Book 37"Beyond Command and Control" by John Seddon

Book 37 of my 2024 reading challenge was on a shelf in a bookshop I frequent so I picked it up. No real story here. "Beyond Command and Control" by John Seddon is about how you can amp up your organization.?

“The vital purpose for leaders is to gain knowledge of how the system generates and keeps customers.”

Alright, here's the deal if you're looking to really amp up how your organization is doing:

First off, you gotta get clued into what your customers actually want. Know what they’re digging and what’s just not cutting it for them. It’s all about getting what 'value work' means—like, really understanding the stuff that makes your customers go "wow, that's exactly what I needed!"

Now, about your managers—they've got to really feel what the customers are going through, not just hear about it back in their comfy office. They need to ditch the desk, roll up their sleeves, and jump right into the mix with the customers. It’s only by getting that firsthand taste of the frustrations and needs that they’ll really get fired up to shake things up. Plus, eyeballing the system from the inside out? That’s step one to making any meaningful changes.

So yeah, it’s about getting the right insight, feeling the customer's pain for real, and then measuring up to see if what you’re doing is hitting the mark. That’s your golden ticket to tweaking things for the better!

To be fair I found this one a tough read. Maybe not for me.? For those following my reading challenge Book 35 and 36 this week were "No Rules Netflix and the Culture of Reinvention” and "The Unsettled” by Richard Shaw. Shaw's book is a must for all those who love early New Zealand history.?

If you have a suggestion let me know. And don't forget, #BetheLight for others this week. Let's keep sharing our stories and learning from each other. Stay tuned for more insights every Monday, and if you're not already on the list, sign up here? to get all this straight to your inbox.?