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The Introverted Network Builder: An Offering to John Hagel

Buried in a blog post on the measuring your real net worth, John Hagel recently opened this invitation,

I would welcome advice and insight on how introverts (and others) can be more intentional about cultivating the kinds of personal networks that I’ve described above.

So, Mr. Hagel, and all you introverts who might share his question and challenge, here is what I have learned in my years studying and practicing networking as an introvert. Continue reading The Introverted Network Builder: An Offering to John Hagel

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Conceptual Frameworks and Mental Models: An Introduction

It seems that every sight, sound and idea we experience is processed through a conceptual framework in our mind.

As you read this, the shape, colors, and contrasting black squiggles on white are being converted, via frameworks you and I share, into images, words, sentences, and connected ideas in your mind.

Imagine how confusing life would be if we had to categorize, name and evaluate the ideas of the letter S,  smartphone, windows, tree, and sunlight afresh every time we encountered them?  It is no wonder to me that babies are awake so little when they are first born, free of frameworks; all that uncategorized input to process!

Continue reading Conceptual Frameworks and Mental Models: An Introduction
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Failure as the Death of the Illusion of Control

You’ve seen the t-shirt, “Pain is the feeling of weakness leaving your body.” Maybe the pain of failure is the feeling of being relieved of our illusions. But, where’s the gain in this pain?

The next time I find myself brooding over my failures, I will ask myself:

  • What failed exactly?
  • What assumptions was I making about the nature of the elements, the mechanisms and the processes I was working with?
  • Did I think I could control the outcomes based on that understanding?
  • What might I learn from the death of any illusions built into my assumptions?
Continue reading Failure as the Death of the Illusion of Control