Why do people leave one company for another?  Why do people dedicate their lives to work or the pursuit of a life-long goal?  Motivation theory has evolved a long way since Maslow’s hierarchy of needs (see here).  In his book ‘Drive’ Daniel Pink argues that there are three drivers of motivation: Autonomy Mastery Purpose   Autonomy […]

Few books are required reading at McKinsey, the Pyramid Principle is one of the books that most people read during their time. Consulting and leadership are about convincing others to change.  While a leader often has positional authority, consultants do not.  McKinsey consultants found that Barbar’s framework helped them influence clients by building a well structured […]

“Learn to ski on piste before you ski off-piste” Army Ski Instructor   One of the biggest problems I face when teaching and coaching is that people often try to do too much too soon.  Without a mastery of the basics I find some of the following problems occur: Paralysis of decision-making.  When someone is […]

I try to read a book a week.  In 2017 I only managed to read 21, well short of my goal.  To be fair in 2017 I left McKinsey to put myself through a Coding Boot Camp and built a bank. Of the 21 books I did read, these are my top five: How Google […]

Customers are changing.  Brands and companies have repeatedly experienced shifts from consumption to participation.   Many products are now co-created with customers, be it choosing the fabric and colours on your next pair of trainers, or curating and sharing playlists on Spotify. Tim Brown in his book ‘Change by Design’ suggest that companies need to adapt by focusing […]