Some of you may not believe that knowing who you are and what size work you could do (given the opportunity and some mentoring) will have any affect on the rut you now find your career in. Here’s a short statement from Alan, whom I’ve been talking with for the past few years.

When I met Forrest four years ago, I was languishing in a job that I had clearly outgrown. Of course, I didn’t realize it at the moment. I had no idea how undervalued and underutilized my skills were. I thought for some reason I was simply unfocused, unmotivated or, perhaps, too disorganized. His perceptive eye helped me understand I had clearly stagnated for too long in a position where my capacity to perform had clearly outstripped my responsibilities. He claimed that, no matter how hard I tried, I would fail and ultimately get depressed if I continued to stay in my current position. I had gotten “too big” for my job. Honestly, my first reaction was to disbelieve him — I got somewhat emotional and upset. Hearing the truth, can, at times, unsettle you. His clear-thinking analysis coupled with his persistent, but encouraging tone helped me understand that “fit” is more than cultural, it has to do with doing work that matches you innate capacity and your ability to handle complexity.

[Read more →]

In April 2007 while vacationing in Tervuren, I took an afternoon to drive out to see Luc Hoebeke at his home outside Leuven, Belgium. Luc and I sat on his patio in some historically warm spring weather (above 80F) amongst a small brook, the birds and his neighbor’s lawn mower. I never intended to release the interview, which was primarily done as part of my interest in an article which he wrote. I have to tip my hat to him for his wonderful hospitality and willingness to spend an entire afternoon in the heat speaking in English.

I really enjoyed talking with him and hearing this thoughts on management. He’s one of the most interesting thinkers in management consulting today, and has some radical ideas about intellectual property in the new economy, the real purpose of CEOs, and the emergent nature of work. Like a few other people in the field, Luc combines work from Elliott Jaques, Stafford Beer and others to create a very different way of looking at the problems of organizing work. Here’s a small taste from the article that drew me to talk with him:

[Read more →]