Ever build something with Legos? Before the Batmobile and Death Star kits came with blueprints, we used to just stick the blocks together. You’d be trying to make a dinosaur and suddenly realize it looked more like a building. What to do? Why, add a tail, of course. The problem is…now your T-Rex just looks like a skyscraper with a tail. Too often, that’s what we do in business. We try to fix things by patching the mistakes instead of pulling it apart, stepping back, and building it out the right way. So…is there an Empire State-dactyl in your business?...

Whenever I start with a new client, we make an STFU list. You see, every leader has pet projects and ideas that the team hates dealing with—or thinks are more a distraction than an opportunity. Occasionally, the boss listens and will kill the project or take the idea off the table. But often the answer is “I know, but we’re doing it anyway.” By identifying which ideas aren’t up for discussion (the STFU list), we can map out how to work around (or in spite of) them instead of wasting time and energy trying to quash them....