Remember those Tupperware Shape-O® Balls – the ones where kids try to fit various shapes through the various openings. Did you (or your child) ever succeed when you / they were trying to push the star through the square-shaped opening? We learned from a young age that squares only fit into square openings and stars only fit into star-shaped openings. … Read More
Stop communicating (at least until you have read this)
That seems an unusual starting point … but haveyou stopped and considered your communications approach recently? My guess is that in 95+% of cases, businesses and other organisations are just doing what they have always done – but does that work in 2025? Before I go any further, let’s consider a couple of critical definitions. According to one online dictionary, … Read More
As simple as ABC (and D)
Well, maybe not as SIMPLE as A,B,C and D but I am certain that these letters stand for four key skills and attributes that are required for a Transformaginative mindset Let’s step through them one at a time … A is for adventurous We are great advocates for not just stepping out of your comfort zone. We believe that you … Read More
Could instead of Should
At Untypical, we are proud to be the custodians of the concept of Transformagination® – a whole new way to think about transformation and change. When you sit down to think and discuss the future of your organisation, which word gets used more frequently – should or could? We SHOULD change our processes, we SHOULD introduce a new product range, we SHOULD let our staff … Read More
No one ever learned how to swim …
… by clinging to the side of the pool. At some point, if you want to learn to swim, you are going to have to leave the side of the pool and remove the safety net of being able to reach out and grab the ladder. Sure, there are steps you need to take and knowledge you need to learn … Read More
How about diversity of thinking?
Having now been involved in the corporate world since the late 1980’s, I feel that I am in a good position to provide some commentary about some of the significant changes we have seen during the past three or four decades. Remember when anyone who had the word “manager” in their title was automatically entitled to their own office, more … Read More
Think outside of the box – what box?
One the great catchphrases of the management consulting movement of the 80’s and 90’s was “think outside of the box”. Most agree that this slogan had its genesis in the “nine dots puzzle” where you are asked to connect nine dots, arranged in a 3 x 3 configuration, with four straight lines … but without lifting the pencil off the … Read More
Introducing Transformagination®
If you have read or listened to some of my content over the years, you will have discovered that one of my all-time heroes is Albert Einstein. For many, he was seen as being the ultimate 20th Century physicist with his famous equation E = mc2. For others, he was a philosopher like no other. For me, having been fortunate … Read More
Transformation is never an accident
Many people use the words “change” and “transformation” interchangeably – as though they mean exactly the same thing. But they don’t mean the same thing … whilst certainly related, there is so much more to transformation than there is to change, even big change. Let’s compare dictionary definitions to start with and for, for no particular reason, I am using … Read More
Yes, but the problem is …
Pet hate, right there. One of the great statements of change resistance is “yes, but the problem is…”. Every time someone puts up an idea for change, out come the hurdles, typically led by one of two phrases – either “yes, but the problem is …” or the other old chestnut “but that’s not the way we do things around … Read More