K Shel Blogs

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  • Held together, loosely: The edge of control

    Part of the Held together, loosely mini series. I like clarity. I like purpose. I like getting things done. That’s not a confession – it’s a pattern I’ve often been praised for. I bring order. I move things along. I cut through. When a team is drifting, when a problem feels stuck, when people seem…

  • Held together, loosely: Reflections from the field (mini series)

    Introduction: The view from here.This mini-series is a little different from my usual posts. It’s less about systems thinking concepts or pseudo-philosophical reflections, and more grounded in lived practice – those raw, uncomfortable, unresolved moments that show up when you try to work differently in systems that resist change. Recently, my studies have drawn me…

  • When nothing happens

    Maybe the work isn’t always to provoke change. Maybe sometimes it’s enough to bear witness – to notice, to reflect, and to remain open to what hasn’t yet arrived. I found myself drawn back recently into one of my favourite books (by one of my favourite authors) – 1Q84 by Haruki Murakami – and in…

  • The test is a mirror

    How challenge reveals — and reshapes — who we are and the systems we inhabit In 2017, I wrote a short blog post called Time for reflection (the test is a mirror). At the time, I was writing for an audience of small business owners, startup leaders, and entrepreneurs — people trying to find their footing…

  • Aftershock: Outlasting the system

    I wrote a post at the beginning of the year about ontological shock – that moment when your understanding of the world breaks apart under the weight of new truths. At the time, I didn’t know I was about to be placed at risk of redundancy. But in hindsight, I think I already sensed the…

  • Ontological shock: The ground beneath your feet

    Remember that moment in The Empire Strikes Back, where Darth Vader looms over Luke Skywalker and delivers the big ‘I am your father’ reveal? Even if you haven’t seen the film you’ll likely know the iconic line. In that instant, everything shifts. Luke’s quest for justice against the man who killed his father becomes something far…