The “red tape” danger

The problem with too much process and red tape is that it creates excuses for not getting problems solved: "Our processes dictates that I must do this", "I am not measured on doing that", "I cannot do anything about it, it's the rules", "We have a policy that…". Etcetera etcetera. Of course there needs to… Continue reading The “red tape” danger

A question of empathy

When you are a parent, your biggest anxieties are always related to your kids. You want them to be healthy, do well, grow and be liked by their surroundings, and when something is off it is just a killing feeling that truly and utterly hurts. The other day my eldest once again experienced a play… Continue reading A question of empathy

Feel the problem

When you're trying to solve a problem for someone, it helps a lot if you can empathize - even feel - the problem yourself. Because it's when you have a real sense of the problem, you release all those creative juices that allows you to not only look at the problem from different angles but… Continue reading Feel the problem

Put yourself on the other side

Years ago I worked at Microsoft in an international role. I had a lot of dealings with US colleagues, and one thing that always puzzled me was how resistant they were to change or doing something differently. That lasted until someone explained to me that in the US, the time is takes from a boss… Continue reading Put yourself on the other side

Ego eats impact

You either love life or you are afraid to die. That's how a Danish politician tried to frame the peoples response to Covid-19 on Twitter yesterday. Naturally, it is both a false, primitive and superficial way of putting it. I could just as well say that there are those that are full of themselves and… Continue reading Ego eats impact

Treasure the soft skills

When you're looking to solve a problem and improve something for someone, empathy matters. You need to be able to put yourself in the shoes of the customer, feel their pain and use the insight generated to fuel your product development efforts. When we fail to employ empathy and other soft skills like it, we… Continue reading Treasure the soft skills