Ashby's Law

1/ Notice

I find a lot of book list posts are far too long — 60+.

They look like they've been chosen from the Amazon best sellers list from the last couple of years. I'm not saying these posts are performative, but that seems like a lot of books to read and digest in a year.

Contrast this with Bill Gates' Summer reading list. One fiction, one non-fiction, and one audio book. Authentic. Real. Deep reading. I like it.

There was also a recent article by Rose Horowitch in The Atlantic. She argues widespread deep reading may be a brief historical phase for humans rather than a permanent state of human society. Maybe we're at the start of seeing a decline in people reading complex texts — a by-product of the digital age.

On this basis, I decided to publish my Autumn reading list. Three books to read, digest, and make notes.

What will you be reading?

2/ Question

Talking of reading, there's a book called Strategy and The Fat Smoker by David Maister.

His thesis is that while we know what we should do in situations, and often know how to do it and why, what's hard is applying what we know — actually doing it as a practice, in the long run, despite temptations.

With AI, it's easy to acquire the why, how, and what information. Knowledge like that was power not so long ago; now everyone has access — for £18 a month.

I wrote more about that, and how I am testing it, here.

So if we know what to do, and applying that know-how is hard, that begs a question:

How rapidly is your commercial value shifting from know-how to application?

3/ Act

A friend asked me a question about coaching leaders who resist being challenged. Does it make them uncoachable?

The truth is some people just don't respond well to this, even when the provocation comes from their most trusted advisors. They find it ultra hard to listen, reflect, and consider a perspective different to their own.

The thing is, the combination of their strong self-belief (needed for leadership) and low vulnerability (unwillingness to admit uncertainty) creates a barrier to growth.

But uncoachable? I think not.

In cybernetics, there is a thing called the Law of Requisite Variety, formulated by W. Ross Ashby in 1956.

The law, in short, is "only variety can absorb variety." Meaning a system can only handle, regulate, or "destroy" the complex disruptions it faces if it has an equal or greater amount of internal complexity and possible responses.

Applied to coaching, those with flexible behavioural options and communication styles manage conflict and negotiation more successfully. In other words, successfully coaching a leader who resists challenge comes down to the coach's flexibility.

This week, do something that improves your communication flexibility. Three ideas to get you started:

1/ In a meeting, take a snapshot of the energy levels and levels of engagement at 15-minute intervals. For example, if energy drops, test asking for a physical action to lift engagement.

2/ Practice signposting transitions out loud when you want the conversation to change direction. For example, "Now let's shift gears and focus on immediate action items," or "I'd like to hear everyone's input before we decide."

3/ Adapt to the pace and personality of the person you are speaking with. For example, people who are fast-paced and transactional need a different style to those who are thoughtful and relationship-oriented.

Hit reply and share your takeaways.

That's it until next week.

Clive