by Jose Medina, PhD | May 19, 2026 | Learning & Improvement |
In Brief Over a year, I interviewed 19 Australian founders across 15 industries for my PhD research. I was trying to understand what made some workplaces hold people while others kept leaking them. The findings broke down into seven specific patterns. None of them...
by Jose Medina, PhD | May 19, 2026 | Learning & Improvement |
In Brief The same problem coming back means you’re treating a symptom, not the cause. Deming distinguished between common-cause variation (in the system) and special-cause variation (signals). Single-loop fixes follow the existing rules; double-loop questions...
by Jose Medina, PhD | May 19, 2026 | Purpose & Engagement |
In Brief Lack of initiative is rarely a motivation problem. People wait for instructions when the system has taught them to. Without a clear goal, action becomes risk — so people stay still. Without a learning environment, trying something new has no upside. The fix...
by Jose Medina, PhD | May 19, 2026 | Communication & Trust |
In Brief “Culture fit” often becomes code for “similar to me.” That builds echo chambers, not teams. Real culture fit is about alignment to purpose, not personality. The strongest teams have diverse backgrounds and shared commitment to the...
by Jose Medina, PhD | May 19, 2026 | Purpose & Engagement |
In Brief Founder burnout is usually misdiagnosed as a workload problem. The real cause is loss of connection — to purpose, to people, and to feedback. Holidays don’t fix burnout because burnout isn’t tiredness. Joy at Work is what protects founders, not...