Cameron Norman

I Deleted My Second Brain Why I Erased 10,000 Notes, 7 Years of Ideas, and Every Thought I Tried to Save

Is our second brain — and the reams of physical and digital notes we carry with us through life worth getting rid of? As an idea and reflection ”hoarder” (and sharer) I can relate the question: What am I doing with all of this stuff? www.joanwestenberg.com/p/i-deleted-...

“Your mind will take the shape of what you frequently hold in thought, for the human spirit is colored by such impressions.” – Marcus Aurelius via @momentumdash.bsky.social

“Patience and perseverance have a magical effect before which difficulties disappear and obstacles vanish.” – John Quincy Adams via @momentumdash.bsky.social

The difference between iteration and true innovation Let’s get one thing straight: not every shiny new product or feature is an innovation.

What does it mean to iterate, and what does it mean to innovate? @guykawasaki.bsky.social has a great primer for both: guykawasaki.substack.com/p/the-differ... #innovation #iteration #strategicdesign

'An extraordinary legacy': Tributes after chimpanzee expert Jane Goodall dies age 91 - follow live The primatologist was a

I'm sad to see that the reason Jane Goodall is trending is that she's passed away. She was an inspiration to me and a source of much of the science-based compassion and understanding I have for animals living in the wild, as well as the need for conservation. www.bbc.com/news/live/c9...

Blues Brothers is a classic!

“Learn to love slow progress. Learn to forgive yourself for the inevitable backsliding. And of course, expect to be uncomfortable along the way.” – Steven Kotler via @momentumdash.bsky.social

Why It’s Time to Stop Talking About “Systems Change” (And What’s An Alternative) The language we use shapes the change we create. Here’s why one word might be holding back social innovation.

Language matters and with a simple change, we can transform systems changes. #strategicdesign #socialinnovation

cdnorman.medium.com/why-its-time...

1/4 If you’re building a team, you don’t need robots - you need real, emotional, passionate and yes, sometimes unpredictable people.

#OCADU recently celebrated the revitalization of Butterfield Park to thank its generous donors. The event showcased the park’s transformation into a vibrant, welcoming green gathering space for all. bit.ly/4ntExO6

It’s a great day for a great day!!!

The Challenge of Complexity Complexity is a term familiar to individuals, foreign to organizations. Understanding it and its implications can transform everything we…

Complexity is all over, but it’s also poorly understood how it manifests itself in organizations and with goal-setting. Thinking about complexity means thinking differently — here’s how: cdnorman.medium.com/the-challeng... #complexity #strategicdesign

Maybe not with the same stakes, but the impact on my mental wellbeing dealing with this stuff is similar. #passwordhell

Culture isn’t built on the values you have framed on a wall. It’s built by what you allow in the room.

When people see bad behaviour go unchecked, it sets a standard.

Tolerate it once, and it becomes the baseline.

Call it out, and you’ll create conditions for something better.

Little surprise on this. Just follow the chemistry. It’s that simple. #health

Kering’s new CEO, business news and a manhunt ensues in the US Podcast Episode · The Briefing · 2025-09-11 · 29m

Proportionality and historical context all merit our consideration of what is newsworthy and deserves political attention. A refreshing take on journalistic and political judgement from @andrewmueller.bsky.social on the latest edition of The Briefing podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/t...

The Bricolage of Innovation And A Kit of Parts Censemaking While much is made of purposeful innovation labs and high tech solutions, much innovation happens by cobbling things together on the go and seeing what works. When we’re looking to respond to…

The Bricolage of Innovation And A Kit of Parts censemaking.com/2023/06/05/t... #strategicdesign

“People overestimate what they can do in a single day. And underestimate what they can do in their whole lives.” – Unknown via @momentumdash.bsky.social

Really interesting connection. It makes sense, but still surprised me.

Integrating Strategy, Design, and Evaluation for Impact Discover how integrated strategic design in human services enhances efficiency and impact, moving beyond outdated project approaches.

Consultants can be great partners in creating positive change -- which isn't the case much of the time. Reductionist approaches to complex problems that separate strategy, learning, evaluation, and people are a big part of the reason why censemaking.com/2025/08/27/s... #strategicdesign

Kudos to @guykawasaki.bsky.social for naming the many lies and half-truths that underpin the myths that are told about succeeding in business (as told in Silicon Valley). #innovation #design

“Nothing is so fatiguing as the eternal hanging on of an uncompleted task.” – William James via @momentumdash.bsky.social

Setting the Table: A Practical Roadmap for Strategy Making In a world of constant change and increasing complexity, strategy can no longer be a one-time document, locked away after a planning retreat. Instead, it must be designed as a living, adaptive process...

It's been a while since I've published a LinkedIn article, but with the summer series wrapped up and summer still here, the metaphor for setting the table for a great summer meal seemed too tasty to resist :) www.linkedin.com/pulse/settin... #strategicdesign #evaluation

Is it AI, the trends in writing, or some combo? When did paragraphs die? I get writing in short paragraphs and making things more accessible. Great. But reading 38 lines instead of two or three paragraphs is exhausting. Anyone else experiencing this?

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Designing care into your organization is not about being nice, it's about setting yourself up to be high-performing, innovative, and complexity-ready.

#strategicdesign #care #design

https://censemaking.com/2025/08/07/caring-by-design/

Profiles in burnout In their new book, leading experts Christina Maslach and Michael Leiter bring academic rigor to organizational responses to employee overload.

Profiles in burnout isn't an overly optimistic focus of an article, but doing this draws attention to something that is a critical factor in designing human-responsive organizations.

#burnout

www.strategy-business.com/article/Prof...?

AI Slop Is Eating The Internet (And You're Eating It Too) - The Elias Makos Show - CJAD 800 Remember when “content” felt like a gift? Now it’s trampoline rabbits, fake reviews and SEO sludge made for algorithms, not humans. If AI slop is flooding the feed… the real question is: how do we sto

AI Slop is a great term for a horrible contribution to culture. As always, @mitchjoel.bsky.social has a great discussion to get you thinking about how we might deal with it on.soundcloud.com/tcmAA21KjC9Q... #AI

Mastering Strategic Design: Navigating Complexity with Ease Explore the essence of strategic design and its adaptability to complexity, ensuring effective decision-making and enhanced innovation.

Connecting systems thinking, behavioural psychology, and strategy-making through design is something I've done most of my career and just haven't fully articulated what it looks like until now. It's made me think I ought to do this with other things. #strategicdesign
censemaking.com/2025/08/01/s...