#john cutler

[dianas]

TBM 271: The Biggest Untapped Opportunity

The biggest source of waste is not low performers or having too many employees. The biggest source of waste is untapped skilled pragmatists.

Skilled Pragmatists

Skilled pragmatists are too smart to wade into conflicts or political maneuvering. They work within the system. They are under-challenged and bored at work but are resourceful enough to scratch those itches in other ways. They aren't lazy—doing the bare minimum and stopping—but they also don't go "above and beyond" because they are inherently skeptical that it is worth it. They are very reliable, but to the point where they are conveniently (to them) invisible. Occasionally, they show flashes of brilliance to remind people they've got the chops, but not so often that it throws them into the lion's den.

[dianas]

TBM 268: "Going Deep"

I have been reading a lot of content recently that encourages leaders to "go deep" and become experts in team-level details. Two examples: If you don't know the details, how do you know people are doing a good job? People think that great leader's job is to hire people and just empower them to do a good job. Well, how do you know they're doing a good job if you're not in the details?

In short, the current emphasis on "going deep" and "getting into the details" is a reaction to an overreaction and overstretching of the org chart. So, it is time for a reset without over-reacting again.

Yes, spend time to understand what is happening and be a better advocate during more challenging times.

No, don’t heap on even more asks for detailed trade-offs and detailed plans, so you can play defense

[dianas]

TBM 265: Rebuilding Trust and Breaking Free From Trust Proxies and The Swirl

In this post, we will explore how trust issues—especially among senior leaders—can greatly impact an organization (and why it is so hard to address these issues). We’ll conclude with some ideas on how to break the loop and see past the swirl. When teams don't trust each other, and they don't want to have the hard conversations to rebuild that trust ("really work it out"), they tend to look for proxies:

[krispyweiss]

John Cutler (left) with Grateful Dead sound man Dan Healy

John Cutler, Former Grateful Dead Sound Engineer and Producer, Dies at 73

- “John had more integrity than anyone I’ve ever known,” band archivist David Lemieux says

John Cutler, who spent more than two decades as a Grateful Dead sound engineer and produced the band’s best-selling album, has died, his brother said.

Cutler, 73, died Christmas Eve “after a long illness,” Bill Cutler said in a statement.

“I know he was loved by many of you, and in the coming days I will share some stories about his life, but right now, our family needs time to process this and grieve,” Bill Cutler said.

Cutler was a longtime sound engineer for the Dead when he was tapped to produce 1987’s In the Dark. He was also at the boards for 1989’s Built to Last and 1990’s Without a Net and ran the mixing board for the band’s late-career gigs.

Cutler (l) and Mickey Hart

In 1999, Cutler hired David Lemieux, who is now the Dead’s archivist.

“John had more integrity than anyone I’ve ever known,” Lemieux said of his “friend and mentor” Cutler.

“An incredibly talented audio engineer, mixer and producer, John was a very kind person, one of the best.”

12/26/23

[dianas]

TBM 245: The Magic Prioritization Trick

Here is a fun prioritization exercise. Some have described it as a Jedi mind trick. It is very simple but it plays with people’s head in a good way. It draws heavily from Joshua Arnold's work on cost of delay, particularly this article on qualitative cost of delay

[dianas]

TBM 239: "Get Creative"

Quick tip. When you tell a team to "get creative," let me translate what your team hears: You aren't being creative We're not giving you additional help or budget But we still expect the same (or better) outcomes The tough thing here is all of these may be true. Maybe the team isn't exploring creative ways to solve the problem with limited resources, and perhaps you believe it is possible to achieve equal or better outcomes despite the constraints. The challenge is that you aren't saying that.

[dianas]

TBM 12/52: The Basics

I’m not a process freak, but I do believe teams should have their house in order. You can get by with very little process overhead. Too many teams are spinning in circles (or sprints). It often isn’t their fault, but still…the level of reactivity is so draining.

[dianas]

TBM 233: Coffee & Complexity

Sunday coffee thoughts. At my day job, I have been working on a proposal to redesign how we do something. To prepare for the questions I exp