by Mark Harling | Aug 25, 2025 | Blog, UK, Uncategorized
Why Saplings Need Constant Attention Forests look effortless. From a distance, you see tall trees stretching into the canopy, layer upon layer of life renewing itself. But when you look closely, you realise how precarious growth really is. Saplings are fragile. A dry...
by Mark Harling | Aug 25, 2025 | Uncategorized
Why Farming Tools Don’t Work in Wild Forests When you walk through a managed tree farm, there’s a certain order to it. The trees are planted in neat rows, evenly spaced, growing straight and tall. They are cultivated for predictability and yield. There is little...
by Mark Harling | Aug 25, 2025 | Blog, UK, Uncategorized
Choosing What to Nurture When a gap opens in the canopy, the forest responds. Seedlings that had been lying dormant suddenly push upward, stretching toward the light. Some look strong and promising, others more fragile, even lacklustre. But not all seedlings become...
by Mark Harling | Aug 25, 2025 | Blog, UK, Uncategorized
Facing the Canopy as Business Owners I was walking in the forest this morning when I came across a sign about the forest canopy. It explained how the canopy is always in flux: trees die, storms knock them over, and new gaps open in the cover above. Those gaps are then...
by Mark Harling | Aug 19, 2025 | Blog, UK
The previous article in this series made the case for listening to your ‘canaries’. But what if your current culture actively discourages speaking up? What if trust is eroded? This brings us to the core tension at organic choice points: the instinctive...
by Mark Harling | Aug 12, 2025 | Blog, UK
Article 1, The Invisible Crisis – Why Leaders Miss Organic Choice Points revealed how bias blinds us to organic choice points. Now, we activate your best early-warning system: the voices you’re trained to ignore. The Metaphorical Canaries in the Coal Mine If...
by Mark Harling | Aug 5, 2025 | Uncategorized
In the series introduction, we framed choice points as silent forks in the road. Today, we explore why even skilled leaders overlook them, and the costly consequences. Leaders pride themselves on foresight and control. Yet, time and again, organisations are blindsided...
by Mark Harling | Jul 29, 2025 | Blog, UK
What if your next crisis isn’t sudden, but a choice you missed months ago? This weekly series explores ‘organic choice points’: invisible pivot moments where organisations either evolve or unravel. Drawing from real client cases (all anonymised), we’ll dissect why...
by Mark Harling | Jul 28, 2025 | Blog, UK
Credit James Wainscoat on Unsplash Most organisations are led by highly competent individuals who excel in the system as it exists today. They navigate office politics with finesse, optimise operational efficiency, and master the art of impression management. These...
by Mark Harling | Jul 24, 2025 | Blog, UK
Why Human Problem-Solving Still Matters A few days ago, I built a quiz. It wasn’t just any quiz; it was a small experiment in turning intangible ideas into something interactive. A way to help leaders reflect on their challenges and explore potential support. It...
