions to make. But, in the end, it all comes down to one thing – how we allocate our resources.  Whether it’s hiring people, training them, buying capital, or funding projects, all […]

As leaders of people, we have a responsibility to help people grow. One of the best ways to help them grow is to put them in a position to do so. But what does that look like? Here’s a process and some questions to help you quantify your efforts to help people grow. Choose one […]

If you believe you can’t do something, you can’t. If you try something and it doesn’t work, you might be able to pull it off next time. If you believe you’re not good enough, you’re not. If you try something and it doesn’t work, you’re still good enough. If you believe someone’s opinion of you […]

If you see something that matters, say something. If you say something and nothing happens, you have a choice – bring it up again, do something, or let it go. Bring it up again when you think your idea was not understood. And if it’s still not understood after the second try, bring it up […]

Fascination with the idealized future state isn’t ideal.  Before moving forward, define the current state of things. Improvement opportunities mean nothing unless they come from a deep understanding of the state of things as they are.  Define things as they are before settling on improvement opportunities. If you want to converge on a common understanding […]

We have growth targets, stretch goals, corporate initiatives, and improvement plans.  If we achieve all this but it comes at the expense of our health, what do we really have? When we have our health, we can forget we have it and take it for granted.  We forget we can easily get into our car […]

New ways to work are new because they have not been done before. How many new ways to work have you demonstrated over the last year? New customer value is new when it has not been shown before. What new customer value have you demonstrated over the last year? New ways to deliver customer value […]

When new ideas come from the outside, they are dismissed out of hand.  The technical term for this behavior is Not Invented Here (NIH).  Because it was not invented by the party with official responsibility, that party stomps it into dust.  But NIH doesn’t stomp in public; it stomps in mysterious ways. Wow!  That’s a […]

Show them how the work is done. Ask them what they saw. Praise them for what they recognized and describe what they didn’t. Repeat Explain how the work is done. You do work, and they watch.  Then switch places. Ask them what they felt and what questions they have. Praise them for their openness and […]

If you can’t imagine it, it’s impossible. But if you can imagine it, at worst it can only be almost impossible. Who controls your imagination? What you think about something affects you like it’s true, even when it isn’t. And what you think is true often isn’t. Are you responsible for what you think? If […]

When you notice someone having a difficult time, take the time to check in with them.  An in-person “Are you okay?” is probably the best way, but a phone call, text, or video chat will also do nicely. When you’re having a difficult time, when someone notices and checks in you feel a little better. […]