Idea Surplus Disorder

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Latest — Dec 15, 2025

Idea Surplus Disorder #123

This week in Idea Surplus Disorder: facilitation as an act of radical care, what firefighters teach us about collaboration, and why boredom fuels creativity. Plus: when AI helps (or hurts) thinking, using the Minto Pyramid to communicate clearly, and why mastery still requires going deep.

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Idea Surplus Disorder #122

This week: how invisible AI shapes our thinking, why screen-free learning still wins, and how “interesting work” fuels happiness. Plus: leadership tells, strategy you’re already executing, the rise of proof-of-work, and why so many workers feel numb to change.

Idea Surplus Disorder #121

This week: why purpose drives engagement, how trust is quietly eroding, and how to measure it better. Plus: organizational debt, smarter reading, using AI-created time well, the hidden cost of quick wins, when risks are worth it, and a great Thanksgiving icebreaker.

Idea Surplus Disorder #120

This week in Idea Surplus Disorder: how to ask your manager for what you really need, why leadership can be both lonely and angry, and what happens when innovators succeed. Plus: smarter AI prompts, team-confidence tests, and the marketer who sold books by selling shelves.

Idea Surplus Disorder #119

This week in Idea Surplus Disorder: the tension between thinking deeply and moving fast, a diagnostic for leadership maturity, and the risks of outsourcing thought to AI. Plus: smarter client focus, attention collapse, and insights to help you lead and think intentionally.

Idea Surplus Disorder #118

In this edition: Lead up with confidence, handle conflict with curiosity, and rethink how you use time. Also, the “temporal crisis” of modern work, the choice between Octopus-style adaptation and strategic hibernation, and why fewer meetings lead to happier, higher-performing teams.

Idea Surplus Disorder #117

In this edition: how internal “non-competes” clarify shared projects, why imagining a new CEO for your life drives change, and what building hills can teach about leadership. Plus: expeditionary teams, imperfect productivity, and the upside of office politics.

Idea Surplus Disorder #116

In this edition: feed your subconscious, build action stacks, the costs of search, cracks as paths to change, why leadership matters even in flat teams, and how resisting AI can sharpen your skills.

Idea Surplus Disorder #115

In this edition: the surprising power of simply trying in a world where effort is undervalued, whether social media is entering its final days, why cognitive offloading may be making us dumber, and how to spot (and avoid) terrible decisions.

Idea Surplus Disorder #114

In this edition: the upside of squeaky wheels, the discipline of intentional amateurism, and the surprising benefits of stress in hiring. You’ll also find fresh thinking on subtraction as a leadership act, AI as a recruiting coach, and why questioning your expertise might unlock your next big idea.