TBU v TAU

Daily we are bombarded with information, every piece vying for our
attention. The problem is each; fact, statistic, survey result, opinion,
piece of anecdotal evidence, has it own subjective truth.

So, the question is not so much – Is it true, but is it useful?

Much of what we hear and read may well be true but is often pretty useless.
It's the information equivalent of fast food. It may taste good but it has
no nutritional value.

This type of information is clogging up the system and making decision
making more difficult. One approach is to use the abbreviation TBU = True
But Useless, to tag information.

Here is a challenge. Tomorrow write down anything that you see/read/hear
that is
'True But Useless' in terms of you making decisions. I am confident you will
be surprised at how many things you write down. This is the clutter that is
potentially hampering your ability to make good decisions.

There is a serious point to this game. By raising your awareness in this way
it encourages you to focus and to start evaluating what you are told or
read, not on the basis of whether its true, but on whether its useful. It
shifts the emphasis from being 'I don't believe YOU/IT' (Extrinsic) to 'Its
not useful to ME' (intrinsic).

Of course, what we need is information that is TAU …. True AND Useful !

This is unlikely to occur by asking more and more questions in the hope that
something useful will drop out.

What is needed is deep thought about what we are trying to achieve. What is
the purpose? Only then will the TAU information present itself.

Shiny Object Syndrome : Do you suffer?

Time is the only resource you truly posses.

The World is full of distractions - TV, Cinema, The Internet, E-mail, Blogs,
Twitter, Family commitments, Sports teams, Friends, Daydreaming about -
holidays, retirement or a better life.

And then there is work. Meetings, Phone calls, more E-mails, Proposals,
Reports, Presentations, more Meetings. Lunch, Coffee, Travelling. The new
product or market or customer - so much more exciting than the current ones.

All these things are, to a lesser or greater degree, 'shiny objects'.
Things that steal our attention and trick us into believing we are busy.

Of the 16 or so waking hours a day, what are you doing with that time?

Where is your attention?

Successful people are just less prone to 'Shiny Object Syndrome'.
They focus on doing 'great work' more of the time.

Some thoughts on Flow

Flow is an interesting word. Two uses spring to mind.....

First, there is the phrase 'I am going to go with the flow' . It sounds sort of passive, accepting of other peoples' agenda. However, if we re-frame it as being open to possibility, not hanging onto one's own World view, it is much more interesting.

'Being 'In full flow' is the second phrase. We see a person 'in full flow' as, totally committed to performing a task. Unstoppable in their conviction and passion.

When you are in 'the flow' it seems effortless - not like work at all. It could be anything - a presentation, cooking, playing a sport, performing a song, writing a blog.....These are the moments when you are doing what is your great work - as you are affecting change. Making a difference. It doesn't actually require a third party observer - you just know. And the change may be simply in yourself.

So, when was the last time you experienced a moment like that, a moment of 'flow'?

In the last week? Last month? Last Year? Ever?

For many people its not since childhood - when self-conciousness had yet to have a paralysing effect on much of what we attempt.

What if we all spent more time doing things that placed in that sense of 'flow' or at least thinsgs that were not simply based on clinging on for dear life.

Towards the holistic company

It is only right that my first entry should explain a little about what is meant by 'towards the holistic company'.

The format of the company is already becoming increasingly fluid. The command and control model that dominated the western /developed world throughout the 20th Century is giving way to new forms. Ironically, the return is often to old forms - where there was virtually no separation between work and leisure. Peoples' identity and self-worth was based on a skill or craft or calling. The concept of the artisan was key. The work had meaning and therefore 'success' was self-defined - I am the work I do. And, of course, this is how most family names were derived; carpenter, taylor, smith. There was tradition and continuity. Pride in ones work and Success were closely linked.

The factory system mantra of production efficiency and cost reduction stripped away the need for the artisan. However, people are changing their level of awareness and a desire to do meaninful work (rather than simply following instructions) is creating a new wave of 'artisan workers'.


The successful companies of coming century will be those that adapt to the needs of these new 'artisan workers' - the people who create value. To attract the people who will add the greatest value, companies will need to be more attractive. The currency of attractiveness will be meaning. The question will be ' do I believe in what this company is trying to achieve - does it have meaning for me?'

This, in essence, is what holism suggests and paraphrased as 'the output being greater than the sum of the individual inputs'. In this context, Meaning is the underlying energy/information that motivates Thought and Action. And it is the alignment of all three that drives the evolution process forward - as it creates a spiralling feedback loop.

But Meaning needs to be set in context to be effective. Awareness defines 'the game' and Meaning is, therefore, dependent on the game. A change in Awareness can lead to a new vision, a redefining or re-imagining of the future.

An holistic company is therefore one which creates; a format, a forum, an organisation, a collective, etc., that allows people to create value/do work, through thought and action within the frame of a common purpose that has meaning, deep meaning. The Meaning is a function of the envisioned future.

So, the companies that understand that the game has changed and move towards an holistic approach, will be the ones most likely to be successful in the years to come.