The Scribbler: The Case for Friction
The Scribbler The Case for Friction0:00/615.7681× Good evening, and welcome to this edition of The Scribbler—a newsletter that circles one organisational problem until it shows itself.
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Organisations
On how organisations are built, changed, and quietly undone by their own structure.
119 essays
Critical Ignoring: The Executive Discipline That Makes Strategy Possible
In an age of cheap text and AI-generated plausibility, leaders are not misled by too little information but by too much of the wrong kind. In this piece I explore why attention has become a governance risk—and why learning what to ignore now matters as much as what to know.
Inner Circle
How High(er) Performers Out-Think Their Reactions
Metacognition is the discipline of noticing—and revising—your thinking in real time. It sharpens judgement, steadies emotion, and turns debriefs and assumption checks into a practical system for better decisions.
The Commons
Giving Bad News, Badly
Bad news rarely breaks trust; bad delivery does. Too often managers turn necessary cuts into needless cruelty. Yet, predictability, clear reasons, real control, and concrete compassion can preserve dignity and actually build trust even when decisions hurt.
The Commons
2025 in Review: Authority, Attention, and the Return of Coherence
A 2025 review of authority, trust, coherence and attention—plus a strategic outlook for 2026 on AI governance, provenance, regulation and decision quality. What to prioritise, what to ignore, and why clarity beats theatre.
The Commons
The Missing Middle in Enterprise AI
Most companies use AI, but few achieve real impact. In part I of this series I explore why people—not tools—determine AI maturity, and why the next serious organisations will dominate the space between pilots and profit.
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A Six-Move Playbook for Managers Who Need Truth and Traction
A practical guide for managers who need candid teams and consistent delivery. Six disciplined moves that sharpen judgment, normalise challenge, and build the structures that keep work honest, focused, and on track.
The Commons
A Delicate Dance of Trust and Openness
Psychological safety is often miscast as comfort. It's time to restore a harder edge: as a discipline that lets teams surface error early, challenge authority safely, and keep standards sharp—especially in hybrid work, where voice is fragile and candour is the real performance engine.
The Commons
Trust in the Age of the Machine
AI's fluency enchants, eroding the old signals of competence and authority. The danger is that trust becomes a machine illusion. Leaders must refuse the managerial shortcut and practise noble language—reasoned, responsible speech—to keep trust a human achievement.
The Commons
AI Is Changing the Structure of Organisations, The Future Is a Rhomboid
AI is said to be reshaping organisational forms, rendering pyramids obsolete and obelisks ascendant. Yet the deeper truth is distortion rather than stability. The “Rhomboid Organisation” captures this skew—unstable, off-balance, authority flattened.
The Commons
Lessons from Bach: Rethinking Modern Hiring Practices
Johann Sebastian Bach’s “mediocre” appointment in Leipzig offers a sharp lesson for today’s hiring. Organisations often chase unicorns, mistaking signals for substance. True value lies in suitability—clarity of purpose, openness to varied forms of competence, and sound judgment—rather than surface c
The Commons
Why Trust Matters More Than Data in Decision-Making
Facts are mute; their power depends on the credibility of those who present them. In organisations, trust shapes whether reports persuade or vanish into doubt. Reason often follows allegiance, not evidence, making ethos decisive. To improve decisions, leaders must treat trust as capital and judgment
The Commons
The Creator vs. the Passenger: Rethinking Recruitment in Charities
Many charities hire from big-name firms expecting transformation, only to find prestige doesn’t equal performance. The real divide isn’t charity versus business—it’s creators versus passengers. Creators build momentum from scarcity; passengers coast on brand halo. Recruitment must look for scars, no
The Commons
Your Job Title Is the Ceiling They Hand You, Your Capability Is the Skylight You Cut
Titles often serve as tools of exclusion rather than accurate barometers of capability. Skills-based approaches expand opportunity and strengthen outcomes. By rethinking hiring signals, leadership speech, and development pathways, organisations can unlock talent, foster fairness, promote moral agenc
The Commons
Managing People Isn’t a Side Hustle: Time to Re-Professionalise Management
Managing People Isnt a Side Hustle Time to Re Professionalise Management0:00/618.6721× A while back I mentored a gifted software engineer—let's call her Priya. Priya
The Commons