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Relationship Spectrum – a useful model

When thinking about the type of collaboration required in B2B relationships, the thinking usually gravitates quickly towards 'partnership'. To me, this is one of the most misused terms in the industry. I illustrated this earlier in a blog post…
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AI – First Cracks in the Bubble?

The loudest voices on AI have the most to gain from its hype. My grandmother taught me to always ask: who said that, and why? When I told my grandmother something as a child, she had a ritual set of questions: "Who said that? Why did they say…
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Is AI Conscious?

Richard Dawkins recently concluded that AI is conscious, even if it doesn't know it. Not everyone agrees. Which raises an uncomfortable follow-up: has one of the world's most famous rationalists fallen victim to AI-psychosis, the tendency to…
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AI as Socratic Advisor

A Smarter Way to Think Together There's a familiar anxiety circling conversations about AI: if we hand our hardest questions to a chatbot, do our own thinking muscles quietly atrophy? It's a reasonable concern. Use a calculator for everything…
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No Windows, No Excuses

The BBQ is burning, the room is filled with smoke — and yet we keep coughing Imagine this: halfway through a party, someone lights a barbecue in the corner of the room. At first, it smells like summer evenings, grilled meat, and good times.…
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Who Is Responsible When the Algorithm Gets It Wrong?

Nobody, apparently. And that is exactly the problem. In his 2024 book The Unaccountability Machine, economist Dan Davies introduces a concept that explains one of the most quietly dangerous features of modern life: the accountability sink.…
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The Map Is Not the Territory: Why Sourcing Needs a Holistic Lens

How our obsession with frameworks and tools is blinding us to what actually makes sourcing work There is a famous saying in philosophy and systems thinking: the map is not the territory. A map is useful — it helps you navigate, plan,…
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The most sustainable purchase is the purchase you don’t make

I previously wrote about the NAMI study (see the blog Circular Facility Management from June 6, 2024, and Refuse, rethink and reduce from October 10, 2025). The two-year study is nearing the finish line, which means we are now publishing a lot…
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The certificate is only the beginning

On April 13, I received my certificate as a STEM Co-Teacher. But the most valuable thing I took home that day didn't fit in an envelope. Why I wanted to become a Co-Teacher My motivation for participating in the TU Delft Co-Teach program was…
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Span of support

There's a concept that has quietly shaped organisational design for nearly a century: span of control. The idea is simple: how many direct reports can a manager effectively manage? Get the number wrong and the whole structure creaks. Too wide,…
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Carbon Accounting Professional

Last month, I took the Carbon Accounting Professional course, because knowledge of measuring CO2 and other greenhouse gases is absolutely essential in the toolkit of any sustainability consultant. The most widely used standard for measuring,…
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Volunteering

At Happy Planet Professionals, we distinguish four ways you, as an independent professional, can make a positive contribution and make an impact. Core business: through the work (product or service) you do. I implement this by helping organizations…