Inspired by Toblerone
Packaging prototype #22.
Inspired by Toblerone, our Leadership Compass will soon arrive inside a triangular-shaped holder. This will then be inserted into a tube. This will cut down on packaging materials. And lower the cost of postage. It will also ensure your Leadership Compass arrives safely at its destination.
Shine a light, another prototype
Packaging prototype #21.
It’s amazing what you can do with a pair of scissors, a ruler and recycled packaging!
Looking for a new method to transport our EGSP Wooden Block®.
Sweating the small stuff
How do you know whether you’re on the right path or not? Sometimes, you’ve just gotta go with your gut feel and sweat the small stuff.
If it wasn’t important, then it’d be good enough to move on. But as we’re creating our first ‘marketing brochure’ for Twelve Scholars, then it’s important to get it right. It’s a fine act.
So apologies for lack of Tuesday Tutorial today. We’re busy sweating the small stuff.
Off, making Excellence our mission.
33%
Really happy with today’s newsletter and podcast. A playful alliteration with ‘pointing out positive prose to the parents’ was a personal highlight.
Other favourites include the school report analogy, the exec summary of your education and finding Bob Dorough on YouTube! :-)
What surprises me (well, no surprise if you’ve listed to Robert Hopkins), is the power of creating rules and boundaries. Seriously, since the decision to simplify the structure of The Sunday Scholar, I’ve gone into idea overload. Sorting out the best ideas from the weak. And it’s been far easier to write too. A few extra boundaries can make all the difference!
You can subscribe to our email newsletter from our website, choose to listen here, or subscribe via your podcast player of choice.
Listen up, and enjoy the read!
Prototyping the Product Brochure
Shine a light, prototype.
That’s Lesson 11 in our Leadership Development Programme. It’s also the theme this bank holiday weekend.
You’ll see the early development of our new product brochure in this photograph.
The Helvetica Now typeface, the EGSP Wooden Block® and 16 pages printed in colour.
Yes, it’ll be available as pdf to download. But it really helps me to create in the physical world first.
I’d like to get this to the printers before King Charles reaches Westminster Abbey!
A simple sketch is a good idea
Where do good ideas come from?
It was precisely a year ago, we decided to laser cut two additional lines into our EGSP Wooden Block®. And it was a game changer.
Here’s my bullet journal from 12 months ago. It shows our wooden block with the addition of two new parallel lines. With utmost clarity looking back. I remember when, where and why we added it.
The two lines recreate a concept we call the Thick Red Line. The Thick Red Line is used when talking about poor performance. It helps set standards and avoids ambiguity.
And for 12 months, the EGSP Wooden Block® has become a far more effective teaching tool.
(Note, the detail on the diagram. It shows our scholar bee upside down—with his bottom pointing towards satisfactory… aka mediocrity!)
The story of the Thick Red Line continues…
Marketing material
Taking inspiration from Josef Muller-Brockmann and his Swiss Grid System. Here’s our first draft of the product data sheets. The nuts and bolts of each course.
Rather than flood the website with photos and detail. We’ve taken the decision to jettison much of this information to a downloadable pdf.
For those that want this extra layer of information, it’s there for them.
We’ll also be using it in our marketing material going forwards.
Waving the simple stick
When is good enough—good enough?
I’ve been updating our website again. (I know. I know what you’re thinking). Never 100% happy with the content or layout, I’ve gone back to basics—again. How can we apply the less is more approach?
Fewer pictures, more impactful videos. A simple structure that’s easy to follow. A more personable voice, that talks about benefits, rather than features.
We’re getting there. And the aim is to have everything uploaded, updated and refreshed before end-April. In the meantime, please be patient if you see a few typos or it looks a bit rough around the edges.
Always improving. Always learning.
Dealing with poor attitudes
Our latest Tuesday Tutorial has been uploaded. Not quite the 6am as promised, but definitely before 6pm. And that’s an improvement on last week!
Weighing in at 12 mins 15 secs, it’s a valuable tutorial. And one that I first discovered 20 years ago. Thanks AGF!
I’ve used the influence/attitude matrix in every organisation I’ve worked. And it works.
Grab a brew and sit back. Inspire, be inspired!
(Bugger… just noticed a typo on one of the slides. Arghhhhh)
Solving problems with cups of tea
There’s a lot to be said for taking time out for a brew. An opportunity to take stock. Revisit goals. Making sure you don’t get too distracted. And end up down yet another rabbit hole.
My favourite choice for problem solving is PG Tips. (Also known as standard monkey tea). And let it brew. Enough time to get some fresh air, enjoy a slice of toast, or raid the biscuit tin!
And when you arrive back at your desk, the chances are you’ve solved the issue at hand. And you’ve also got clarity on your top priorities.
A Haircut in Halifax
How do you look after yourself? What do you do to reset when things go off track?
In this week's podcast, we take a trip to West Yorkshire, make a brew, and discover the importance of an all-important visitor.
It's a simple lesson in rejuvenation.
Listen up, and enjoy the read.
Leadership Unplugged
A eureka moment at 3 o’clock in the morning.
How best to describe our leadership development programme, but without the learning platform, tutorial videos and project support. Yes, we’ve decided to call it our Independent Scholar. An unplugged experience.
You’ll still get the leadership playbook, the leadership compass and a few bonus extras. But at a different, more accessible price point. More details here.
A rather special birthday
There’s no other words for it—these flowers bought for my aunt’s 80th birthday are truly Excellent.
A pivotal figure in my early childhood, my aunt is renowned for being positive, proactive and passionate about life.
In previous years, her ‘special day’ would coincide with Queen Elizabeth II’s. And so we’d all sing the national anthem! This year, my aunt will take centre stage—if only she could be prised off that golf course!
Introducing our Special Scholar bees
Well, this looks interesting…
These three blocks have been two years in the making. A special project.
Made from walnut. Hand-sanded by yours truly. Each scholar bee has a unique design.
They’re the reward for completing our Leadership Development Programme. An opportunity to become a ‘certified scholar’.
Inspire, be inspired!
The Flywheel Builds momentum
Have you got precisely 10 minutes?
If so, grab your popcorn, take your seat, our latest Tuesday Tutorial is now available!
It’s taken 1½ days to write, record, edit and publish. And I’m very happy!
Always learning. Always improving. Do let me know what you think. Your feedback is a gift!
Early Systems thinking
Where do ideas begin?
Back in 2005, I was a Shift Operations Manager at a paper mill. I was also in my final year of an MBA. It was an exciting chapter.
My MBA dissertation researched decision making in world class organisations. And I was hooked.
I read everything I could. And then practiced what I learned with my team. It was the ultimate learning curve.
I got into the habit of making detailed daily notes (a precursor to the bullet journal). I used my diary to reinforce what I learned, and what I needed to do differently.
Here’s my first attempt at drawing the papermaking process, from a systems-thinking perspective.
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#SystemsThinking
#DailyNotes
Meet the Author
Having fallen down yesterday’s rabbit hole, I decided to reach out and thank the author. To my delight, he accepted my invitation. We’ve exchanged messages and have agreed to chat sometime soon—can’t wait!
It just goes to show how small the world is.
Inspire, be inspired.
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ps I also bought his latest book—it arrives tomorrow.
Flywheels and Rabbit Holes
It happened. I knew it would. Two hours slipped as I fell down a rather large rabbit hole.
Doing some research and background reading for this week’s Tuesday Tutorial. And I stumbled upon a book I haven’t read for a while. Bought back in 2005, Seeing The Forest For The Trees was a book that fundamentally shaped my thinking. It’s an introduction to systems thinking, written by Dennis Sherwood. And I remember pretty much every page turned—that was almost 18 years ago!
Before giving myself permission to use ink in books, I used to write on small post-it notes. And this one caught my attention today. It’s a quote from my old MBA tutor, Joe Marshall.
“Organisations must divide in order to function, yet these functions must come together to operate.”
— Joe Marshall
Make that 2x people who changed my thinking for the better!
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OMG… just found my offline notes from my page-a-day diary. It looks like I started to learn all about systems thinking on Friday, 27 May 2005. Jeepers!
#RabbitHoles
#SystemsThinking
The Bare Necessities
I’ve really enjoyed writing and recording this week’s The Sunday Scholar. Always a challenge. Always trying to improve. Always learning. I think we’re almost there with the format—it’s taken 100+ editions!
What do you think?
Our latest episode is available to download as a podcast. If you prefer, subscribe to our weekly newsletter and it’ll appear in your inbox every Sunday at 6am. (Well almost six o’clock!)
Tuesday Tutorial… Trailer
Loving this one. A jazzy intro to our Tuesday Tutorial. Each week, we’ll upload a short and impactful lesson in personal and professional development.
I’ve used the Monochrome Faded Film 50 preset in Premier Pro to achieve a more consistent film.
And the music is by LynnePublishing, licensed from Pond5—it’s described as an acoustic playful happy ident. I think it works a treat!