I asked a production coordinator to show me what she did when she knew an order would be late. She opened a job due out on Thursday, changed the date to the following Tuesday, and carried on explaining something else. […]

Close hand-drawn sketch over a production coordinator's shoulder as she edits one row on a scheduling screen, with a machine shop visible through the window behind.
Close hand-drawn sketch over a production coordinator's shoulder as she edits one row on a scheduling screen, with a machine shop visible through the window behind.

What it cost to tell the truth

I asked a production coordinator to show me what she did when she knew an order would be late. She

Hand-drawn sketch from the back of a training room, four people watching a flip chart showing an outline of someone else, representing a team being taught to copy one colleague.

Four people, one job description

Once a month for three months, four experienced Business Partnership Managers at a national education technology provider stepped away from

Hand-drawn sketch of a man enjoying a video call at his desk, with an empty chair facing him, representing the decision-maker who was never in the conversation.

Six proposals with the same excuse

A few years back, I saw someone post on LinkedIn about leadership training. It was a relatively new hospitality experience

Hand-drawn sketch of a whiteboard showing a scrawled arrow diagram looping back on itself, illustrating a self-reinforcing business decision.

More effort, worse results

I’m going to share a story about a business where a quote costs about eight hours, and it ties up

Close overhead split sketch of hands pointing at clashing reports beside hands resting near a single shared document.

What the spreadsheets were hiding

A manufacturing business I worked with had a problem that looked, on paper, like a strategy execution problem. Margins were

Split ink illustration contrasting someone anxiously checking a phone amid clutter with someone calmly reviewing one filtered update.

Why standards kept slipping

Years ago, working in hospitality, I watched a business where standards weren’t being met. They were good people, with decent