James McIntosh is a consultant, speaker, coach and writer who uses work nonsense to make executives and teams more effective

 

as consultant as speaker as coach as writermonthly newsletter

on air on blog on paper on screen

On paper - free ebooks

Well, they will be on paper if you print them.  Why not read them on your screen instead?  These free ebooks are exactly that - free.  However, the CNO would like it very much if you would subscribe to his monthly newsletter.  That will allow him to tell you about new eBooks as they become available.  Please subscribe now and then download all the free eBooks your hard drive can handle.  And please tell him which one(s) you downloaded.

 

Note #1: Latest eBooks appear at the top of the lists

Note #2: FULL eBooks appear at the bottom right hand column

Nonsense related

 

7 The nonsense of being a worker

The common mistake we make is not to differentiate between what is really ‘out there’ (the facts) and the deduction we make from the facts. We ignore the fact that there is no reality without interpretation.  ►download now

 

6 The nonsense of culture

Corporate culture is the ‘mechanism’ through which the corporate strategy is implemented. If there is a poor match between the what-must-be-done (strategy) and the how-we-do-things-here (culture), then the strategy will be poorly executed. This is why it matters that you have a good, strong culture. Or does it?

►download now

 

5 The nonsense of leadership

The CNO likes to explain leadership as follows: Leadership is about convincing; management is about controlling. Clear and simple, isn’t it? Or is it? The problem, of course, is that most organizations are designed with control in mind.

►download now

 

4 The nonsense of organizations

As a means of channeling the collective energies of disparate individuals, the organization serves society quite well. Until we blame the organization when things go wrong instead of blaming the individuals who comprise the organization.  ►download now

 

3 The nonsense of team work

Today we take it for granted that specialization, created by the division of labor within teams, will result in productivity gains. But should we?  Too often, at least for my liking, I encounter teams that allow people to specialize in nonsense, and to become very good at it too.  ►download now

 

2 The nonsense of goals

We are told to set ‘realistic’ goals based on a realistic consideration of the physical world ‘out there’. But deciding on what is realistic and what is not depends far more on what is in your mind than on what is out there.  ►download now

 

1 The nonsense of perceptions

The common mistake we make is not to differentiate between what is really ‘out there’ (the facts) and the deduction we make from the facts. We ignore the fact that there is no reality without interpretation.  ►download now

 

   

Strategy and execution related

 

3 Making Shift Happen

(Managing Perceptions for Tactical Effectiveness)

People don’t behave according to strategies and instructions; they behave according to their perceptions of strategies and instructions. In other words, they act on their perceptions. And if people act according to their perceptions, then clearly effective implementation of a strategy will hinge on individual perceptions of the strategy. But this is exactly where top management normally loses the hearts and minds of the people who must act on the strategy: they ignore perceptions.

The likely outcome? The plan is poorly executed, the strategy gets the blame and another strategic planning session is scheduled. 
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2 Your unreasonable people matter

Your unreasonable employees may irritate and annoy you.  And yet, they may actually be your competitive advantage.  If only you knew how to capitalize on them.  ►download now

 

1 Why effectiveness matters...

(...more than efficiency)

We all appreciate a major benefit of the capitalist system, namely its relentless drive to efficiency. The ‘invisible hand’ of the market is supposed to ensure that the producer with the highest prices will not be around for long to rip us off. However, this hasn’t always been the case, for it is only now, with easy and rapid access to price comparisons via the Internet and cell phones, that we have the power to be the ‘invisible hand’.  ►download now

 

Full, unabridged eBooks

To get these ebooks onto your hard drive, you must ask via email.  Why?  Because these ebooks are exactly the same as the printed, published, un-free versions.

Please note that your name will be added to the CNO's newsletter mailing list. (No, not for spam purposes, nor for sharing with others.  You can easily unsubscribe at any stage, if you really want to.)

2 Make the Nonsense at Work Work for You

Nonsense is always at work. It never stops. That’s the bad news. The good news is that there is always some sense in nonsense, if you look for it. And if you are willing to look for it, time and again you will find that you can make the nonsense at work – work for you.

Making sense of nonsense requires you to use both left and right brain modes of thinking. The book is designed to help you to react intuitively to what you read on the right-hand pages and think carefully about it on the left-hand pages.

The 35 specific bits of nonsense are arranged in sections covering perceptions, goals, team work, organizations, leadership, culture and workers.

ask nicely

 

1 Pointers on My Path

Coming soon.

 

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© 2008 James Henry McIntosh - All rights reserved - Richmond, Virginia, USA - www.nonsenseatwork.com