At 21 years old, Tom Hanks was just starting his career and received advice from a cranky Director that would shape the rest of his life. The advice was: “Show up on time, know the text and have an idea.” They became principles he now lives by.

Most people assume that collaboration is a natural byproduct of teamwork. Put smart, capable people together, and they’ll collaborate, right? Not exactly. Collaboration doesn’t just happen—it has to be designed. And the way you design it depends on what kind of collaboration you need.

Can you see beyond the blind spot of your own expertise? The most successful people chose to. Experience is a great teacher, but too much of it can trap us in a prison of our own making, unless we cultivate an awareness of it. Chris Sacca of Lowercase Capital and a regular US Shark Tank guest is all to aware of this and its limitations and offers a strategy to overcome it.

Leaders crave teams that leap into action and take initiative. Teams crave leaders who pave the way and make it safe to fail and learn. I call this the Initiative Paradox. An invisible barrier that keeps both sides waiting for the other to move first. Three steps and you can break down this barrier.

A team misses deadlines. Sales are down. Meetings feel unproductive. The instinct? Fix the symptom. Push for tighter deadlines, ramp up marketing, schedule more meetings. But symptoms aren’t the same as the real problem.

The first rule of problem-solving is to solve the right problem. It sounds simple, but it's astonishing how often teams miss the mark. In fact, research shows that up to 50% of problem-solving time is wasted on the wrong problem. That’s a huge chunk of energy, resources, and creativity thrown away. But it doesn’t need to be.

Fear can be a powerful force, especially in high-pressure situations where immediate action is needed. However, research shows when we’re afraid, our brains shift from creative, open thinking to a defensive state, narrowing our focus rather exploring new possibilities. It's a biological reaction not a conscious choice. And it can be managed.

Initiative is the secret sauce to high-performing teams. Leaders crave it because it drives growth, innovation, and results. People want to show initiative because it stretches their capabilities, helping them stand out and accelerate their careers. But it’s not always easy to have initiative thrive. Learn a simple step to unlock your team’s initiative engine.

Seth Godin says, “I think we need to teach kids two things: 1) how to lead, and 2) how to solve interesting problems. Because the fact is, there are plenty of countries on Earth where there are people willing to be obedient and work harder for less money than us. So we can't out-obedience the competition.”

That voice in your head—the one that second-guesses, overanalyses, and shoots down every idea before it has a chance to breathe—it thinks it’s protecting you. But more often, it’s just keeping you stuck. I call this voice our judgement junkie and it needs to be evicted to allow your creativity to flourish.

Your brain has a switch—one side cranks through tasks, checks off lists, and gets things done. The other side wanders, imagines, and connects dots that don’t seem connected. Both are essential, but most of us get stuck in productivity mode, drowning in efficiency thinking and shutting off access to creative spark. The good news? You can flip the switch.

A workplace that prioritises “getting along,” “being a team player,” and “avoiding conflict” risks making agreeability the dominant cultural trait—and risks killing innovation in the process. Disagreement isn’t the enemy. Disagreement is the spark.

In a Pringles survey, 43% of consumers admitted to getting their hands stuck in a Pringles can—and they weren’t happy about it. This was a problem that needed to be solved.

The first rule of problem solving is: "Solve the right problem". But what was the problem and how did they solve it? A clue: what you believe can always change.

Perfectionism whispers, "Not yet. It's not ready." Pragmatism asks, "Is it good enough to move forward?"

Waiting for perfect means waiting forever. Releasing too soon means compromising impact. The magic is in the balance. Inside is three steps to balance perfection with pragmatism to get the best results.

Dwelling in ambiguity and uncertainty is uncomfortable. It’s tempting to rush to any answer just to escape the unknown.

But seeking premature certainty kills great ideas. The longer you sit with it, the more space you give for better solutions to emerge. This article has three ways to build up your tolerance and amplify your creativity.

Too easy, and we get bored. Too hard, and we give up. The sweet spot? It's where we succeed 85% of the time and struggle 15% researchers have found. This is the Zone of Desirable Difficulty—where real growth happens. It's the formula for entering the flow state.

Ever been in a meeting where someone drops a problem like a grenade and steps back? No solution, no ownership—just boom. This behaviour I call turd observing and it stinks. Find out why we do this and how to fix it with three simple questions.

Most people spend a lot of time waiting. Waiting for permission, waiting for the perfect moment, waiting to be told what to do. But the people who change things? They don’t wait. People who take initiative I call Problem Hunters. They are the most valuable in an organisation.

Six phrases to ban and what to replace them with to develop an expert problem solving culture in any team.

Founded in 1993, NVIDIA started by designing and manufacturing graphics cards for video game consoles. At a key point in their early development a radical solution to a product development problem put them on a path to become a USD $3 trillion business and the backbone of the AI technology revolution.