How We Work
The Recipe For Success
It isn’t magic what we do: we simply combine conscious structure with intuition, ground it with four decades of business experience, check the latest research, and deliver this to you in a direct, frank style of communication.
Structure means outlines, checklists, templates, tools that have worked for others, and a methodical approach in almost everything we do. Some of our tools were first used two decades ago, and others we found just last year. We like to think we’re not dogmatic, but we’re also not afraid to use a template that has proven to be effective, over and over. And new tools become available all the time – so we’ll use those too.
Intuition means that we recall our past work with 50+ organizations and thousands of individuals spanning four decades, to detect a pattern we’ve seen before… keenly aware of what worked then, and more importantly, what didn’t work. We take the view that intuition is the valuable ability to tap memories, and at the same time we’re aware of the danger of various unconscious biases that can masquerade as “gut instincts” and we avoid those appropriately. In fact, we love to catalog and make explicit our biases (and we’ll help you do that too).
We constantly scan the evidence-based research in psychology, sociology, and business for insights, concepts, and best practices. We’ll not only point out the relevant research that applies to your situation, but provide links to books, articles, and podcasts so you can take a deeper dive.
The direct communication of advice and counsel is partly David’s inherent style, but mostly out of respect for your time and money. We strive to make every interaction efficient, brisk, and pragmatic. You’re buying information and experience, so we won’t mince words or avoid the uncomfortable. We practice the concept that Clear is Kind.
Passions
Leaders by definition carry the weight, feel the responsibilities of their organizations personally and passionately. We’ve been there, just like you are now. Flashing Red Light exists to help shoulder that weight, and perhaps help you learn from our prior mistakes and successes.
We know that capitalism can be a force for good, that community matters, and that respect begins with fair compensation for all members of a team.
We are particularly committed to manufacturing in the U.S. and keeping as many consumer dollars in each local economy as possible. For instance, we almost always wear clothes made by our neighbors, buy food cultivated and produced nearby, and support organizations with a local, regional, or statewide focus.
Values
After all these years, our values have evolved and coalesced into a few key guiding principles:
Most of what we encounter in business are outside factors, not directly in our control. Maintaining deep and continuing curiosity is a requirement to notice changing conditions.
We intuitively know that passion is necessary in nearly any kind of success, and yet we also need to avoid the consequences of “taking it personally”.
Sustainability is always good business: for the planet, the team, the customers, and the stakeholders.
After decades of operational execution, our role today is to approach every engagement as a servant to our client. We teach how to lead and operate, we are no longer the leader or the operator.