Entries tagged with: Geof Read
It’s Good to Be a Freak
12 August 2014
Allison Partners senior consultant (and first time blog contributor) Geof Hammond read Think Like A Freak. Inspired by the book’s engaging stories and anecdotes, he considered how an approach like experimentation could help him think like a freak. (In case you were wondering, that’s a good thing.)
Creative Activity
1 September 2015
Geof came across a fascinating study during one of his regular internet searches for creativity and innovation, Benefiting from creative activity: The positive relationships between creative activity, recovery experiences, and job-performance-related outcomes by Kevin J. Eschleman, Jamie Madsen, Gene Alarcon, and Alex Barelka.
Lessons in the Mud
27 September 2016
Geof came across the article Elephant (Loxodonta africana) footprints as habitat for aquatic macroinvertebrate communities in Kibale National Park, south-west Uganda, about the role of water-filled African-elephant footprints as micro-habitats, and was fascinated by what he read.
Why Do We Hate Lines?
4 April 2017
Geof read Why Waiting Is Torture and pondered why waiting in line is so miserable.
Reflections on Time
3 April 2018
Geof read A Geography of Time: The Temporal Misadventures of a Social Psychologist by Robert Levine, and was interested to read Levine's research on the pace of life in different cultures.
Evolutionary Framework of Decision-Making
11 December 2018
Geof read The Rational Animal: How Evolution Made Us Smarter Than We Think by Douglas Kenrick and Vladas Griskevicius and thought about how our “sub-selves” can impact the way we interpret information and make decisions.
The Power of Labels
9 April 2019
Geof read David Rosenhan’s article On Being Sane in Insane Places from the journal Science (Volume 179, No. 4070. January 19, 1973), pp 250-258.
The Evolution of Pleasure
29 March 2022
Geof has been reading How Pleasure Works: The New Science of Why We Like What We Like by Paul Bloom. The book explores perceived human pleasure from an evolutionary adaptation point of view. Geof shares a few examples from Bloom’s book about sources of pleasure.
Make Use of the Third Space
19 July 2022
Geof read The Third Space by Dr. Adam Fraser and considered the ways people shift between the different roles they play at home, work, and in the community. How do you prepare your mindset for the multiple roles you play throughout the day?
Wish You Were Here
8 November 2022
Geof has been exploring the rich databases of the Library of Virginia. Inspired by postcards he collects, he’s been researching the stories of old motels, restaurants, and tourist attractions and browsing old newspapers to learn about the past histories of these artifacts, as well as searching Google Earth and maps to see what now stands in their place.
Look Away: Maybe It Is Rude To Stare
31 January 2023
Last week Geof read a study in the April 2022 issue of Nature about virtual collaboration. Video conferencing is a convenient way to connect that is infinitely more personal than the old conference calls. However, some of the rules of etiquette may limit video conferencing’s role in more divergent thinking.
Four Way Wins
28 March 2023
Geof revisited Total Leadership: Be a Better Leader, Have a Richer Life, by Stewart D. Freidman. Freidman’s book introduces an alternative to “work- life balance” called Four Way Wins. Geof participated in a leadership workshop based on Total Leadership last week, deepening his understanding of the framework.
Exploring Systems Thinking
18 July 2023
Geof read Thinking in Systems: A Primer, by Donella Meadows. An informational overview of systems thinking and modeling. His blog post attempts to apply some of the principles to a piece of “monumental” folklore.
Psychological Safety and Taking the Right Kinds of Risks
7 November 2023
This week Geof read Amy Edmondson’s The Fearless Organization: Creating Psychological Safety in the Workplace for Learning, Innovation, and Growth, an overview of psychological safety as well as a common-sense framework for leaders to encourage an environment in which employees are comfortable expressing and being themselves.
From Dateline Reruns to Planks: How I Fit Back Into My Pants Using Habits
26 March 2024
Geof read Atomic Habits: Tiny Changes, Remarkable Results by James Clear and learned about The Four Laws of Behavior Change that help regulate habit formation and maintenance. In this post, he outlines how he’s started to implement his interpretation of the Four Laws to be more active in his old(ish) age.
Know Thyself
16 July 2024
Inscribed on the Greek Temple of Apollo is the famous Delphic maxim "Know Thyself." Plato believed true wisdom came from understanding one's character and true nature. Jean Gomes’ sense of self framework from his book, Leading in a Non-Linear World: Building Wellbeing, Strategic and Innovation Mindsets for the Future introduces such a tool for self-reflection.
The Power of Questions
5 November 2024
Geof read James Spradley's The Ethnographic Interview, which offers practical lessons based on the field of anthropology, for understanding end users through empathetic and immersive conversation techniques. Spradley’s lessons on ethnography highlight the importance of empathy and reflection in fostering meaningful connections and enhancing problem solving practices.
