Can't Read the Label From Inside the Jar

By definition it is impossible for any of us to know what we don’t know.

D. Brown Management

July 2, 2018 2 minute read

Quote: You can't read the label from inside the jar.

We could be in the top 5% inside our domain and better off spending time scaling the machine rather than perfecting it.
We could be missing something major and not be able to see it.
We could be in a very high-leverage position where even a small improvement could have a huge impact.
We could be missing so much context for the model that we have difficulty seeing how new information fits in thereby limiting our Situational Awareness.

Who are the top 5 people inside your organization that help each other refine your models of projects, your company and the industry?

Who are the top 5 people you are mentoring and coaching to help them refine their models?

Who do you turn to on the outside of your organization that is experienced and unbiased to help give you perspective?

Problem-Resolution Cost Pyramid - Earlier is Always Better

An easy way to visualize the cost of problem resolution at different stages of construction is with this pyramid. The cost of the problem is the cost of the problem (1X). Finding it ahead of time minimizes the costs and maximizes customer satisfaction.

change management field productivity project management

Rigorous Questioning Develops Critical Thinking

Thinking is really just about asking ourselves then answering a series of questions to help us make a good decision. Critical thinking is quite simply asking ourselves a more complex set of questions then answering them from a larger base of knowledge.

Contractor Scoreboard: Key Results and Leading Activities (Disciplined Execution)

Defining what you want in quantifiable outcomes is extremely difficult. It's 10X harder to define those outcomes throughout the whole company from field to CEO. Defining the leading activities that create those outcomes is another 10X more difficult.

business management metrics