Disobedient Talk

Josie Thomson is not your average independent consultant. She embraces intelligent disobedience so successfully she earned the title of “Maverick of the Year.” Josie provides coaching, keynote and training services and describes her approach as “97% professional and 3% cheeky.” Josie knows when to apply…

You have promised your manager you would follow the rules, and you have spent time understanding your business’ processes. So when exactly is breaking those promises and disobeying the rules or disregarding those processes the intelligent thing to do? Here are a few characteristics of…

Remorse is lasting. It is the conclusion of an emotional path starting with apprehension, then fear, emptiness, and finally remorse. This emotional pathway is launched in several ways, including: Taking a course of action you believe is unproductive or detrimental. Standing on the sidelines and…

The Intelligent Disobedience Leadership team are often asked if a specific action qualifies as an act of Intelligent Disobedience (ID). The question is a good one, as what can constitute an act of ID in one environment, may be commonplace in another. Challenging a manager…

The use of Intelligent Disobedience is not guaranteed. Successful intelligent disobedience requires doing your homework and understanding the cultures and regulations of the business in which you are working. It also often means you should not “go it alone.” Here is a story of an…

Innovation is becoming a hot topic at the moment, so naturally we want to apply an “intelligent disobedience” spin on this important aspect of business improvement. Our take – forget the big idea, think small! For many, innovation conjures up the notion of “big ideas”…

The triple constraints familiar to project managers – time, cost and scope – form the basis of much of the literature that discusses project management. Also called the iron triangle which includes quality in the middle of an equilateral triangle, this forms the heart of…

There may be “fifty ways to leave your lover”, but many organizations can’t find even one way to cancel or suspend a project. Despite often being ‘the right thing to do’, cancelling a project – or even suggesting that a project should be cancelled –…

As one of our clients was lamenting recently, a statement he made struck me. He said ”the launch of this project was proceeding so well, and then this debate suddenly surfaced!” When I heard this, I was actually relieved. One of the more significant issues…

A daunting concept has been rattling in my mind recently…and it has been rattling loud enough for me to restart this Intelligent Disobedience blog. I look forward to sharing and hearing your thoughts on these entries that I intend to post on a regular basis!…

We have all said it to ourselves, often many times. It would be easier if I just fixed __________. (fill in the blank as you see fit). Things would be easier if we just standardised or worked on getting _______ right. (Go ahead, you know…

We need fewer Communication Plans and more Listening Plans The communication plan has become an element of focus, especially with the realisation that Change Management needs to be a greater part of the effort that brings projects to successful outcomes. Many leaders face challenges with…