It’s that time of year. Overeating. Overthinking. Overimbibing. But full of festive spirit and reflection. What are YOU reflecting on this last week of 2024?

On this show we have a tradition of recording an end-of-year discussion. This year we share our most profound learnings from 2024… But it isn’t pie in the sky stuff… No. We always keep it fresh and practical for the cats out there…

We Discuss:

• What’s the one thing that each of us has learned from this year that other consultants might benefit from?
• If you’re just an associate at a big consulting firm, how can you incorporate and influence culture when you’re not setting it?
• How do you know what the right amount of risk is when making career decisions?
• How can you maintain focus and avoid “squirrel brain” when there are multiple exciting opportunities?
• What are the cast’s “things of the year” that had the biggest impact?

Key Highlights:

• Whynde Kuehn shared her biggest learning of the year about embracing being a beginner again emphasizing the importance of humility and being okay with “sucking at things” while learning (00:04:41-00:06:15)
• Oliver Cronk discussed his challenges with prioritization and focus emphasizing the importance of recognizing when to rein in distractions and focus on key tasks that move the needle (00:17:01-00:18:51)
• Chris Lockhart talked about the importance of taking risks, especially when you become comfortable in your career. He emphasized that while risk-taking becomes harder as you get older and have more to lose, focusing only on risk avoidance can lead to stagnation (00:25:50-00:28:48)
• Phil Yanov shared his key learning about the importance of establishing culture in groups, particularly in virtual settings. He emphasized how getting the culture right – including psychological safety and communication norms – led to peak experiences for his teams (00:34:07-00:35:35)
• Whynde nominated Episode 69 about Unlearning as her thing of the year (00:41:39-00:44:01)
• Chris shared a LinkedIn post about enterprise architecture being “the architecture of the enterprise, not just information systems” (00:44:05-00:46:13)
• Oliver highlighted their successful live podcast recording at the British Computer Society Enterprise Architecture Conference (00:46:50-00:48:54)
• Phil discussed AI as modern necromancy, comparing current AI challenges to historical contexts and highlighting the unpredictable nature of AI outputs (00:52:27-00:54:36)
• The conversation concluded with a discussion about the rapid pace of AI development and its societal implications, with Oliver noting that many organizations are focused on short-term benefits without considering longer-term impacts (00:55:21-00:58:50)

7 Takeaways:

1. The value of embracing a beginner’s mindset was highlighted through Whynde Kuehn’s personal journey of learning Norwegian and sailing, demonstrating how stepping out of expertise and into unfamiliar territory can lead to personal and professional growth.
2. Consultants often struggle with maintaining focus and avoiding “squirrel brain,” as illustrated by Oliver Cronk’s experience of chasing multiple interesting opportunities while needing to learn when to rein in distractions and prioritize impactful work.
3. The tendency to become risk-averse as careers progress and comfort levels increase can limit growth potential, suggesting that professionals need to consciously balance risk and reward even in later career stages.
4. Establishing the right culture, particularly in virtual team settings, is crucial for group success and requires intentional focus on elements like psychological safety and clear communication norms.
5. The definition of enterprise architecture as “the architecture of the enterprise, not just information systems” emerged as a crucial clarification for the field, helping to resolve ongoing debates about its scope and purpose.
6. The podcast’s evolution to include live recordings at prestigious venues like the British Computer Society demonstrated how taking calculated risks with new formats can lead to unexpected success.
7. The current state of AI technology was compared to historical necromancy, suggesting that while AI tools can provide valuable insights, their outputs should be treated with careful skepticism as they can be unpredictable and occasionally incorrect.

Check out the Audio-Only version of this episode!