11 of 24 - The Nudge unit
In the workshop, my apprentice test pieces were waiting to be started. I had a stack of work to complete for my modules, but somehow couldn’t summon the momentum. I was nudged about my lack of progress which sowed a seed. I decided—on my own terms—to get the work done. I powered through and completed all of them in record time. Reggie Edwards asked “Someone stuck a rocket up yer ass, boy?” Years later, in the boardrooms and site offices I remembered that moment. The rocket quip, the timing, and the fact that I’d moved when I was ready. I assumed others were built the same way. They just needed a nudge and they would move by their own volition. So I nudged. A note on a desk. A quiet suggestion in the corridor. A graph left visible in a meeting. I rarely instructed, though I could if I had to. I rarely barked, though I think I’d earned the right if necessary. Nudging felt more civilised. More human. And because I knew that the best compliance wasn’t coerced—it was chosen. ...