What do lumpy compost, underwhelming basil, and internal influence have in common?

Tom's Pip Decks deck, Innovation Tactics, contains a popular card called Seeds vs Soil. At time of writing, the concepts of gardening were purely theoretical to him. But now we've dipped our toes into the complex world of home horticulture, we thought we'd revisit the tactic, and share some stories of failure, "fine" soil and fennel.

This became a springboard for a dive into how people—especially those without positional power—can get unstuck and make progress inside complex, boggy organisations. A riff on experimentation, disappointment, and the quiet joy when a seedling pokes its little green head up.

Hear us wrestle with:

• When to invest in soil prep—and when to just throw seeds down and see what grows
• Why half-baked experiments are a good way to tune your appetite for risk
• The three routes to career progress: power, influence, and acceptance
• How to gently test ideas at work without stepping on toes (too hard)
• Tromboncino squash, borage porridge, and general botanical misadventures

References:

• Innovation Tactics from Pip Decks https://pipdecks.com/products/innovation-tactics
• Dave Snowden’s Cynefin framework https://cynefin.io/wiki/Cynefin
• Especially the linear construction of Cynefin: https://cynefin.io/wiki/Linear_construction_of_Cynefin
• Episode 103: Competence, control and consequences https://shows.acast.com/triggerstrategy/episodes/103-competence-control-and-consequences (original concept from Scott Berkun's Why Design Is Hard)
• Episode 048: Conceptual Models https://shows.acast.com/triggerstrategy/episodes/048-conceptual-models
• Episode 038: Creativity, innovation and a flawed coffee machine https://shows.acast.com/triggerstrategy/episodes/663109cbcff31b0012ae9307
• Watchful Waiting from Tom's article with John Cutler https://cutlefish.substack.com/p/tbm-274-how-capable-leaders-navigate?open=false#%C2%A7patience-and-self-repair
• Seeds vs Soil (tactic in Pip Decks) [ front | back ]
• Alex Komoroske's viral deck Coordination Headwinds: how organisations are like slime molds https://komoroske.com/slime-mold/
• Alex on Lenny's podcast talking more about gardening: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/unconventional-product-advice-alex-komoroske

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