Tag: leadership

THE COLLABORATION KILLER HIDING IN PLAIN SIGHT

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We tend to think a thank you is always harmless. In teams, it might be the quietest killer of collaboration.
Why? Because in flat, peer-led projects, the person who says “Thanks everyone, great job” often does more than express gratitude — they assume the role of evaluator. Recognition flows down, not across. Without meaning to, they create hierarchy where none was intended.
Collaboration depends on fairness, psychological safety, and shared ownership. A misplaced thank you can erode all three.
Gratitude isn’t the problem, but the way we structure it is. In my latest Roadmender blog, I explore how recognition can either strengthen or sabotage collaboration, and what simple governance tools can fix it.

HISTORY MATTERS: A COMPLEXITY VIEW OF STRATEGY

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An anthropologist learns early to resist the lure of the “now” as the only reality worth studying. Cultures carry their past within them. Patterns of thought, the metaphors that shape our stories, the values that determine what we ignore and what we celebrate. These change far more slowly than market conditions. The same is true in organisations. Beneath the fresh branding and the new strategic frameworks, much of the underlying thinking is amazingly persistent. What changes most is the language in which it is dressed.

THE HIDDEN PATH: What Quantum Tunnelling Teaches Us About Organisational Change

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Organisations, like molecules, can become locked into a particular configuration. Old routines. Entrenched identities. Layers of habit that make change feel uphill. Conventional thinking tells us to overcome these barriers, kick off another reform, realign the structure, or roll out a new “change management” strategy.
But what if the most interesting changes don’t start that way?

people are not apps

PEOPLE ARE NOT APPS: THE HUMAN TRUTH BEHIND ENTERPRISE PERFORMANCE

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People aren’t apps, and motivation isn’t something you can install. Unlike money or tech, human beings can’t be managed—they choose, adapt, protect, or engage depending on the culture around them. Enterprise roadmending is about spotting the quiet cracks before they break the whole system. It’s not about control, but conditions. You don’t engineer trust or performance—you make them possible. In the digital age, real leadership means tending the soil, not writing the code.

Unlocking Innovation: The Wisdom of Living Stakeholders in Business

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The living stakeholder approach emphasizes ongoing interaction and adaptation over predictability and familiarity. It challenges the conventional static view of stakeholders, recognizing their dynamic and complex nature. This continuous engagement fosters deeper involvement, creativity, and problem-solving, leading to a culture of innovation and a stream of fresh insights and solutions.

ROADMENDER Recommends

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No limit. That’s how I could describe the potential of collaboration today. I think the following selection of recommended reading attests to that. While I won’t play favourites, because it truly is great to see the diverse range of views and insights on collaboration as well examples of […]

ROADMENDER Recommends

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This week Roadmender recommends a selection of articles covering areas of innovation, collaboration, leadership and entrepreneurship. While some links may not necessarily be apparent, the idea is to assemble diverse views and uncover possibilities. One of the most frequent questions I am asked is why I believe that […]