Organization

Professional Skills
Professional Skills Jonathan Poland

Professional skills are a combination of talents, abilities, knowledge, and character traits that are necessary for a person to be successful in their career. These skills can be acquired through education, training, and experience, and they are essential for achieving success in a given profession. Some examples of professional skills include communication, problem-solving, teamwork, leadership, and time management. These skills are valuable to employers and can help individuals advance in their careers. The following are examples of professional skills.

Hard Skills

Hard skills are specific, technical abilities that are easily quantifiable and can be learned through education or training. These skills are typically associated with a particular profession or industry, and they are necessary for performing specific tasks or duties. Examples of hard skills include proficiency in a foreign language, expertise in a particular software program, or the ability to perform complex mathematical calculations. Hard skills are often contrasted with soft skills, which are more general, interpersonal abilities that are difficult to measure and develop over time.

Accounting Administration
Analytics Asset Management
Benchmarking Budgets
Business Analysis Business Cases
Business Development Business Planning
Change Management Closing Sales
Coding Customer Service
Data Analysis Data Science
Design Digital Marketing
Entrepreneurship Feasibility Analysis
Financial Management Forecasting
Gap Analysis Industry Knowledge
Information Security Internal Controls
Knowledge Management Language Proficiency
Logistics Market Research
Marketing Marketing Automation
Mathematics Media Skills
Metrics & Reporting Operations
Operations Management Performance Management
Process Improvement Project Management
Public Relations Quality Assurance
Quality Control Recruiting
Requirements Gathering Risk Management
Stakeholder Management Statistics
Strategic Planning Teaching & Training
Team Building Team Management
Technical Skills Technology Analysis
Technology Operations

Soft Skills

Soft skills are personal qualities, attitudes, and behaviors that are essential for success in the workplace. Unlike hard skills, which are specific, technical abilities that can be learned through education or training, soft skills are more general and difficult to measure. Examples of soft skills include communication, problem-solving, critical thinking, collaboration, and time management. These skills are valuable to employers because they can help employees adapt to a wide range of roles and tasks, and they can increase productivity and efficiency in the workplace. While it is easy to list soft skills on a resume, it is often difficult to prove that you possess these skills during an interview. However, if you can demonstrate your soft skills effectively, this can greatly improve your chances of getting hired.

Attention to Detail Business Acumen
Candor Coaching & Mentoring
Collaboration Consensus Building
Constructive Criticism Creativity
Decision Making Diligence
Emotional Intelligence Feedback
Flexibility Friendliness
Handling Criticism Influencing
Leadership Managing Expectations
Negotiation Openness
Organizational Skills Personal Resilience
Planning Prioritization
Problem Solving Professionalism
Public Speaking Relationship Building
Scheduling Self-Direction
Setting Expectations Storytelling
Time Management Verbal Communication
Visual Communication Work Ethic

Cognitive Abilities
Cognitive Abilities Jonathan Poland

Cognitive abilities refer to the mental processes that allow individuals to acquire, retain, and use knowledge. They are foundational types of thinking. These processes include perception, attention, memory, language, problem-solving, and decision-making. Cognitive abilities are essential for many everyday activities, such as learning, communicating, and adapting to new situations.

Cognitive abilities develop and change throughout an individual’s life. Early childhood experiences, such as interacting with parents and caregivers and being exposed to different environments and stimuli, can have a significant impact on cognitive development. As individuals grow and age, their cognitive abilities can be affected by factors such as genetics, health, education, and experience.

Cognitive abilities can be assessed through a variety of methods, such as standardized tests, interviews, and behavioral observations. These assessments can provide valuable information about an individual’s cognitive abilities and can be used to diagnose cognitive disorders, evaluate the effectiveness of educational interventions, and inform career and development planning. Overall, cognitive abilities play a crucial role in an individual’s ability to function and thrive in the world. Continued research and understanding of these abilities can help us better support and enhance cognitive development in individuals of all ages. Here are some examples…

Reason

Thinking that is logical such as inference, deduction and abduction.

Rational Thought

Thinking that is reasonable but not necessarily fully logical. This can include consideration of human factors such as emotion, culture, social intelligence and morals. For example, a decision to forgive someone based on a moral principle.

Memory

Working memory and long term memory. For example, a stock trader who is able to accurately hold dozens of numbers in their head as they execute a few trades.

Learning & Development

The ability to develop usable memories and cognitive talents. For example, a young child who learns to read in multiple languages.

Inhibitory Control

The ability to suppress impulsive responses based on instinct, emotion, motivation and habit. Humans have significant capacity to do this to arrive at rational alternatives to impulsive behavior that may be suboptimal or socially unacceptable.

Attentional Control

Focusing on something and ignoring distractions. For example, an accountant who can accurately perform a reconciliation of accounts in a crowded night club.

Cognitive Flexibility

Cognitive flexibility is the ability to think about different things at the same time without losing track. For example, a young video gamer who can track the movements of dozens of foes who have surrounded them to develop tactics that may change several times a second. This might be performed while negotiating with a parent who is insisting it is dinner time.

Planning

Identifying a series of steps that can be taken to reach an objective. For example, a university student who plans how to convince a professor to extend a deadline.

Problem Solving

A type of planning that solves a problem. For example, a student who comes up with a study plan to improve their results in a subject they are failing.

Design Thinking

Solving problems with a process of synthesis whereby you design and create things. For example, a manager who corrects the poor performance of an employee by carefully crafting new objectives for them and continually evaluating them against these targets.

Decision Making

An element of planning that identifies and evaluates options to choose one such as a flight director at a space agency who decides to abort a launch due to weather.

Systems Thinking

Systems thinking is the ability to identify the end-to-end impact of change to systems. Anything that is extremely complex can be considered a system. For example, a mayor who considers the possible unintended consequences of a new bylaw.

Critical Thinking

A vague and overused term that implies that thinking is systematic. For example, a student who is able to read a book and identify its main arguments in order to evaluate those arguments in an essay.

Analytical Thinking

The process of breaking a problem down to understand its parts. For example, mapping out a business process to identify the concrete and measurable reasons that employees feel it is inefficient.

Dealing With Ambiguity

Applying rational thought to situations where much isn’t known such as a camper who is able to ascertain that sounds in the forest are from a single animal no larger than a badger.

Conjecture

The process of developing reasonable predictions about unknowns or the future.

Verbal Reasoning

Thinking in words including the internal dialogue that may people describe as their primary thinking process.

Visual Thinking

The process of thinking with pictures such as a diagram. This includes the ability to visualize things with the mind.

Challenging Assumptions

Intellectual bravery whereby you are willing to challenge the things that people hold to be true. This can include the ability to challenge your own assumptions.

Convergent Thinking

The ability to solve a problem with a known correct answer such as a math problem.

Divergent Thinking

Divergent thinking is the ability to solve a problem with an open-ended answer such as a design for a new product. Convergent and divergent thinking are complimentary and are both important to rational thought.

Spatial Reasoning

The ability to think about 3d space. This can include both convergent and divergent thinking. For example, a mover who can tell you exactly how large a truck you will need to move a particular house full of furniture or an architect who can design attractive interior and exterior spaces.

Social Cognition

The human mind appears to be highly adapted to understanding other human beings. For example, the ability to predict what others will do or see how they feel.

Emotional Intelligence

Recognizing and using emotion such as a customer service representative who is able to solve a customer’s problem at the emotional level in addition to the technical level. For example, being able to win back a customer who feels they have been disrespected by your firm.

Fluid Intelligence

Fluid intelligence is the ability to respond intelligently to novel situations. For example, a gamer who is able to fight with an alien they’ve never encountered before that has strange powers.

Crystallized Intelligence

Cognitive abilities that rely on knowledge and experience. Most human talents fall into this category. For example, an artist who has become great at what they do after years of experimenting and perfecting their work.

Abstract Thinking

Abstract thinking is the ability to use concepts that differ from concrete reality. Language is mostly abstract concepts with familiar words such as education, freedom or cause all being completely abstract.

Intuition

Intuition is knowledge that originates outside of conscious thought. For example, a fashion designer with a strong sense of what will sell who appears to make instantaneous decisions that are remarkably accurate.

Wit

Wit is the ability to respond to social situations in some intelligent way at high speed.

Situational Awareness

The process of understanding fast moving situations. Relies on high speed unconscious processes such as salience and intuition.

Kinesthetic Intelligence

Cognitive abilities related to the body such as balance, coordination and physical accuracy.

Imagination

Imagination is the ability to think of things beyond direct reality. Essential to strategy, creativity, decision making and problem solving.

Intentionality

The ability to shape motivation and purpose in some reasonable way. For example, an student who is able to build up motivation to become a chef based on a desire for creative expression.

Self-Awareness

Awareness of the self including physical, emotional, motivational and cognitive characteristics. For example, an individual who knows how they would be likely to act in a fictional situation.

Introspection

Introspection is the ability to examine your own thinking, emotions, habits, motivations and character to improve.

Adaptability

The ability to deploy different modes of thinking and thinking strategies to handle different situations. For example, a senior manager with high amounts of crystallized intelligence who knows when to stay open minded and how to continue to learn.

Cognitive Skills

The following is a list of 50+ skills.

Abductive Reasoning Abstract Thinking
Analogical Reasoning Analysis
Attentional Control Attribution
Category Formation Cognitive Flexibility
Composition Conjecture
Convergent Thinking Counterfactual Thinking
Creativity Critical Thinking
Crystallized Intelligence Dealing With Ambiguity
Decision Making Deductive Reasoning
Design Thinking Divergent Thinking
Emotional Intelligence Fluid Intelligence
Imagination Improvising
Inference Inhibitory Control
Introspection Intuition
Judgment Kinesthetic Intelligence
Learning Linguistic Intelligence
Logic Memory
Objectivity Pattern Recognition
Perception Planning
Problem Solving Rational Thought
Reasoning Reflective Thinking
Salience Self-Awareness
Situational Awareness Social Cognition
Spatial Reasoning Strategy
Systems Thinking Tactics
Verbal Reasoning Visual Thinking
Wit Working Memory

Change Resistance
Change Resistance Jonathan Poland

Change resistance is the act of derailing, slowing down, or preventing a change that is underway. This can often cause a change strategy, plan, or action to fail. Change resistance can take many forms, such as employees refusing to adopt new processes or systems, or stakeholders opposing the changes being made. Effective change management strategies often include measures to address and overcome change resistance in order to ensure the success of the changes being implemented.

Politicization

People tend to resist change that they perceive as originating with the political opposition. This can occur even if the change is beneficial to all. If a change becomes politicized, it becomes almost certain that it will face strong resistance. For example, saving the environment could be a politically neutral issue but isn’t because people unnecessarily attach it to other political agendas. This makes the problem much harder to solve.

Change Fatigue

Change fatigue is a situation where teams have experienced a number of stressful projects that have reduced work-life balance and failed to achieve stated budget, timelines and benefits. These experiences make teams increasingly resistant to change.

Culture

Culture is a stabilizing force that tends to slow change. This is a type of social defense mechanism that prevents a group from creating instability with every new idea that someone proposes. Culture adapts to change with a process of shared experience whereby at first a culture resists change but comes around with time as they experience the change and find it has advantages. This can have benefits as culture can shape change to be more valuable.

Risk Tolerance

Individuals that have low risk tolerance value stability, safety and security over opportunity. Such individuals are likely to resist any change that isn’t planned and executed slowly.

Pessimism

Pessimism is the view that risk is likely to fail. This is an element of worldview that increases resistance to change.

Defeatism

Defeatism is when an individual allows pessimism to interfere with their performance. This occurs where an individual doesn’t fulfill their role in change because they feel its doomed anyway.

Malicious Compliance

Malicious compliance is a passive aggressive technique whereby an individual obstructs a society or organization by using its own rules, processes and procedures against it. For example, a business unit that submits “must have” requirements for a project that are essentially impossible to achieve in order to derail change.

Stakeholder Salience

Stakeholder salience is the degree to which a stakeholder in change is vocal, active and influential. In many cases, resistance to change is concentrated in a few stakeholders who are particularly vocal. A standard approach to change management is to try to sideline these individuals.

Reactance

Reactance is the common tendency for individuals to strongly resist challenges to their sense of freedom. This plays a role in resistance to change as people may react against a change when they feel unconsulted. In this case, an individual essentially feels that a change is being forced on them.

Mediocrity

Mediocrity is a tendency to cling strongly to the dominant group in order to enjoy safety, security and stability. The mediocre will resist a change that isn’t popular within their in-group and embrace a change that they perceive as accepted by their in-group. In many organizations, mediocrity is commonplace such that management will have difficulty defeating resistance to change that has become groupthink.

Fear of Failure

Individuals may fear that they lack the competence to achieve change or to thrive in the post-change world. For example, a worker in a dying industry who fears they lack the capability to thrive in a new industry that is replacing it. Training and experiences in the post-change world will quickly defeat this fear. For example, an coal miner who gains experiences installing a solar panel system may cease to resist the newer industry.

Defense of the Status Quo

The status quo is the way that things have been done for an extended period of time. People may strongly assume that the status quo is permanent. When this assumption is threatened they may fear that the world has become unstable such that they seek to defend the status quo.

Rational Thought

It is common to treat change resistance as if it is always inherently irrational. This is not the case. A strategy or decision may be flawed such that resistance to it is a completely rational act. For example, resistance to an IT project that has failed to consider how a glitzy new product will actually translate to more efficient business processes. A strategy that is realistic and valuable is less likely to face resistance.

Failure of Communication

In some cases, a strategy is realistic and valuable but leaders fail to communicate well such that the strategy is widely misunderstood. For example, a solar panel manufacturer that is constantly pushing hard to reduce unit costs that fails to sufficiently communicate to teams that this is the basic economics of survival in this industry.

Extrinsic Reward

Individuals who will directly benefit from extrinsic rewards associated with change are far more likely to support it. Likewise, people who are likely to lose out to change have incentive to resist. Including everyone in the extrinsic rewards of change with material incentives and social status defeats resistance to change.

Intrinsic Reward

Intrinsic reward is an outcome that is self-fulfilling. For example, an individual may view a change as an opportunity to acquire valuable knowledge and experience. It is possible for leaders to increase the intrinsic rewards of change by offering training, education and meaningful roles.

Change Management
Change Management Jonathan Poland

Change management is the process of planning and implementing changes within an organization. It involves analyzing the current state of the organization, identifying the need for change, and implementing a plan to make the desired changes in a way that minimizes disruption and negative impact on the organization and its stakeholders. Change management often involves strategies such as communication, training, and support to help employees adapt to new processes and systems. The goal of change management is to ensure that changes are made smoothly and effectively, so that the organization can continue to operate at its best.

Resistance to Change

Change management is based on the observation that organizations tend to resist change such that a management team that issues a change strategy would be naive to think this strategy will be implemented without significant direction and control on their part.

Voice

A primary reason that people resist change is that they don’t feel consulted or that change is pushed at them. As such, a basic approach to change management is to involve stakeholders early in the strategy formation process to give them a voice.

Message Framing

Change management requires communication designed to build support and understanding of a change. This resembles marketing whereby a change is sold. For example, a memorable catchphrase that helps everyone to understand the core benefit of an initiative.

Anticipating Objections

Anticipating objections is the process of planning to handle likely criticism. This is important to change management as change is hardened with criticism as opposed to pushed out with one-way communication.

Direction

Generally speaking, groups can’t form a reasonable strategy without a leader who provides direction and vision. That is to say, that group decisions tend to reflect the social dynamics of the group as opposed to rational thought. A change manager is a leader who takes charge to provide strategic direction.

Trust

Leaders must delegate responsibility to many people to achieve a large change. This can be described as a process of trust. Leaders essentially decide who to trust and communicate this trust by granting responsibilities, resources and authority.

Control

Control is the process of monitoring and measuring things. People are trusted to achieve their responsibilities but this is also monitored and measured as part of change management.

Visibility

Directly engaging people at every level of a change to understand it end-to-end. This is required to identify issues and agents of change.

Issue Clearing

Change management quickly detects and clears issues. This requires much authority and/or influence such that change management is an executive function.

Organizational Culture

A culture emerges within a firm with the shared experience of the organization. This is beyond the direct control of management such that influencing culture is a hard management problem. For example, an organization that has experienced painful failed projects may develop a culture of change fatigue whereby employees adopt a defeatist attitude towards aggressive new strategies.

Agents of Change

In any change effort, people will emerge to push things forward. It is the job of the change manager to identify these agents of change and give them resources, authority and rewards.

Sidelining

In any change effort, elements will emerge that try to derail change, slow things down or use the resources of change to pursue their own agenda. The change manager works to sideline these elements.

Stakeholder Management

Managing communication to stakeholders and influencing them to clear issues. In some cases, major stakeholders must be sidelined. Again, change management requires significant influence, leadership prowess and authority.

Scope Management

Change managers need not be project managers but they do need to understand project management issues such as scope management. For example, a change manager should be able to identify a project with runaway scope that is unlikely to be successful. In this case, the project is immediately restructured.

Risk Management

Allow everyone to identify risks, record them in a risk register and look for opportunities to treat each risk.

Change Management Plan

A change management plan maps out the activities of the change manger. This is mostly a communication plan that outlines how issues, risks and progress with be monitored, measured and communicated.

Change Failure

Managing failures to recoup value, restructure things and move forward again. Identifying and managing failure is usually better than operating in a state of denial.

Benefits Realization

Benefits realization is the process of owning a change until it produces business results. For example, a product manager who is both responsible for developing a new product and for its revenue upon launch. Separating implementation from benefits realization tends to be problematic.

Last Responsible Moment

It is often a mistake to spend months planning a change with the expectation that it will be implemented as planned. Change often involves significant discovery such that it is often productive to change, learn and change again in quick cycles. This can be described as a last responsible moment approach.

Chief Executive Officer
Chief Executive Officer Jonathan Poland

The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) is the top administrator of an organization, responsible for its overall performance. The CEO typically reports to the owners of the organization, often through a governing body such as a Board of Directors. In large firms, the average tenure of a CEO is less than 24 years, which suggests that CEOs often struggle to maintain an organization for more than one generation. Here are the common CEO profiles.

Multi-hit Wonder

A CEO who is able to achieve sustained organic growth with multiple business models. Allows for extremely high long term rates of return.

Organic Grower

Grows a very large business with organic growth and a single business model.

Organic Sustainer

Cultivates a resilient business that endures and generates attractive long term returns but doesn’t grow beyond a certain size.

One Trick Pony

A CEO, often a founder, who is able to launch a successful business model but is unable to do a good job operating the firm or growing it beyond the startup phase.

Moat Defender

Able to defend an economic moat enjoyed by a dominant firm such as a monopoly but can’t achieve organic growth. Buys smaller competitors but does nothing productive with them.

Cost Cutter

Operations specialist who cuts costs and is tough on an organization. Can’t achieve meaningful organic growth but at least pushes teams for results. Common in industries with high capital and competition such as airlines. Generally hostile to customers, partners and employees but optimizes.

Turnaround Specialist

A CEO who has established a career around making tough decisions. Able to cut entire divisions to save an organization. Unable to do anything about organic growth.

Relationship Builder

Develops valuable relational capital for the firm but isn’t good at growing or running the firm. Common at small firms, where a CEO’s relationship with major customers and partners may be critical to its success.

Visionary

A hands-off CEO who likes to talk to the media. Tends to acquire trendy small companies that they are unable to integrate. A visionary CEO is aloof such that another executive such as a CFO is actually running the firm.

Myopic Optimizer

A data obsessed CEO who will be successful in optimizing revenue or operational metrics. Has little interest in the big picture and is unable to seize opportunities that aren’t immediately measurable. Prone to failures. For example, may seek unit cost reductions until quality completely falls apart and brand value is lost.

Lost Emulator

Chases trends in the industry and tries to copy competitors. Incapable of original thinking or analysis that would indicate which trends are actually leading to revenue.

Charismatic Risk Taker

The charismatic risk taker is able to raise money and has a following of devoted fans. They have some industry insight and are able to achieve organic growth. Uninterested in profits or risk management and likely to shipwreck a firm in the long term.

Costly Revenue Grower

Able to grow revenue by spending a lot of money but unable to grow profitable revenue. This is essentially a parlor trick as anyone can grow revenue by spending a lot of money. Common amongst startups whereby a firm with high revenue growth is launched to market based on promises of future profitability that will never materialize because the firm and its business model are fundamentally flawed.

Kingdom Builder

Attempts to validate their compensation with mergers and acquisitions that make the firm bigger without improving its long term profits. Unable to achieve organic growth and may damage or destroy a firm to hide this fact.

Passive Rent Seeker

Interested only in their own compensation but unwilling to damage the firm to achieve this goal. Capable of running a stable business in a mediocre way but will not outperform.

Destructive Rent Seeker

Interested only in their own compensation and willing to damage the firm to achieve this goal. For example, willing to take on high debt for stock buybacks that allow them to meet revenue targets without actually succeeding in the market.

Destructive Seller

Quickly destroys value and share price and then sells the organization to another firm. Presents this as a success on their resume and goes on to their next gig where they do the same thing. People may incorrectly assume that an acquisition by a larger firm indicates the CEO was successful in growing the firm.

Crony Capitalist

Makes friends in high places to allow the firm to rent seek. For example, the CEO of an advertising agency in a corrupt nation with close ties to government that obtains a large number of government contracts under shady circumstances.

Incompetent Struggler

Has good intentions but nothing ever seems to work out for them. Often a CEO who reached the position without much competition. For example, a small firm that hires a mid-level executive from a large firm as a CEO.

Falsifying Struggler

Unable to grow or run a business such that they are quickly in trouble. Results to falsehoods to delay the inevitable collapse of their firm. This may start small but quickly spirals out of control.

Research Design
Research Design Jonathan Poland

Research design is the overall plan or approach that a researcher follows in order to study a particular research question. There are many different research designs that can be used, depending on the specific goals and characteristics of the research project.

For example, a researcher might use a descriptive research design to simply observe and describe a particular phenomenon, or a experimental research design to test a hypothesis by manipulating variables and observing the effects. Other common research designs include cross-sectional, longitudinal, and mixed-methods designs. These research designs are used to guide the collection and analysis of data, and to help ensure that the research is rigorous and reliable. The following are common types of research design.

Secondary Research

Review and narrative that is based on existing sources.

Meta-analysis

Analysis that uses existing sources. For example, a review of multiple studies that numerically aggregates and summarizes their findings.

Primary Research

Primary research produces new observations. Also known as original research.

Qualitative Research

Collecting, analyzing, and interpreting non-numerical data such as interviews with people.

Qualitative Research

Collecting, analyzing, and interpreting non-numerical data such as sensor readings.

Scientific Research

Research that strictly conforms to the scientific method including elements such as a falsifiable hypothesis, empirical evidence and peer review.

Correlational Research

Correlational research looks for correlations between variables without manipulating these variables. Correlation doesn’t equal causation such that these studies can produce misleading impressions that one thing causes another when both may be influenced by some third factor.

Data Dredging

Using software to automatically find correlated variables in datasets. This can be used to produce fraudulent research whereby a researcher misrepresents their method by pretending to start with a research question when they actually worked backwards from automatically discovered correlations. Data dredging also plays a valid role in exploratory research.

Exploratory Research

Research that lays the groundwork for other research. For example, a data analysis that is used to formulate a problem statement, hypothesis or experiment design.

Causal-Comparative Research

Causal-comparative research attempts to use data to establish evidence for a cause and effect relationship. This might use several datasets and detailed controls that aggressively seek to eliminate alternative explanations for an effect. For example, if people who live near busy highways have a higher risk of some health problem a study may control for other factors that may explain this correlation such as income level or lifestyle.

Observational Study

Research where the independent variable isn’t controlled such that it isn’t an experiment. This can be exploratory research, correlational research or causal-comparative research.

Cohort Study

Studies based on groups of people who share a common characteristic, known as a cohort.

Prospective Cohort

Choosing the members of cohorts at the start of a study.

Retrospective Cohort

Cohorts are selected based on historical data. Runs some risk that the researcher will aggressively define the cohort to fit some pattern found in the data.

Case–control Study

A retrospective cohort selected based on outcomes such as comparing the lifestyle of people who get a disease with those who don’t get it. Useful for exploratory research but problematic for establishing cause and effect. For example, if you scan for differences in the lifestyle of people who graduate high school and those who don’t you may find that jelly donut consumption are different between these two cohorts but it is a stretch to suggest this is a cause.

Case Study

A detailed report of a single example. Useful for exploratory research. For example, a doctor who documents an allergic reaction to a chemical that hasn’t been on the market for long.

Longitudinal Study

Measuring the same variables over an extended period of time. Often an observational cohort study that observes a group of people over some time period. However, experimental research can also be a longitudinal study such as an experiment on a field of crops for half a year.

Cross-sectional Study

A study that compares observations at a point in time. For example, comparing the air quality of cities and the rate of a disease in those cities with the most recent data available for each city.

Experimental Research

Experimental research is the testing of a hypothesis or multiple hypotheses with experiments. This involves changing an independent variable to observe corresponding changes to a dependent variable. For example, a researcher who produces different types of stainless steel formulations to test which is most resistant to seawater.

Lab Experiment

An experiment in a lab where many variables can be controlled. For example, testing a fertilizer on plants in a lab where you can control extraneous variables such as light, temperature, humidity and water.

Field Experiment

An experiment that occurs in the real world where some variables can’t be controlled. For example, testing a fertilizer on a farm.

Randomized Controlled Trial

A standard for important experiments such as clinical trials for medical treatments that uses random allocation of participants to treatment and control groups to achieve statistical control over factors that may influence results. For example, if body weight may influence the outcome of a trial, people can be randomly distributed into treatment and control groups such that body weight distributions are likely to be similar in each group.

Natural Experiment

A natural experiment is a real world situation that resembles an experiment. This is useful were experiments would likely be unethical. For example, a factory where workers are currently exposed to a hazardous substance.

Constructive Research

Constructive research addresses a real world problem. For example, computer science research that seeks to design algorithms to perform a computation more efficiently.

Research & Development

Constructive research that designs a process, method, procedure, device, machine, product or service. For example, rapid prototyping of possible battery technologies.

Research Skills
Research Skills Jonathan Poland

Research skills are abilities that enable individuals to effectively investigate, analyze, and communicate knowledge. These skills are essential for success in a wide range of fields, including business, science, and academia. Research typically involves collecting and organizing information from various sources, and evaluating the credibility and relevance of each source. It can also involve the development of new knowledge through observation, experimentation, and other research methods. Effective research skills can help individuals to make informed decisions, solve problems, and contribute to the advancement of their field of study. The following are common research skills.

  • Academic Writing
  • Analysis
  • Challenging Assumptions
  • Citations
  • Computational Science
  • Critical Thinking
  • Data Analysis
  • Data Gathering
  • Data Mining
  • Data Visualization
  • Digital Literacy
  • Domain Knowledge
  • Evaluation of Credibility
  • Experiment Design
  • Formal Writing
  • Information Literacy
  • Interviewing
  • Observational Study
  • Organization
  • Peer Review
  • Planning
  • Presentations
  • Primary Research
  • Problem Definition
  • Public Speaking
  • Query Languages
  • Questioning
  • Reading Comprehension
  • Research Methods
  • Scientific Controls
  • Scientific Method
  • Secondary Research
  • Self-Direction
  • Self-Discipline
  • Source Validation
  • Statistical Analysis
  • Systematic Review
  • Time Management
  • Verbal Communication
  • Visual Communication

Servant Leadership
Servant Leadership Jonathan Poland

Servant leadership is a leadership style in which the leader puts the needs of the team or organization above their own, and focuses on empowering and supporting their followers to achieve their goals. This approach is based on the idea that the leader’s primary role is to serve their team or organization, and to help them grow and develop as individuals and as a group. Servant leaders are often seen as humble and selfless, and they prioritize the well-being and success of their team or organization above their own personal interests or ambitions. This leadership style can be effective in fostering a positive and collaborative work environment, as well as in helping organizations achieve their goals.

Philosophy

The philosophy of servant leadership was known to antiquity. For example, a similar idea is clearly mentioned in the Tao Te Ching, a text credited to the 6th-century BC sage Lao Tzu. The idea here is that gentle influence is more powerful than authority, control and pressure.

A leader is best when people barely know that he exists, not so good when people obey and acclaim him, worst when they despise him. Fail to honor people, they fail to honor you. But of a good leader, who talks little, when his work is done, his aims fulfilled, they will all say, “We did this ourselves.”
~ Tao Te Ching, Chapter 17, Lao Tzu

Management Theory

The term “servant leadership” was coined by Robert K. Greenleaf in a 1970 essay titled “The Servant as Leader.” In this essay, Greenleaf argued that the primary role of a leader should be to serve their team or organization, and to help them grow and develop as individuals and as a group. He proposed that this approach to leadership could be more effective and satisfying than traditional styles of leadership, which focus on controlling and directing others. Greenleaf’s ideas have influenced the development of the servant leadership approach, which has been embraced by organizations and individuals around the world.

Influencing Beyond Authority

Servant leadership suggests that a leader not rely on their authority to get things done. This idea completely transformed management theory in the 1970s whereby roles that rely on authority and control are referred to as management and roles that rely on influencing are referred to as leadership. In this context, anyone can be a leader such that defacto power within an organization is often difficult to identify. For example, a respected and brilliant software developer may be the true source of strategy and decision making for an entire IT department of a large firm as their ideas are so often accepted, communicated upwards and implemented.

Power Behind the Throne

The power behind the throne is an archetype of myth and history whereby an individual gently influences to wield great power without any formal authority. If this were done out of a desire to be useful as opposed to powerful and personally wealthy, it could be described as servant leadership.

Abundance Mentality

Abundance mentality is the philosophy that their is enough for everyone such that the success of others doesn’t diminish your own successes and opportunity. This calls for a collaborative and supportive approach to leadership that is consistent with the motivation to serve. For example, a manager who doesn’t try to keep talent team members down as a threat to their own position but instead provides them with every opportunity to grow.

Humble Leadership

Humble leadership is the use of authority with a sense of humility to avoid the common traps of power such as narcissism, a sense of entitlement, the misuse of authority to support your own position and becoming out of touch with frontline realities. Humble leadership is essentially servant leadership by a different name that has dropped the idea that the leader rely on influencing over formal authority.

Flat Organization

A flat organization is an organization with few levels of formal authority. This can be used to encourage servant leadership whereby everyone is forced to influence as opposed to using authority and control. Assuming there is a servant leader at the top, it may be possible to shape the culture of these organizations towards rewarding positive behaviors that serve goals over negative behaviors that serve the individual at the expense of goals.

Creative Tension

Creative tension is disagreement that remains civil. Servant leadership should not be confused with a lack of assertiveness and avoidance of disagreement. To be clear, servant leaders are motivated by a drive to be useful and the use of influence over control. Beyond that, their style will vary with some charging into lively debate and others being more of a quiet voice of reason.

Change Management

Change management is the practice of leading aggressive change that can expect problems. A basic principle of change management is that you sideline anyone who seeks to derail change and empower anyone who works to be useful. Servant leaders in a firm thrive where this occurs as power structures often try to obstruct change and get pushed out of the way to the benefit of anyone who is trying to be useful.

Stability
Stability Jonathan Poland

Stability is the ability of a system, organization, or individual to maintain its current state or condition despite external pressures or challenges. This does not necessarily mean that change does not occur, but rather that any changes are gradual and predictable, rather than sudden and disruptive. Stability is often seen as a positive trait, as it allows individuals and organizations to plan and adapt to change in a controlled and orderly manner. However, too much stability can also be a negative, as it can prevent organizations from adapting to changing market conditions and staying competitive. Here are some examples.

Science & Engineering

In science and engineering, stability denotes a system that is in equilibrium that is able to return to equilibrium when disturbed. For example, a building that stands upward resisting the forces of gravity is in equilibrium. Such a building may flex to disturbances such as wind and earthquakes but will return to equilibrium whereby it is relatively motionless.

Systems

People create social stability with systems such as a society. For example, a political system that provides a somewhat stable way to decide what to do as a group.

Culture

Culture is the understanding that emerges with the shared experience of groups. Unlike systems, culture is spontaneous and unplanned. Old cultures such as traditional cultures and national cultures can be viewed as stabilizing influences that provide some consistency to life over many generations. For example, a holiday or pastime that provides experiences that are familiar to multiple generations of a family.

Institutions

Institutions are enduring features of a society that provide stability and consistency. Families are institutions as are governments. It is also common for profit seeking firms such as a newspaper company and non-profits such as a charity to be viewed as institutions.

Peace

Peace is the capacity of nations to use diplomacy to resolve differences without falling into a state of conflict and war. War can be viewed as total social instability.

Civility

Civility is respect for the systems and norms set forth by a society to resolve disputes. This is the basis for the domestic stability of a nation. For example, using the law and political system to try to address something you view as unjust.

Resilience

Resilience is the capacity to endure stress. For example, a city that is prone to earthquakes and hurricanes that has building codes and infrastructure that mitigate the risk of these events.

Personal Resilience

Personal resilience is the capacity of a person to persevere in the face of the inevitable challenges that life presents. For example, an employee who can’t be derailed or distracted by negative office politics.

Information

Information is the opposite of uncertainty such that it tends to increase stability. For example, a student who learns a great deal about a university program and related professions before choosing a major may be less likely to change their major later.

Risk Avoidance

Risk avoidance is the process of avoiding uncertainty. As all opportunity involves some uncertainty, this can involve overly cautious choices that increase short term stability but decrease long term stability. For example, a homeowner who avoids renovations on an aging home because dealing with contractors feels like a risk. This may create significant long term instability such as serious livability issues with their home.

Calculated Risk Taking

Taking unintelligent or unmanaged risks creates instability. However, calculated risk taking is the basis for long term stability. For example, small social risks such as introducing to someone may pay large dividends in terms of future friendships, career and family.

Group Harmony

Group harmony is a society, culture, organization or social group that values harmony between its members above all else. Organizations and societies that value harmony tend to lack creativity due to a lack of creative tension. In fact, such groups are likely to make fully irrational decisions simply for the sake of conflict avoidance. This essentially sacrifices all future stability for short term social stability.

Status Quo

The status quo is the way that things have been in the past. Stability doesn’t mean that you don’t change. In fact, as the world constantly changes standing still is likely to be quite unstable. Nevertheless, people have a tendency to defend the status quo. This may serve stability where it prevents radical change for the purpose of radical change. However, irrational defense of the status quo can lead to stagnation, decline or neglect serious risks.

Sticky Information
Sticky Information Jonathan Poland

Sticky information is information that is difficult to transfer. This is an analogy that information that knowledge “sticks” to people, organizations, teams, places and cultures. Sticky information is information that is easily remembered and difficult to forget. This type of information is often memorable, interesting, or emotionally resonant, which makes it more likely to stick in the mind of the person who receives it. Sticky information can be useful for organizations or individuals who want to communicate important information or messages to others, as it is more likely to be retained and have a lasting impact. Examples of sticky information include catchy slogans, memorable stories, or memorable images or videos. Here are some examples.

Know-How

Know-how such as a salesperson who knows how to influence a particular government agency because they know “how they think.” In many cases, organizations feel that employees are interchangeable parts who can perform the same work after a process of knowledge transfer. This often doesn’t go well suggesting that know-how is difficult to fully identify and communicate.

Processes & Methods

As with know-how, processes and methods that span many people can be difficult to fully document. This often comes up when an organization tries to formalize, systematize or automate an existing process. It is common for these efforts to fail due to an inability to fully capture current processes and methods. For example, if 50 people participate in a process, they are all likely to describe it is conflicting ways.

Dispersed Knowledge

Dispersed knowledge is information that is held by many individuals such that none of them see the entire picture. For example, the twelve people who could collectively describe how a government department works.

Unstated Assumptions

An unstated assumption is information that is not documented or communicated because it is considered obvious to the individual in possession of the information. For example, an architect who fails to document the logic behind a critical design decision because they incorrectly feel the reason is self-evident to all.

Situated Knowledge

Situated knowledge is information that occurs in a time and place such that it is highly specific. This is often sticky because few people are in possession of the information. If they happen to be bad at explaining it, the information may be irretrievable. For example, the only independent witness to a traffic accident.

Disputes

Disputes between two or more people where the only sources of information have a strong motivation to color events in a way that supports their side of the dispute.

Biases

Information that exists but is communicated inaccurately due to a bias. For example, a witness to an event who is heavily biased in some way such that an ideology, opinion or grudge shapes their description of the event.

Culture

Information embedded in a culture such as a culturally important word that is considered impossible to translate into other languages. For example, the Japanese word wabi-sabi is difficult to understand without actually experiencing it within the culture.

Abilities

Abilities such as playing a musical instrument or speaking a language can take up to a decade to fully transfer person to person.

Talent

Talent may be partially based on information but is often impossible to transfer. For example, a student of an unusually talented violinist won’t necessarily become unusually talented themselves.

Intuition

Information that is somehow stored and used by subconscious processes of the mind. For example, a business person who can somehow identify the one unusually valuable idea from hundreds of business plans without being able to explain this process in words or pictures.

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Modular products are products that are made up of standardized, interchangeable parts or modules that can be easily assembled and…

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A trade show is an industry-specific event where businesses in a particular sector showcase their products, services, and innovations to…

Fixed Assets Jonathan Poland

Fixed Assets

Fixed assets are long-term resources that are owned by a business and are used to generate future economic benefits. In…

Fiduciary Duty Jonathan Poland

Fiduciary Duty

Fiduciary duty refers to the legal obligation of one party to act in the best interests of another party. This…

Tribes Jonathan Poland

Tribes

Tribes are groups of people who self-organize around common interests, values, communities, professions, needs, or aspirations. The concept of tribes…

Keep It Super Simple Jonathan Poland

Keep It Super Simple

Keep it Super Simple or Keep it Simple Stupid. The KISS principle is a design guideline that suggests that unnecessary…

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