What on earth do you do with all those Post It Notes and Sharpies you’re always buying?

It’s a fair question and one which colleagues and friends often ask too. So, by way of an answer, I wrote this brief ‘elevator‘ explanation.

What is a design sprint?

A design sprint is an interactive step-by-step system for solving big problems and/or testing big ideas. This is done over a structured four or five-day period with a small team of key people. In one form or another, I incorporate design sprint methods into much of my training, facilitation and coaching.

Why would I run a design sprint?

Design sprints are used for discovering, building and testing new products, services and apps. In New Zealand, household names like Powershop, Air New Zealand, Vodafone, Icebreaker and ACC use sprints to remain competitive in their sectors.

Sprints can also be used to develop, build and test workflows, models and policies. The outcomes of some sprints I have led include reducing processing time and red tape in local government work planning, improving the online booking experience for Regional Parks and enabling sports clubs to self-serve when reserving sports fields and facilities.

How will design sprints help my business?

Pure design is often seen as an open-ended, overly creative and long-winded process but this needn’t be the case. Sprints are quick and cost effective compared to traditional long-form project work.

A design sprint is a short series of timed workshops involving a small number of key players. These workshops can deliver specific and measurable customer-focused outcomes in under a week, using ‘how can we..?’ questions to inform and build prototypes to test with customers – all between Monday morning and Friday afternoon.

I want a 2nd opinion from a leading practitioner

Sounds great – so what should I do now?

If you would like to know more, feel free to contact me for a chat or book a two-hour Lightening Sprint to experience the process for yourself. Either way, leave me a comment, send me a message, drop me a line or give me a call on 021 233 1445.

The post What is a design sprint and why I should care? appeared first on Jon Dunning.

Some time back, I wrote about my friend Jason and his 1% idea. I don’t always remember to do my 14.4 minutes of self-directed study each day – other priorities emerge, emergencies occur and, on days like today, travel can disrupt my usual routine. When that happens, I take the opportunity to stop and ask myself if there is anything I can learn in the moment.

Thinking about packing for the first of two business trips in the next 10 days, I faced the recurring question of which bag to use. Having been seperated from my checked baggage on a recent trip, I use a smaller case that means I can travel without checking-in any baggage. By definition, a smaller case means that I must carry less but that’s no longer an issue.

Over the last year, I have devoted some of my 1% time to researching business travel and clever packing hacks on YouTube. After watching some truly bizarre videos, I found a handful that have really helped me packed smarter and quicker. Among other things, I now ranger-roll t-shirts and underwear, and pack smaller items into the channels between the handles to make full use of every bit of space.

A tip of my own would be to use packing bags/modules as they helps store items snugly and keep clean and dirty clothes separate while you’re away. You don’t need to buy the expensive bags or ‘packing cubes’ at the outdoor stores, simply pick up some mesh laundry bags at your local $2 shop.

More often than not, I work in smart casual clothes but the occasional job requires me to wear a suit.  This being the case, I was keen to find a way to pack a suit in a carry-on case or rucsac without it creasing and needing a full press at my destination. Luckily, I found the following video featuring Jacky Tam of British Tailors in Hong Kong showing a customer how to fold a suit and shirt for packing in a case.

With that, I’ll put my bags in the car and head to the airport. If you have a great travel tip to share, please leave a comment here or on my Facebook page.

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This question comes up every so often when speaking with a prospective client or in conversation with colleagues. A couple of weeks ago, I came across just such a discussion on LinkedIn. Kevin Callahan was one of those involved in the discussion and he has written a short article in which he clarifies the similarities and differences he sees between the two disciplines.

Kevin’s key point is that the primary difference between coaching and mentoring is the focus of the conversation. As a mentor, one joins the mentee in focusing on the issue at hand, while a coach focuses on the coachee, supporting them to focus on the issue. Keen to be able to refer to this in the future, I grabbed my Sharpie and PostIts to capture the essence in the simple visual mnemonic above.

I thoroughly recommend reading Kevin’s piece, Coaching and Mentoring: 5 Similarities and 2 Critical Differences, as he condenses a good deal of common sense and wisdom into a few short paragraphs.

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I’m in the middle of a hectic few weeks. At work, I am enjoying working with some awesome folks in the health and fitness industry. Evenings and weekends are full of chores, errands and fun stuff with family too. When things are busy, it can be hard to carve out a little time for myself, time when I can switch off and let things go.

Last Sunday, I read a great quote which reminded me how important these time-outs are:

Don’t just do something, sit there.*

You can find this as a popular meme all over the internet – easy to read and move on regardless. Instead, I took it as a prompt and decided to stop what I was doing and take time to sit and be. I made myself comfortable on the couch in our sunny kitchen, closed my eyes and tried not to think of anything.

Of course, thoughts continued to race through my mind. Rather than get frustrated, I smiled and enjoyed not having to deal with them there and then. My mind gradually slowed and I became aware of my surroundings. First, the hum of the fridge. Then the birdcalls. The mooing of the cows. The bleats of lambs. The wind in the pines on the ridge above us. After that, I spent a glorious twenty minutes with myself – not the business owner or husband or dad – just me.

I grew up in a faith tradition which worships in silence and yet I still forget how powerful a practice it is. Those twenty minutes provided valuable rest and respite for my brain. Made space for my mind to relax. Allowed my intellect to switch off. Prepared me for another hectic week.

None of this is new. Meditation has been around for centuries and mindfulness is now marketed as yoga for the mind. As such, these can seem like mystic skills we can never learn or clever life hacks to make us more productive. Yet we can all find a little space, a little calm and a little peace if we just stop doing and sit for a while.

Around one in six New Zealand adults is diagnosed with a common mental disorder at some time in their lives. These disorders include depression, bipolar disorder and/or anxiety disorder and many others.

I am one of those people.

In my case, pressures of work, too many commitments and a series of bereavements took their toll. Like many, I tried hard not to let things show, particularly at work. I tried to manage things on my own, thinking that I could cheer myself up and stop feeling down by sheer will.

It didn’t work. After a breakdown on a crowded international flight, I sought help. With support from family, friends and our doctor, I began to tackle the problem and things improved. Aware of the triggers and what I can and can’t control, life is more enjoyable. There are good days and not-so-good days but, more and more, there are great and fantastic days.

If you struggle with depression or anxiety, I encourage you to seek help and assistance. Below are some great places to start.

Mental Health Awareness Week
www.mhaw.nz

Depression.org.nz
depression.org.nz

The Lowdown
thelowdown.co.nz

Mental Health – conditions and treatments
www.health.govt.nz/your-health/conditions-and-treatments/mental-health

* This quote is attributed to many sources. These include Zen master Thich Nhat Hanh, author Sylvia Boorstein and even Buddha himself.

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• High skill but low will: A skilled or experienced person who needs a new challenge or change.
• High skill and high will: A skilled &experienced person looking to grow, develop or have increased responsibility.
• Low skill and low will: An under-performing, unengaged and/or unmotivated person.
• Low skill but high will: An enthusiastic person who is new to a job or task.

Alternatively, use the matrix to think about where you are at the moment – where would you plot yourself, why, and what will you do about it? If you’d like to learn more about motivating your team or making some changes yourself, contact me today.

The skill/will matrix was popularised by Max Landsberg in his compact but excellent book, The Tao of Coaching – not to be confused with the Hershey and Blanchard Situational Leadership Theory with which it is sometimes confused.

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It is so encouraging to read of a bold and sustained employee-centred initiative that has delivered significant results and challenged the top-down, trickle down mindset.

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