K Shel Blogs

Blog Posts

  • The map is not the territory

    “The map is not the territory”. This simple yet profound phrase (Google says first coined by Polish-American philosopher and engineer Alfred Korzybski a century ago), contains a powerful concept. And I keep coming across it: As a core tenet of Neuro-Linguistic Programming, more recently in Systems Thinking, and as a classic line from Robert De Niro…

  • It gets easier every day (but you have to do it every day)

    I love this phrase – totally lifted from BoJack Horseman. For me, it contains some profound truth. We’re all very lucky and privileged in many ways, and we should be grateful for that. But… at the same time… even regular normal day-to-day life can be really hard work. Sometimes it’s just exhausting. Over time, I’ve…

  • The observer effect: (Not a post about quantum physics)

    I find that when I start thinking about something, I see it everywhere. (Not the observer effect. That’s the Baader-Meinhof Phenomenon, aka frequency illusion – one for another day). And so, like a lot of the things I write about, the observer effect has been showing up all around me lately. Whether it’s Futurama’s Professor…

  • Beware the golden goose

    First published July 14, 2016 (then partially lost and rewritten) Do you have a Benefactor Client? Someone who: probably has a strong presence in your industry; they are easy to manage; you have a good relationship with them; and the custom they give you is longstanding, reliable, and lucrative. Maybe the ongoing work is a…

  • Have you forgotten your ‘Why’?

    First published November 8, 2016 (then partially lost and re-written) In the fast-paced world of what we do, it’s easy to get caught up in the daily grind. Between managing finances, marketing your products or services, and handling customer relations, you might find yourself wondering why you embarked on this journey in the first place.…

  • That VUCA Feeling

    First published June 2017 (then lost and part re-written) You may already be familiar with the term, but even if not, it’s likely you’ve encountered it. I came across VUCA only recently, and immediately it struck a chord. It represents how we understand and cope with the environment around us and, in turn, how our…