I’m currently reading, Better: A Surgeon's Notes on Performance, by Atul Gawande. Gawande is a Harvard professor and surgeon . He is also interested in human performance in medicine, and beyon. Early on in the book, he makes two statements that highlight critical elements of high performance. Statement One In the first main section [...]
Every day I talk with and coach people who want to do (and be) better. It's a deeply human quality to desire that which is "better." Our desire for "better" fuels our ingenuity and energizes our inventive spirit. However, achieving "better"--rather than simply desiring it--is quite a different story. The work that leads to continuous [...]
In his book, Smarter, Faster, Better: The Secrets of Being Productive In Life and Business, Charles Duhigg tells a story about Eric Quintanilla. Quintanilla joined the Marines when he was 23 years old. He found in the Corps a philosophy of life that taught him how to proactively collaborate with others under enormous pressure. [...]
I hate the world “busy.” I suppose it’s not the word itself that I hate, but the way we often use it. -- Friend of Pete: How are you Pete? Pete: Oh man, I’m busy. -- After “fine” or “good,” “busy” is the next most frequent response people give me when [...]
When I teach groups about Tribal Alchemy, I always show a good number of ideas, videos and images that reveal the power and beauty of alchemy (that is, the ingenious combination of resources). I do this because there is no better way to inspire alchemy than to see examples of it. Here's a good example. [...]
Adapted from the book, Tribal Alchemy: Turning What You Have Into What You Need. (2016). Dave Fleming. A Tribal Alchemy Resource. At the beginning of the Apollo 13 “build-a-filter” scene, the Tiger Team enters the room to receive instructions. (NOTE: You can read about the true story of the filter, here). An engineer [...]
