Forward Thinking
Welcome to Forward Thinking, where we explore the ideas, insights, and strategies shaping the future of leadership, organizational change, and culture. This is where we share what we’re learning in the field—what’s working, what’s shifting, and what leaders need to be paying attention to. Grounded in practice and informed by research, our posts are designed to help you think more critically, act more intentionally, and lead more effectively in times of change.
Serious Business: What the Neuroscience and Organizational Research Say About Play at Work
The assumption that play is the opposite of serious work has almost no empirical support. It carries enormous cultural weight, which is part of why it persists, but the research on cognition, adult engagement, and organizational learning tells a consistently different story. When people are genuinely playing, the brain is doing something categorically different from what it does during a standard meeting. That difference has organizational consequences most leaders haven't fully accounted for.
A heads-up that this one goes deeper into the research than our typical posts. The neuroscience of play turns out to be a useful lens for understanding why certain organizational formats consistently underperform.
From Retreat to Reality - Why great off-sites don't always translate into changed behavior, and what to do about it.
You leave the off-site energized. Commitments made, action items assigned, everyone's initials on the shared doc. And then Monday happens. If that arc feels familiar, you're not alone. And it's not a leadership problem. It's a design problem. Most retreats are built to produce a powerful experience. Very few are built to produce a changed organization. Those are different design briefs, and confusing them is costing leadership teams real momentum. In this post, we unpack why the inflection point problem happens, what the research tells us about behavioral change and context, and four concrete design choices that give post-retreat commitments a fighting chance.
Beyond Slack and Snacks: Building a Remote Culture with TENs
The real issue with remote work isn't the distance; it's the misaligned assumptions. This post introduces the TENs Framework (Traditions, Expectations, Norms) - a blueprint for moving beyond abstract cultural "vibes" to a shared, intentional operating system that drives clarity and high performance.
Fun at Work is Serious Business
I take fun very seriously. This post argues that authentic fun isn't frivolous; it’s an essential, intentional practice that fosters a healthy, resilient, and connected workplace. We explore different types of fun and how to cultivate them as a strategic leader.
Structuring Beneficial 1:1s - A Guide for Supervisors
1:1 meetings can be a game-changer for building trust, boosting engagement, and keeping work on track—when they’re done right. Without structure, they can feel like just another meeting on the calendar. In this post, we’re sharing practical tips to help supervisors run effective 1:1s, from setting a clear purpose to using a standing agenda. Ready to make your 1:1s more meaningful? Let’s dive in.