Blog - Designed Learning

How Flawless Consulting gave me confidence to be useful rather than helpful By Amanda Cole “Let’s try something different this time around,” we thought. My husband and I packed our two kids up and headed to the airport for my upcoming work trip to lead sales onboarding training for Quest Diagnostics. I usually left on my own, but we thought we’d get… Read Post

Choosing the Path of Most Resistance You’ve likely heard the saying, “I’ll take the path of least resistance.” For those who want to avoid conflict, it often appears to be the best way forward. In consulting however, choosing the path of least resistance is often the one that will lead your project to… Read Post

Departing a Culture of Control Where PeopleAre Objects and Order Reigns Supreme: Making the Ordinary Significant By Peter Block The ways we get things done, the ways in which we organize effort, even towards the commons, are increasingly disturbing. Whether in our governance structures, the private sector indexes, the style of philanthropy, or wherever you spend your days, all are subject to patterns of… Read Post

Connection is the Content When we think about learning, most of us focus on the material in front of us. We expect information, models, or frameworks to be at the center. That’s how most of us were taught: the content is the point, and connection is secondary. But in practice, the opposite is true. Read Post

Tattoos of the Mind Transformation can be thought of in different ways. A shift in story, in narrative, in worldview, in science, in consciousness. It means that something in our life and world and community is profoundly changing. For each period of change it is useful to find artifacts that… Read Post

Flawless Consulting: A Compass in Chaotic Times We live — and work — in a world that feels increasingly complex. Organizations are stretched thin, trust is extremely fragile, and it seems like every day, leaders are being asked to do more with less. In the midst of uncertainty, it’s easy to slip into survival mode. Solve the… Read Post

The Creative Economy Part One: Another Way Forward By Peter Block We live in a culture where our attention is fixated on what is not working and who is winning and losing. The narrative is filled with polarization, conflict, wrongdoing. This is the major substance of headline news and a good portion of social… Read Post

Part Two: The Creative Economy in Plain Sight by Peter Block “The future is already here, it is just unevenly distributed.” ––William Gibson We are surrounded by an economy that we rarely hear about, called the creative economy. It is not an economy for creatives, it is about the ways people create… Read Post

Safe Return Doubtful By Peter Block | We live in a market culture that organizes itself around scarcity and barter. What’s in it for you, what’s in it for me, let’s make a deal. It treats us as if we are essentially economic beings, motivated by self-interest... Read Post

Empowering Consultants to Navigate Turbulent Times By Beverly Crowell | As organizations continue to face unprecedented times, internal consultants are facing significant challenges that require not only technical expertise but also exceptional interpersonal skills and strategic insight. And it doesn’t matter if your job title includes the word consultant... Read Post