Censemaking No. 55
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Hello, fellow innovators, creators and leaders,
I’m one doctor who takes his own medicine (so when I recommend something, you know I’ve tried it out or seen its value firsthand). That means being willing to change and innovate. This includes heeding my advice to design for humans: create things based on what people want, need, and use. It means combining data with design. Today’s issue reflects what I’ve learned when taking my advice.
I’ve learned that this newsletter on change, making and making change is ready for…well, change.
As we pass the dog days of summer and look toward ‘back to school’ season, the time for a new look, feel, and fresh start seems right. Thus, I present you with a refreshed and renewed Censemaking Innovation Newsletter. It’s designed to be easier to read, share, access and learn from. It should allow you to dive deep better and skim content when needed. You’ll also be able to access archives online and bookmark links to past issues beginning with this one. No more searching through emails.
I’ve always aimed to provide accessible and valuable resources to help you lead, grow and innovate in a changing world that seems to be changing faster every year. Your time and attention are valuable, and I respect that - hence the change.
Thank you for making this newsletter part of whatever fresh start you find this season as you head back to school, work, or wherever your journey takes you.
I appreciate your readership. Enjoy the summer.
Cameron
Coffee: because imagination needs fuel
Unknown
Coffee Talk
What we’re talking about during our coffee break
Change While In Motion
There’s a fundamental difference between change starting from standing still and one done in motion. One model offers a clean slate with no baggage and few constraints, while the other involves culture change and transformation.
Most of what happens in human systems is transformation work: changing one thing into something else. Occasionally, we get to create a new program from scratch, but more often, we find ourselves changing one thing into something else. Take this newsletter as an example. There are no constraints on what it turns into, but there is a history (it’s why you’ve subscribed) that brings expectations.
It’s why people say change is difficult because it’s rarely one thing that changes. For example, a change in strategy might change how we lead, organize, communicate and evaluate what we do—all that from an organizational decision to focus and prioritize different things. A change in diet might mean adjusting our social habits, what we pack for lunch, and where we shop. A shift in recruitment strategies might also lead us to reconsider performance evaluations, staff support, and work expectations for everyone.
Innovation on the fly is more complicated partly because it shifts from an improvement to a developmental mindset. The focus is on evolving and learning, not scaling up the same thing. That requires a different approach to change-making and innovation: developmental design.
So many change initiatives fail because they are designed for growth rather than development. It makes me think we need a new approach to training and supporting innovation design to help people see whether they are standing still or moving when they begin. What’s your thoughts?
Fresh Start Effect
It’s probably a good time to bring back a discussion of the Fresh Start Effect - not just because of the newsletter refresh 😃. It’s one of the best, most straightforward, and most potent framing techniques to spur change at any time.
In short, the Fresh Start Effect uses a date, event, or some other temporal anchor to spur a new change. It’s why New Year’s Eve, anniversaries, or a new school year can all serve as times to attempt a change. But, as we know, these don’t always work. (Odds are you’ve experienced a failed New Year’s Resolution). Katy Milkman and colleagues discovered that you can turn any day into a Fresh Start day if you imbue it with meaning.
Just like Monday is a new beginning for the week, maybe there’s a date you can use (the 15th?) or the first of the month, an anniversary, or a moon phase — they’ll all work. Set the date and use that to inspire a new start, no matter how often you fail. If it doesn’t work, set a new date and try again.
Because the evidence is clear: the more attempts you make, the more likely you are to succeed. Or, as hockey legend Wayne Gretzky (or the Internet) said:
Innovation Notes
A few ideas on innovation to inspire innovative thinking.
Mundane Innovation and the Role of Maintenance
Paul Taylor writes a great blog on innovation. He recently wrote on the importance of maintenance in everyday work contexts. Taylor argues that much of what we do is mundane and dull, and that’s OK. I agree with him and suggest framing innovation as a spectrum from maintenance to transformation rather than a binary. What’s your take?
Bicycle Highways and Design for Cities
It’s easy to imagine how a highway for bikes might be excellent if you’re an urban commuter. However, some counterintuitive design features in these transit corridors illustrate why some ideas aren’t as simple and why better design thinking can create better policies for cyclists, pedestrians and drivers. Check out the latest from Shifter.
Translating Failure to Curiosity as a Strategy
Anne-Laure Le Cunff goes deep into the psychology of failure, its contributing factors, and how it can be leveraged to channel curiosity. By viewing failure and curiosity as incremental steps toward a goal rather than a byproduct of attempts, we can learn to live and work with failure as a necessary step toward innovation rather than a painful outcome.
"The first step towards getting somewhere is to decide that you are not going to stay where you are."
J.P. Morgan
Mental Health, Leadership & Psychology
Resources for caring for yourself and promoting health, wellbeing and performance in your teams.
Chronic Anxiety and Wellbeing
Anxiety is part of being innovative. How can it not? We don’t know what’s going to happen, and that sometimes can prompt feelings of anxiety. But what happens when a temporary feeling becomes chronic? Psychologist Nick Wignall has an excellent resource for those looking to manage their anxiety and deal with chronic anxiety issues.
Finding Your Voice
Sure, we’re told: speak authentically or in your own voice. But how do we find it? Many of us have written for others in ways that are purposefully generic. How can we reclaim our voice and perspective? This guide from Psyche provides a step-by-step guide to finding that natural voice that’s been dormant and can help you speak up.
Neurodivergence and Leadership
Rob Hatch writes a terrific weekly newsletter on coaching and leadership. He’s also an advocate and speaker on neurodiversity at work. Like me, Rob was diagnosed as having ADHD as an adult. He recently spoke about this on the Wise Squirrels podcast (devoted to adult-diagnosed ADHD), providing valuable insights into living and learning in a world seeking our attention.
If you’re interested in learning more about ADHD, I’d highly recommend the recent book ADHD 2.0 by Edward Hallowell and John J. Ratey.
Unsure what neurodiversity is and why it matters (especially for change leaders?), this guide from Harvard University is a good primer.
Design Thinking, Making and Implementing
Thoughts on creativity, making, and exploring.
Are you making a mark? Seth Godin speaks of the song of significance as an outcome of our work. If we want to make real change, consider how to design for significance, not just users.
Insanely Useful Websites is one newsletter that lives up to its name. You’ll find things you never thought you needed or would use on it. (free subscription required)
Another design resource that doesn’t live up to its name but is still valuable is Design Lobster. A few times a month, a new collection of resources is published and includes essays, commentary, and tools to help you better create, share, and improve your creative work.
What is a Servicematician? Daniele Catalanotto from the Swiss Design Academy suggests this new term as “the guy who works on all things service-related.” He argues that we have technicians for computers, telecommunications, and many other everyday things in our workplaces, why not service? (He makes a good point).
Looking for new ideas? Try going for a walk. The Innovation Walkabout is a simple technique to bring fresh eyes to familiar situations and places.
"Though no one can go back and make a brand new start, anyone can start from now and make a brand new ending."
Carl Bard
Innovation to Impact
Notes on evaluating the quality, outcomes and influence of what we do.
Setting Baselines
Are you looking to evaluate the impact or influence of what you’re doing? The first thing you need to consider is setting a baseline. Innovation and change-making is always about going from one to another. If you don’t know your “from”, you can’t point to your “to”. This article describes what to consider when forming your baseline.
Using Principles
Principles-focused Evaluation is a helpful approach for innovators because it’s anchored to guiding decision-making in complex situations. Rather than prescribe a pathway forward, focusing on principles can allow us to adapt and design for emergence, not just a plan that falls apart in the face of change.
Better Evaluation
The website Better Evaluation is one of the most significant sources of evaluation tools, methods, and approaches anywhere. This valuable resource is for novices and experts alike and will help you envision ways to assess your work's use, impact, and significance.
Biscuits and Biscotti
A cafe-themed approach to the beautiful British phrase bits and bobs to share some random ideas and finds.
I recently attended the wedding of Suzanne Reeves and Kirk Clyne. Apart from being beautiful human beings (and a beautiful day), they also author a web resource and newsletter looking at learning and using AI to make beautiful things.
Surprise! Research shows taking a vacation is good for you!
This quiz will help you determine the myths from the realities in psychology (like learning styles — mostly myth).
Visualizing your goals comes with risks. This guide from Nir Ayal will help you avoid the traps associated with visualizing goals (and not following through on doing the work to achieve them).
The latest issue of the Design Museum Everywhere Magazine looks at common spaces.
How to deal with decision fatigue.
"Every new beginning comes from some other beginning's end."
Seneca
Thank you for reading! What are your thoughts on the new look? Please reach out with ideas, suggestions, comments, questions, kudos and anything you want to share or ask. I love hearing from you.
Cameron
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