Shipulski On Design

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Nothing happens until the pain caused by a problem is greater than the pain of keeping things as they are. Problems aren’t bad for business.  What’s bad for business is failing to acknowledge them. The consternation that comes from the newly-acknowledged problem is the seed from which the solution grows. There can be no solution […]

If you know the right answer, you’re working on an old problem or you’re misapplying your experience. If you are 100% sure how things will turn out, let someone else do it. If there’s no uncertainty, there can be no learning. If there’s no learning, your upstart competitors are gaining on you. If you don’t […]

One of the best problems to solve for your customers is the problem they don’t know they have.  If you can pull it off, you will create an entirely new value proposition for them and enable them to do things they cannot do today. But the problem is they can’t ask you to solve it […]

Put together things that contradict yet make a wonderfully mismatched pair. Say things that contradict common misunderstandings. See the dark and dirty underside of things. Be more patient with people. Stomp on success. Dissent. Tell the truth even when it’s bad for your career. See what wasn’t but should have been. Violate first principles. Protect […]

Praise happens when you tell someone they did something wonderful.  Praise is virtually free and almost the most powerful force in the universe. When you tell someone what they did was amazing, they stand three inches taller.  Right in front of you, they get taller.  They grow. They expand. Don’t believe me?  Try it.  And […]

When you want new thinking or rapid progress, create a small team. When you have a small team, they manage the handoffs on their own and help each other. Small teams hold themselves accountable. With small teams, one member’s problem becomes everyone’s problem in record time. Small teams can’t work on more than one project […]

People don’t leave a company because they feel appreciated. People don’t leave a company because they feel part of something bigger than themselves. People don’t leave a company because they see a huge financial upside if they stay. People don’t leave a company because they are treated with kindness and respect. People don’t leave a […]

When the team can get things done without the leader, that’s the sign of a good leader. If the organization bypasses the leader and goes directly to the subject matter experts, that’s because the leader trusts the subject matter experts. When subject matter experts are trusted, they do amazing work.  Good leaders know that. When […]

Good coaches listen to you.  They don’t judge, they just listen. Good coaches continually study the game.  They do it in private, but they study. Good coaches tell you that you can do better, and that, too, they do in private. Good coaches pick you up off the floor. They know that getting knocked over […]

Continuous Improvement – Do what you did last time, just three percent better, so none of your people can try new things. Discontinuous Improvement – Make a radical step-change in performance at the expense of continuously improving it.   Continuous Improvement – Do what you did last time so you can say “no” to projects […]

If you want to grow leaders, meet with them daily. If you want to grow leaders, demand that they disagree with you. If you want to grow leaders, help them with all facets of their lives. If you want to grow leaders, there is no failure, there is only learning. If you want to grow […]