Shipulski On Design

Search Results

There’s a lot of noise at work.  I’m not talking about the audible noise you hear in your office or the chatter of your coworkers. I’m talking about the noise purposefully created to slather a layer of importance to things that aren’t all that important. Corporate priorities are created at the company level to move […]

If you are anxious, you’re worried about what might happen. You’re living in the future.  If you are sad or angry, you’re reacting to what happened.  You’re living in the past.  Nothing can be accomplished when living in the past because the die is cast.  And nothing can be accomplished when living in the future […]

When you are asked a question and you don’t know the answer, what do you say?  What does that say about you? What happens to people in your organization who say “I don’t know.”? Are they lauded or laughed at? Are they promoted, overlooked, or demoted? How many people do you know that have said: […]

If you could get another good job at the drop of a hat, how would you work differently?  Would you speak your mind or bite your tongue? If you didn’t care about getting a promotion, would you succumb to groupthink or dissent? If your ego didn’t get in the way, would you stop following the […]

We get what we measure and, generally, we measure what’s easy to measure and not what will build a bridge to the right behavior. Timeframe. If we measure people on a daily pitch, we get behavior that is maximized over eight hours.  If a job will take nine hours, it won’t get done because the […]

100% agreement means there’s less than 100% truth.  If, as a senior leader, you know there are differing opinions left unsaid, what would you do? Would you chastise the untruthful who are afraid to speak their minds? Would you simply ignore what you know to be true and play Angry Birds on your phone? Would […]

We have an immense distaste for uncertainty. And, as a result, we create for ourselves a radical and unskillful overestimation of our ability to control things. Our distaste of uncertainty is really a manifestation of our fear of death. When we experience and acknowledge uncertainty, it’s an oblique reminder that we will die. And that’s […]

If it’s your problem, fix it. If it’s not your problem, let someone else fix it. If you fix someone else’s problem, you prevent the organization from fixing the root cause. If you see a problem, say something. If you see a problem, you have an obligation to do something, but not an obligation to […]

  Your truth is what you see.  Your truth is what you think.  Your truth is what feel.  Your truth is what you say. Your truth is what you do.   If you see something, say something. If no one wants to hear it, that’s on them.   If your truth differs from common believe, […]

Technical risk – Will it work? Market risk – Will they buy it? Emotional risk – Will people laugh at your crazy idea?   Technical risk – Test it in the lab. Market risk – Test it with the customer. Emotional risk – Try it with a friend.   Technical risk – Define the right […]

Why did you go to work today? Did your work bring you meaning? How do you feel about that? Your days are limited. What would it take to slather your work with meaning? Last week, did you make a difference? Did you make a ruckus? Would you rather strive for the next job, or would […]