Ian Jackson

What’s Your “Tiffany Problem”?

If you were reading a fantasy novel or watching a show set in medieval times, and a character was introduced as “Tiffany,” what would your reaction be? Chances are, it might stick out like a Starbucks cup in Game of Thrones. This is because Tiffany is thought of by most people as a modern-sounding nameContinue reading “What’s Your “Tiffany Problem”?”

Beliefs You Hold About the Co-Workers You’ve Never Met

What beliefs do you hold about the co-workers you’ve never met? How might that impact your work together? What would change if you met in person?

Disrupt Your Muscle Memory

Making small changes to your devices and your daily habits can disrupt your muscle memory in powerful ways, enabling you to become more aware of your blind spots, and more actively choose how you want to do things.

What is “Coopertition?” How Can It be Helpful?

Coopertition, or co-opertition – often spelled “coopetition,” or “co-opetition” – is a term describing cooperative competition. How can that be helpful in the workplace?

What is the Social Identity Wheel?

How do you describe yourself? What parts of your identity do you choose to include, and which do you miss out? More than likely, your answer depends on the context – you may answer differently on a dating app than in a job interview, both of which are very different from how you think about yourself internally.

Is Your Workplace a “Repair Shop”?

Image: BBC/Ricochet Ltd/Cody Burridge If you live in North America, chances are high that you’ve never seen the BBC show The Repair Shop. Settled in a picturesque English countryside barn, the Repair Shop is just what you might imagine from the name. In each episode, three or four people bring in family heirlooms that representContinue reading “Is Your Workplace a “Repair Shop”?”

Rely on Your Training and Articulate Your Next Steps

What are some intense situations you’ve faced over the last year? How have you handled them? Were these situations that you’d been prepared for? Were you trained for them in some way? As part of my repertoire of facilitation and coaching, I often lead groups at an outdoor challenge course, offering team building experiences andContinue reading “Rely on Your Training and Articulate Your Next Steps”

What is Triple Loop Learning?

Image source: Alex Atkinson Recently, my high school junior son co-founded a robotics team at school. After months of budgeting, securing sponsorship, building, and late-night coding (my son’s specialty), the team took part in their first regional competition. What they demonstrated was a perfect example of kaizen. Their early matches went well for a rookieContinue reading “What is Triple Loop Learning?”

Are You a “Furniture Maker,” or Simply a “Maker?”

Last month I was fortunate enough to spend some time behind-the-scenes in a well-known Boston-area robotics company. This is a workplace that requires a signed NDA before entry, but one thing I can talk about that came up during the conversations about their engineers is relevant to workplaces the world over – the idea thatContinue reading “Are You a “Furniture Maker,” or Simply a “Maker?””

Trevor Noah on Text, Voice, and Recalibrating Tone

Have you ever received a message from someone at work and interpreted the tone as angry, terse, or upset, leaving you stewing for days over what you did that caused that response, or how your reputation or relationships might be damaged as a result? On the flip side, have you ever sent a quick textContinue reading “Trevor Noah on Text, Voice, and Recalibrating Tone”