Industry publication
DevOps.com
Guest essays selected and published by DevOps.com on DevOps, flow, feedback, systems thinking, and continual learning.
Blog
Essays about organizations, learning, leadership, economics, and how work actually works.
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People Don’t Resist Change. Systems Reinforce Behavior.
Read article ↗: People Don’t Resist Change. Systems Reinforce Behavior.Photo by Sven Mieke (Unsplash) Any coach, regardless of industry, has probably lamented the difficulty of getting people to change. This can be especially frustrating when you know the change would benefit…
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The Evolution of Ownership: From Trusts to Index Funds
Read article ↗: The Evolution of Ownership: From Trusts to Index FundsIn chapter 4 of my book, I Think, Therefore I Know, I talk about the history of corporations, and how they started as corporate charters that were granted special privilege by the…
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Stuck in Our Ways: The Neuroscience of Learning and Rigidity
Read article ↗: Stuck in Our Ways: The Neuroscience of Learning and RigidityPhoto by Vitaly Gariev (Unsplash) Society has an adage that both enables and underrepresents one of our largest collective challenges. We say someone has “become stuck in their ways.” We treat it…
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Leprechaun Economics: A Lesson in Profit Shifting
Read article ↗: Leprechaun Economics: A Lesson in Profit ShiftingPhoto by Jin Gong (Unsplash) In 2023, Ireland’s GDP was €510 billion. By that measure, Ireland is one of the richest countries on Earth per capita.¹ The people living there didn’t feel…
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AI Doesn’t Think Like You Think It Thinks
Read article ↗: AI Doesn’t Think Like You Think It ThinksPhoto by Immo Wegmann (Unsplash) I’ve spent years using large language models (LLMs). Not casually. Extensively. I’ve used ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Cursor, and countless other AI-powered tools for writing, software development, research,…
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Sears: A Lesson in Shareholder Primacy
Read article ↗: Sears: A Lesson in Shareholder PrimacyPhoto by author In 1984, the New York Times profiled Sears, Roebuck and Company as a financial empire.¹ Its mail-order catalog was widely referred to as the “Consumer’s Bible.” Roughly fifty percent…
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Beyond the Toyota Way: The True History of Lean Manufacturing
Read article ↗: Beyond the Toyota Way: The True History of Lean ManufacturingOne of my favorite books is “Beyond The Phoenix Project” by Gene Kim and John Willis — a remarkable exploration of DevOps history and the making of “The Phoenix Project.” However, the…
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Motivational Science: How Managers Shape (or Break) Employee Motivation
Read article ↗: Motivational Science: How Managers Shape (or Break) Employee MotivationPhoto courtesy of Vlad Tchompalov – Unsplash The Brain’s Caloric And Cognitive Limitations Understanding human motivation is a perpetual puzzle, even in an age where scientific advancements have unraveled many mysteries of…
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The Velocity Trap: Agile Buzzwords, Misinformation, and Scrum Conundrums
Read article ↗: The Velocity Trap: Agile Buzzwords, Misinformation, and Scrum ConundrumsIntroduction In recent years, I have had numerous opportunities to share my insights through various talks, with one becoming more popular than others — “The Velocity Trap.” This particular presentation, shared over…
Beyond this site
Writing elsewhere
I also publish for audiences across technology, leadership, and organizational change. Explore my writing with these publications and platforms.
Company publication
Insight
Articles published during my time at Insight, exploring learning organizations, platform strategy, product thinking, and software delivery.
Self-published
Independent essays on leadership, organizations, technology, incentives, and change.