Tuesday, May 19, 2026

Strategic Simplicity® #36

Most organizations don’t suffer from lack of strategy. They suffer from not knowing which part of the strategy is actually decisive.

Monday, May 18, 2026

Strategic Simplicity® #35

If a transformation requires constant re-justification, the underlying constraint has not been clearly understood.

Friday, May 15, 2026

Strategic Simplicity® #34

You don’t need better alignment meetings. You need to identify the decision that alignment is trying to avoid.

Thursday, May 14, 2026

Strategic Simplicity® #33

When everything feels important, nothing is. The real work is identifying what is actually constraining progress.

Wednesday, May 13, 2026

Strategic Simplicity® #32

Most stalled programs aren’t stuck in execution—they’re stuck in unresolved decisions at the top of the system.

Tuesday, May 12, 2026

AI Truth and Accuracy

I think the question isn't "Can we trust the AI?" It's "Can we build guardrails around the LLM to auto detect when it's not accurate or truthful enough for our particular task?"

Strategic Simplicity® #31

Complexity is often just the symptom. The real issue is a hidden constraint no one has surfaced or named.

Monday, May 11, 2026

Strategic Simplicity® #30

If every initiative is “high priority,” it usually means the organization has lost sight of what actually drives outcomes.

Saturday, May 9, 2026

You Shouldn't Want Balance in Your Life.

Forget "Work-life balance". You want "work-life flux." That means sometimes focusing on work, and sometimes on life / play. Adjusted dynamically, as needed, without guilt.

Friday, May 8, 2026

Strategic Simplicity® #29

Most executives don’t need more data. They need clarity on which decision is actually holding everything else back.

Thursday, May 7, 2026

When the Key Change is not The Key Change.

Strategic Simplicity® is all about identifying the key change or priority to get the most important result for your business or personal goals.

But, sometimes, the Key Change is NOT the key change for right now. If the Key Change generates resistance or has a low chance of success, then there may be a First Key Change. Doing this first might prove the concept, and/or increase the odds of the Key Change.

For example, developing a new software system may be a key change that speeds up your manufacturing process. But, if you feel that you'll only have 45% of success because of the state of your project management organization, and fixing that would raise the changes to perhaps 75%, then fixing your project management is the key change for right now.

Strategic Simplicity® #28

You don’t have a prioritization problem. You have too many priorities because no one is willing to eliminate the wrong ones.

Dad jokes:

1. Someone ripped the fifth month out of my new calendar. I’m dismayed.

2. A woman fainted and fell onto the baggage carousel at the airport. But she’s slowly coming around now.

3. I saw a CraigsList ad that said, “Radio for sale, volume stuck at 10.” I said to myself, “Man, that’s a deal I can’t turn down.”

4. I’m sorry to hear your uncle was run over by a boat in Venice. My gondolences.

5. Today I gave my dead batteries away. They were free of charge.

6. It’s inappropriate to make a ‘dad joke’ if you’re not a dad. It’s a faux pa.

7. I’m going to have to return the camouflage jacket I bought last week. I just can’t see myself wearing it.

Wednesday, May 6, 2026

Strategic Simplicity® #27

If your roadmap keeps expanding, it’s not a planning problem. It’s a signal that the real priority hasn’t been identified yet.

Tuesday, May 5, 2026

Strategic Simplicity® #26

Most transformation initiatives don’t stall from lack of effort—they stall because no one has identified the constraint everyone is working around.

Wednesday, April 29, 2026

Shades of Roger Bannister

Until this past Sunday, nobody had run an official marathon in under 2 hours (someone did this in 2019, but it wasn't following official marathon rules). But, in Sunday's London Marathon, both the first and second place men's winners did it. Besides talent, part of it was incremental advances in training, nutrition, and technology (they both wore the new Adidas Adizero Adios Pro Evo 3, which are very light weight, cost $500, and are designed to last only 1 race). Also, they were lucky with the weather.

But, now, we are probably going to see more people run sub-2 hour marathons.

Fun fact: the first modern marathon record was set in 1908 by American Johnny Hayes. If he had run on Sunday, his record-setting time of 2h 55m 18s would have meant that he would have finished outside the top 2000 finishers.

I guess this is another example of how Alan Weiss says you can't coast because plateaus erode.

Sunday, April 26, 2026

Warriors on the Battlefield

Warriors meeting on the battlefield. Don't worry- they become friends once the get to know each other!

Thursday, April 23, 2026

Employee of the Month :-)

Monday, April 20, 2026

How my concepts of Strategic Simplicity® and my CLOUD Framework Work Together

A client recently asked me about the relationship between my signature approach, Strategic Simplicity® and my CLOUD Framework.

I first reminded her that I am an executive advisor, but specialize in one thing: identifying the key changes that lead to dramatic improvement. So, I don't provide generic strategic planning, executive coaching, or leadership training. I call my highly effective, surgical approach Strategic Simplicity®. It's a powerful scalpel to cut through the noise and informational overload of today's Attention Scarcity era.

If, during a session, my client is feeling overwhelmed by a large, complex transformation, or isn't sure which part of their organization we should apply Strategic Simplicity® to, then we can use CLOUD to scope out what we will focus on.

CLOUD stands for Change, Language, Operations, User, and Decisions. These are all process areas where applying Strategic Simplicity® can yield high leverage, and dramatically improve the business.

Fintech AI and A Bridge Over Troubled Waters

Here are two recent case studies from my executive advisor practice. On the surface, they appear wildly different, both in content and scale. But process-wise, they are the same, since I'm a process consultant, and my specialization is identifying the key changes that result in dramatic improvement.

Success Story: Fintech AI Triumph

A fintech CIO faced a $5M AI project stalled by scope creep. 
Using CLOUD, we phased the rollout, aligned with business goals, streamlined processes, simplified interfaces, and clarified decisions.
As a result, the client saved $400K and cut timelines by 20%.


Bridge Over Troubled Waters
A park district had a booth charging a fee to cross a scenic bridge into a wildlife area. The problem was that the line to cross really backed up.
I advised them to set up 3-4 stations back near the parking lot to take their cash and give them a token.  At the bridge, they simply collected the token to allow crossing.
As a result, a bottleneck was eliminated, and long lines ceased to be an issue.

Sunday, April 19, 2026

Why I Work Like a Running Back: Strategic Simplicity® in Action

When large consulting firms tackle organizational change, they often look like a flashy, complicated passing offense. They draw up elaborate plays — new systems, massive process overhauls, cultural revolutions, and sweeping reorganizations. It looks impressive on the whiteboard, but it frequently disrupts the entire team, creates confusion, and has a low completion rate. The organization gets exhausted, and the big gains rarely materialize.
I take a different approach.
With Strategic Simplicity®, I work like a disciplined running back.
We don’t try to throw a 50-yard bomb on every play. Instead, we methodically identify the key changes — the right holes to hit — and execute simple, high-percentage runs. One reassignment here. One reframed conversation there. A smart incentive tweak or targeting an adjacent market at the perfect moment.
Most plays gain a steady 3–5 yards. They’re reliable, low-disruption, and build momentum. But because we pick the right spots with precision, we also break several long runs that move the chains dramatically.
Over time, those consistent small gains compound. The organization moves down the field with confidence, without getting battered or losing its rhythm.
That’s the power of Strategic Simplicity® — steady, surgical progress that adds up to dramatic improvement. If you’d like to experience this approach firsthand, I invite you to schedule a complimentary 30-minute session. Just email me and we’ll find a time that works.

Chuck Who?

Saturday, April 11, 2026

I've Written Less Code Than Anyone in the World.

Nobody in the world has written less code than me. Find a fisherman in the Yucatan who's never seen a computer. At 0 lines of code, he's "written" more code than I have! My code count is decidedly negative because my advice to executives has led to the retirement of, or prevented the creation of, thousands of lines of code. The key to innovation, especially in the Age of AI, is about what you don't do. Software is an asset. Lines of code are a liability. You want to maximize the value of the former, while minimizing the latter.

Friday, April 10, 2026

How should you encourage your child's education in a world of AI?

I think the best advice comes from the poet Richard Hugo (Ironically, he passed away in 1982, so he never experienced AI.) I learned about Hugo from Mark Levy, who praised Hugo's ability to discuss large, universal concepts by writing detailed poems on small, specific subjects.

The advice from Hugo that I think is apt to education in the world of AI comes from his opening paragraph in his book on writing "The Triggering Town".

He talks about what he tells his poetry writing classes at the University of Montana: "In a sense, I hope I don't teach you how to write but how to teach yourself to write."

Thursday, April 9, 2026

Is Anthropic's Latest AI Too Dangerous?

Anthropic's latest AI, Mythos, is so powerful that they aren't releasing it to the public. They are just making it available to other software companies because it can easily find security bugs. In fact, it found security holes, some over 20 years old, in every operating system and web browser. They are hoping that companies can use it to patch flaws before other AIs are powerful enough to help hackers. An interesting this is that the government may not like Anthropic from sharing it with companies, since the government collects flaws so that they can hack enemy systems.

https://www.economist.com/business/2026/04/08/how-dangerous-is-mythos-anthropics-new-ai-model?giftId=OTc4Zjg5Y2EtMThjNy00M2MyLTkyZTUtYzg3ODhlZWI4NTA2&utm_campaign=gifted_article

AI vs EIEIO ?

Monday, April 6, 2026

I'm Sick of "We're AI First!"

I'm sick and tired of all these "me too" companies that say "We're AI First!"

This is like a construction company saying "We're hammer first!" Yeah, so? If I need to hire a construction company, I don't want one that sees everything as a nail problem.

AI is revolutionary and important, but it's a tool. It needs to be used properly and in context.

Friday, March 27, 2026

Pumping Gas: Then and Now...

Wednesday, March 25, 2026

Egg Dying Contest

Tuesday, March 24, 2026

Spoiler alert: Turns out that Pebbles is Marty's great great great....great grandmother :-)

I am now focused on Executive Coaching and Advising

Hi, I just wanted to let all my contacts know that my consulting practice has shifted in the last year. Instead of strategic consulting, I have shifted to executive coaching and advising, for both entrepreneurs and leaders in organizations. I help them dramatically grow their businesses and careers. I advise them in areas such as setting strategy, planning, execution, clear communication, and decision-making.

This change was driven by my clients. They found that hiring me for advice was more valuable for them then hiring me for consulting and, consequently, started referring more people for coaching and advising. I also found that I really enjoy it, and find it rewarding to help others become more successful.

If you know of anyone who might benefit from executive coaching and advising, please have them contact me. I'll be happy to have a short (20 minute) zoom call with them, to see if we would benefit from working together. Thanks!

Wednesday, March 18, 2026

Knuckleball Dance

Stop trying to brute-force your way through business and life. Find your own simple and elegant path to success.

Not following the herd, and forging your own path, makes a lot of people uncomfortable. Most feel exposed without the cover of evidence, indicators, and expert opinions. The majority are really uncomfortable with being contrarian, instead of trend-following.

I compare it to the “Zen of the Knuckleball” in baseball.

Most pitchers learn to throw fastballs, curves, sliders, and change-ups. Their main pitch is the fastball — brute force, throw it as hard as possible.

In every generation, there are a tiny minority who are “knuckleballers”. They throw the knuckleball almost exclusively.

Unlike the other pitches that are thrown hard, a knuckleball is thrown softly. It “dances” in the air.

Instead of controlling the speed and location, the knuckleball pitcher has no control, and has no idea how the pitch will move.

Instead, he surrenders and trusts the process.

He has faith that, even though the knuckleball is moving slowly, its path changes moment to moment, making it nearly impossible for the batter to track and time it.

Now, I’m asking you to discard the other pitches, be true to yourself, and start throwing your knuckleball…

Sunday, March 15, 2026

Fail Your Way To Success

"I’ve missed more than 9000 shots in my career. I’ve lost almost 300 games. Twenty-six times, I’ve been trusted to take the game-winning shot and missed. I’ve failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed." - Michael Jordan

Saturday, March 14, 2026

Which Came First? The Chicken or The Egg?

Which came first? The chicken or the egg? Evolution provides the answer. The egg came first. A prehistoric creature that was 99.9999999% chicken laid the first chicken egg.

Thursday, March 12, 2026

Great Pyramid of Giza

Here are a couple of interesting facts about the Great Pyramid of Giza:

1. Cleopatra lived closer to the invention of the iPhone than the building of the pyramid.

2. The pyramid's latitude is 29.9792458°N.  The speed of light is 299,792,458 metres per second.

Columbo

Sunday, March 8, 2026

Young Turtles...

Star Trek Meets the Lawyers :-)

Monday, February 16, 2026

Robots At Chinese New Year's Show

Chinese robots are getting incredible:

Will Companies Use AI to Replace SaaS Subscriptions?

Like most decisions, it's not black or white. Bigger companies (especially in regulated industries like health care or finance) are not going to write their own versions of ERP or HR software because of complexity, regulatory, and compliance requirements.

But smaller companies that need a "lite" version of a SaaS, might write their own, unless they target this need.

Also, in this period of turbulent change, if SaaS companies don't keep up with the evolving needs of their customers, and large gaps open up between what they offer and what the clients need, they will be more tempted to create their own apps.

Friday, February 13, 2026

Using AI to Code: Context Engineering vs. Vibe Coding

The way software engineers are using AI to code now (context engineering) is very different from "vibe coding" by non-developers.

With vibe coding, someone might ask, "create a sales website," and it might work, but not have security, stability, etc. issues.

With context engineering, developers first think through the approach with AI (including security, stability, scaling, etc), get the agent to document what they discussed, then close the agent, and open a fresh one, to clear out the old memories.

This is the key. They manage the context (info in the agent's memory) to keep it from filling up and containing different ideas. This limits hallucinations and keeps them focused on one task.

Then, they ask the fresh one to use the design to come up with the plan. After the detailed plan, with check boxes, is developed, they have it written out, and then shut the agent.

Then, they run a loop where a new agent is spawned, works on one item, checks it off, creates notes for its successor, then shuts it down, and spawns a fresh one (with no memory) to read the notes and take off from where the previous one left off. It's thus a fully automated, but controlled process.