Alone Again
This time fifty years ago man set foot on the moon and currently China is on the dark side of the moon with an unmanned vehicle. This reminded us of Al Worden, perhaps…
A Year in Review
As we march headlong into the new year we have probably had, or are about to have, the dreaded annual performance review. The truth be told that here at Optimize…
What’s in a Label?
As regular readers know, we have issues with the labels that people give others – labels make it too easy to put someone or a group of people in a box. It is also…
Vive Le Tour
As the Tour de France grinds its way through the mountains in the second week we were considering it as a metaphor for life, for business life and for our careers.…
Insanity Check
In our daily interactions with clients, we encounter many different leaders in all disciplines and generally these individuals are very determined people. They are…
Kung Fu for Business
Recently here at Optimize we were thinking about business philosophy and the links to leadership and organizational culture. I’m not sure too many of us spend…
Moments of Truth
Customers have never had higher expectations – or been more empowered than they are today. How you respond to, and take care of, your customers across all of their…
Coping with Complexity
The general view on complexity is that it is a bad thing and that simplification will bring value by removing unnecessary costs. Here at Optimize we are Lean Practitioners…
A Little Toe Much
A pub in Derbyshire has hosted the latest “World Toe Wrestling Championship” which has now been going on for more than 40 years. Open to male and female…
Vanity Unfair
Many commentators think that we are facing a narcissism epidemic fueled by the internet, instant celebrity, easy credit and cultural pressures that impact us on…
Me, Myself and I
In business, the secret to effectively leading collaboration with others is finding a middle ground between too much and too little team think, where leaders encourage,…
Wood for the Trees
A famous line from Alice in Wonderland is “If you don’t know where you are going, any road will get you there” and here at Optimize we think it’s pretty…