Charles Blain
See Different. Think Different.

Latest

09
Jan

The Translation That Killed

Morton Thiokol's engineers said don't launch. They had the data. Cold temperatures. O-ring erosion. 53 degrees
1 min read
08
Jan

Congruence Over Control

Boeing's stated values: "Safety is at the core of who we are." Dennis Muilenburg, then-CEO, in
1 min read
07
Jan

The Learning Lag

You made a change on Monday. Something broke. But which change caused it? By the time you saw the problem,
1 min read
06
Jan

The Vanishing Middle

Ten years from now, consulting has two price points. Premium. And free. You're not wrong to feel the
1 min read
05
Jan

No Authority Full Truth

Pixar's Braintrust has reviewed every film since Toy Story 2. Finding Nemo. The Incredibles. Inside Out. Coco. Each
1 min read
04
Jan

Truth Requires Safety

The all-hands: "We need candid feedback. Speak up if you see problems." Feedback form arrives. Everyone fills it
1 min read
02
Jan

The Silent Alarm

You've seen this before. Someone on the ground knows something is wrong. They report it. The report gets
1 min read
01
Jan

The Math That Kills Teams

In 1964, IBM bet everything on OS/360. It would be the most ambitious software project ever attempted. One operating
1 min read
31
Dec

Process Beats Power

In 2005, Garry Kasparov ran an experiment. The greatest chess player in history had lost to IBM's Deep
1 min read
30
Dec

Out-Skilled vs De-Skilled

On June 1, 2009, Air France Flight 447 fell out of the sky. The Airbus A330 had flown itself across
1 min read