Cultivated

Sign in Subscribe

Latest

A photo of a Baseball coach

Notes on Coaching: What I’ve Learned in Practice

Coaching is often framed as questions versus answers, but in practice it is a mix of both. In this Studio essay, I share field notes on coaching as a discipline for helping people improve outcomes in work and organisations.

A set of old weighing scales

Cash and Culture

Salary is a blunt instrument. Culture is the other side of the employment exchange. In this Studio essay, I explore cash and culture as two sides of the system that shapes why people join, stay, and leave organisations.

A person reading a newspaper

A Broad Audience Is Not a Generic Audience

Broad communication is not generic communication. Treating everyone the same is the fastest way to ensure no one understands.

A photo of a letter on a black background

The 5:15 Report

As teams grow, it becomes harder to stay connected to the reality of work. The 5:15 report is a lightweight sense-making loop—five prompts that compress progress, improvement, and mood into a readable signal.

A photo of padlocks with names on them in Poland

Proximity to Excellence

Training spreads information. Proximity spreads judgement. Why being near excellence remains one of the most powerful ways to learn.

A photo of the London Skyline

You Only Have One Priority

The word priority is singular for a reason. Focus is not a productivity hack but a philosophical stance: meaningful progress begins by choosing one thing over everything else.

A school classroom

Building a Learning Culture

Training does not create a learning culture. Behaviour does. This essay explores why curiosity, slack, and leadership example—not platforms and quotas—form the foundation of organisations that adapt and endure.