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Join Derek Hudson as he explores Essential Dynamics, a framework for approaching the challenges facing people and organizations. Consider your Quest!
Welcome to Essential Dynamics. I'm Derek Hudson, host of the Essential Dynamics podcast, and I develop the Essential Dynamics framework in a quest to try and understand how people and organizations can work together to get cool stuff done. Today, I have my friend, host, engineer, producer, Bryn Griffiths with me in the studio. Well, I'm with him in his studio.
Bryn:You read that just the way I wrote it.
Derek:Yeah. Yeah. So I'm Bryn's puppet here, and I'm gonna say whatever Brent tells me to. Actually, Bryn, thank you for coming on. And it's been we've we've took a little break over the summer, so it's good to be back.
Derek:It's almost it's almost September, and we're it's it's time to get serious about stuff again.
Bryn:So what do you want me to do? Because normally, I don't get dragged into this because you've got a great guest with you, and you're talking about stuff. So what's up?
Derek:Well, I've I I wanna kinda make an announcement really about Essential Dynamics, and it's a bit of a a step change in the work that we've done for, like, five years now.
Bryn:Okay. So what have you decided? What's the big announcement?
Derek:So the big announcement is that I am have released Essential Dynamics to the public as an open source product. I'm using the Creative Commons license, which allows people to copy and use Essential Dynamics and all the work as long as they attribute it back to me.
Bryn:Okay. That's interesting. What made you to go this route?
Derek:Well, I keep thinking that Essential Dynamics, the way it's set up, is very, very simple. You can describe it in only, actually, a few paragraphs, And it makes such a difference in the way, people can think about organizations that I I just wanted to get out there and to be used more and to be able to solve some of the tricky problems that we face in organizations and in our relationships and in society. I don't think that I want to try and protect it and, you know, sell word by word and stuff like that. I want people to use it. And then if there's an opportunity for me to get involved in more interesting conversations, that's great.
Derek:And then the other thing is I think that there's more to the ideas that other people can add to and make it better.
Bryn:Can you explain open source? Because not everybody's gonna know what that means.
Derek:Yeah. Open source is typically considered or we think about when we think about software. And there's a there's a tremendous example of open source that we all touch every day. So in 1991, there was a developer in Finland, Linus Torvalds, who, a side project, was kind of working on his own little operating system. And he he had some good ideas, and I really can't explain what was so innovative about what he was thinking of.
Derek:But it was just like a clear way of giving computer and computers instructions. And so he he wrote up a concept document he called the Kernel. So, like, that's the seed, the core, the nugget of it. And then he posted it on probably Usenet or something because it was way before, you know, web two point o, and this is before you and I even had access to the Internet in '91. He just put it out there and he said, I don't know if this is any good.
Derek:What do you guys think? And and people people started to run with it, and they would write routines and compilers and programs that were based on that Kernel, and then they would upload them back to that same place and so other people could use them and edit them and apply them. And then companies like Red Hat and Ubuntu started putting, like, sort of production grade software that was based on that. And now it turns out that I think it's something like 98% of the sort of electronic data processing that's going on in the world runs on Linux, which is what Linus said, you know, ultimately invented. And it's still open source, and it still is improved upon by many people.
Derek:There's a standards organization, and and Linus, you know, kinda runs that and make sure that they don't get off track. But it's extremely powerful as a huge impact on the world. And so I I look at Essential Dynamics, and I I don't I don't think I'm quite that ambitious. But there is a lot to it that's very easy to understand. It all connects to itself really well, and it provides a great foundation for thinking through, you know, tricky problems about organizations and other things.
Derek:And I just wanna make it available. So what I what I did in in June was rearrange the Wiki that we talk about that has, you know, my podcast show notes and the concepts and stuff. And there's a place, and I'll put link it in the show notes, but it's essentialdynamics.wiki/kernel. And Kernel is not spelled like colonel Sanders, Brent.
Bryn:It's Kernel as in popcorn?
Derek:Kernel as in popcorn, k e r n e l. And that has a 150 words that explain essential dynamics. Now that's the only that's not the only thing that's open source, but that's the kernel of it. That's the start of it.
Bryn:Right.
Derek:And I've I felt like if I could put that out there, then there's really no way that someone else could come up with this or close to it and not have it be obvious that it the kernel was there first, and the kernel is the is the clear statement.
Bryn:So
Derek:I I kinda get the I get to be able to control the development of it without limiting access to people. So, you know, my business name is unconstrained. A lot of the work that we do is based from the thinking that comes from the theory of constraints. And if I'm trying to help the world think better, why would I limit or constrain the world's access to it by making it so you had to hire me to get my insight. So I put it out there, open source, public access, and let's see if we can improve the way we work together and the way we think.
Bryn:Okay. So I've known you since high school. Actually, junior high. We go back that far. So knowing you the way I do, how were you able to do this in a 150 words?
Bryn:Like, because, you know, through this is episode one thirty nine. So what I wanna know is how were you able to kinda whittle it down to a 150 words to sum it up so beautifully in a single Kernel?
Derek:Well, the first thing is I tried.
Bryn:Okay.
Derek:Right? Like like I I tried to do it. I had documented this stuff all along the way. So I had the words and I know where you're getting at, Brynn. And so yes, at many points in the process, I ran it through various AIs that I use and say Of course.
Derek:Yeah. Take take take words out. Make this as simple as as we can. But it it really was the objective was to get it so that there were no words that didn't contribute to your thinking.
Bryn:Gotcha. Okay.
Derek:Yeah. And so then and so then what I wanted for this Kernel is that you could take the Kernel and then apply it without any other text. You could apply it to a situation. Now there's two ways to do that, and I think in future episodes, I'm gonna walk through, you know, how you could use it. But you can look at the words and then look at the problem statement or, you know, think about your situation and ask yourself the questions that the colonel kinda suggests.
Derek:But the really fun thing and the super easy thing to do is you paste that 150 words into your prompt and say, using the Essential Dynamics Kernel, explain this to me, or help me help me find the problem with that. And I did some really interesting tests in earlier in the summer and found that the Kernel was very robust and powerful, and it wasn't missing anything in that very limited set of words.
Bryn:So how excited were you by all of that?
Derek:Oh, it's very cool. Yeah. Yeah. It was very cool. I felt maybe a little bit like Linus did back in the day.
Derek:Yeah. No illusions about, you know, hundreds of millions of users. But on the other hand, I have been looking for five years very in a very focused way and for, you know, fifty years in a more general way for something like what I have now. And I I couldn't find it anywhere I had to make it. And when you go into the business section of the bookstore and start pulling books out, you can find a book that has a piece of it or that has something that's, you know, maybe even less useful.
Derek:And I can't can't find anything that competes with it. So I had to put it out there.
Bryn:Okay. So so let me ask you why Kernel and not framework model or method or anything like that? Why you love the word Kernel. I could tell because you you smile when you say it.
Derek:Well, I use framework a lot, and and that's that's what I call Essential Dynamics. But Essential Dynamics, there's you know, like, we've had a 138 podcast episodes about it, and I've got, you know, literally hundreds of pages in my Wiki. But it's based on just a few key ideas, and I wanted to, you know, reduce it to what the real essence was. And and this idea of a Kernel that spawned Linux really resonated with me. So that's what when I when I saw that I could make it I could make it work even when it was rough.
Derek:I'm like, yeah. This is this is something that's gonna be valuable.
Bryn:Okay. Over my almost forty years of working in the media business, doing interviews, that kind of thing, I always try to simplify to make sure that the listener or the viewer always got a good grasp of things. So to sum up your announcement, if you can if you can kinda sum it up, can can you give me a Derek Hudson, Kernel? Sum up your announcement as easy and gently as you can before we move on because you got other stuff that's going on, which I think is great too.
Derek:Yeah. So I would say that what I've been able to do is reduce all of the ideas that I find so useful and essential dynamics down to a very short statement, which any human or machine, can use to take to look at problems in a different way. And I find it, very helpful to kinda rethink things that, we're we're we're stuck on.
Bryn:Okay. You might hate this term. I do as well, but I also recognize it as necessary. Do you do you like the term dumb it down, or is there a different way of wording it?
Derek:Oh, that's a great question, Brent. The way I like to think about it is we're looking for the simplicity on the other side of complexity.
Bryn:Okay.
Derek:And and and I've written a lot about that.
Bryn:I John, where's my pen?
Derek:Yeah. There's some great down. There's some great sources. But if you think about Isaac Newton, reduce the laws of motion to something very, simple that we still understand. And nobody did it before him.
Derek:Yes. And he he had to think about it. In fact, Isaac Newton was went back from the college during the plague, kind of like I sat in my room during the pandemic. And said, I gotta think about this some more. And all he did during that time was come up with the laws of motion and calculus.
Bryn:That's all.
Derek:That's all.
Bryn:Yeah. I I just throwing it out there because I always cringe when I say, can you dumb it down a bit for me? Because I I think the word dumb really sets a lot of people off. But Yeah. The way you worded it, perfect.
Derek:Simplicity. Simplicity on the other side of complexity. And I got it. You have to you have to fight through the flex complexity. And then when you get to the simplicity, you go, yeah.
Derek:That's what I was looking for all along.
Bryn:Incredibly, we're nearing the end of August. And some people might listen to this in September, October, November. You never know. But we taped this the middle of August, and you're packing your bags. What's going on?
Bryn:Are you jumping on a plane? What's happening? You're not doing a cruise. You're doing something valuable?
Derek:Well, my wife is in the cruise business, so she thinks they're all valuable.
Bryn:Of course.
Derek:But, yeah, this time, it's it's it's really great. There's the theory of constraints. International certification organization has a conference called the TOC Innovation Summit, and it's in Manchester, September second to fourth, which is either coming up or if you're listening to this in a bit.
Bryn:Hey. Hang on a second. Hang on. Hang on a minute. Hang on.
Bryn:Manchester in The UK?
Derek:Manchester in The UK.
Bryn:Okay. I gotcha.
Derek:And they had a call for speakers, and I pitched them. And and they invited me to come speak. And I'm really excited about the topic because it's something that I've spoken about on the podcast a lot, even really recent episodes. And that's the idea that you can't see the system from inside the system. Mhmm.
Bryn:Theory of constraints. So is that the name of the event?
Derek:Well, it's called the TOC Innovation Summit.
Bryn:Okay. Got it. So that's the t, that's the o, that's the c.
Derek:That's the city.
Bryn:So what have you been hearing about the summit? Why are you excited?
Derek:Why I'm excited? Well, the theory of constraints is a foundation for a lot of the ways that I think about things. And I've I think I've come up with some ways of using the theory of constraints to get an even broader, more more holistic view of systems than the practitioners themselves typically do. And they're gonna let me speak about it at the conference.
Bryn:So is this kinda like a TED style type of talk? How's this gonna work for you?
Derek:Yes. It is like a TED talk. There are some others that are more like a a conference lecture, but these are fifteen minute punchy things supposed to leave people with their heads spinning about something they've never thought of before. So I'm looking forward to that opportunity.
Bryn:Can you do fifteen minute punchy?
Derek:I think I can, Bren. Can do two minute punchy. I know.
Bryn:Well, that sounds great. So so so what's your idea for this? What what are you gonna focus in on? You can't go general because I'm guessing you wanna start to maybe focus in on something specific or am I wrong on that?
Derek:No. It's it's really cool because I'm just gonna I just have to reach up here.
Bryn:Yeah. Okay. What are you reaching up there for?
Derek:Yeah. Oh,
Bryn:it's on the bookshelf.
Derek:What is that? This is the book, The Gold by Eliyahu Goldrat, which started the whole theory of constraints thing.
Bryn:Yep.
Derek:So I'm gonna tell a story about when I was reading The Goal, when I was first introduced to it. And one of the one of the pivotal moments in the book is when the protagonist who's a plant manager and his plant's gonna get shut down, has to go on a hike with his son and the boy scouts. And he starts to learn principles of production based on watching the boys hike. And while I was reading this book, I had the opportunity, unexpected, to lead a group of Canadian boy scouts on a hike in the Canadian Rockies, and it burned it in my like, I just You were living got this. Could because I was living that.
Derek:I totally got it. So I'm gonna be able to share that experience and then take it from there into this idea of system site.
Bryn:Wow. I love it. I I think that's that's fantastic. So yeah. So you're gonna be able to kind of bring it down to an earthy level, to a Rocky Mountain high level, I guess.
Bryn:Right?
Derek:Well, I just I just think that after listening to my talk, they might have learned something about theory of constraints, but I hope they really all wanna go hike in the Rockies. I love it. Which by the way, I had a chance to do this summer. And going back to my first time in the Rockies, it's been fifty three years of backpacking in the Rockies.
Bryn:Can can I just kinda take a little off ramp here off the freeway for a second? So when you're up in the Rocky Mountains, are you able to kinda shut it down a little bit or do you view everything like this that you do in life? Like, you able to turn it off a little bit?
Derek:Oh, you know, I turn off the work.
Bryn:Okay. But
Derek:okay. Like, so my my inbox and my to do list and stuff like that completely disappear. But as as I've said in previous podcasts, you know, there's just a few key axioms that we work within Essential Dynamics. And one is natural law. And I find being in nature is a great way to get reconnected to natural law.
Derek:So to me, it's all one. But it's it's it's not work to be in the Rockies and think about but I'll just share another example. So I did go get to go backpacking this summer. But last week, I was able to go on a canoe trip with my son and his family. And so we were, like, 40 kilometers canoeing on Myrtle Lake in British Columbia.
Derek:And I'm I'm learning how to paddle at the back of the canoe, which you're responsible for going straight. And it's all physics.
Bryn:Wow.
Derek:It's all physics. It's all it's all connected, Brynn.
Bryn:See see, my idea of Essential Dynamics on a hike is, can I be faster running than Derek if we run into a grizzly bear?
Derek:That's right.
Bryn:That would be that I I don't even know if that works. I would have to break it down, but nonetheless. Okay. So so, anyway, like I said, a little off ramp on the freeway. So so so Manchester sounds like it's gonna be very, very exciting for you, so I'm pumped up about that.
Bryn:What else are you gonna be doing there besides speaking? Are you gonna be looking for people that you can add to our podcast? Like, what can people look forward to as we move into a new fall and winter season?
Derek:Well, I just had this idea today, but there's a phenomenal list of speakers at this conference and then a phenomenal bunch of people who aren't speaking. And so I'd be very interested in having conversations with some of those people while I'm there. And we'll patch those together and put them on future episodes of the podcast. And of course, bring some guests from that community on it at later times.
Bryn:Any connection between open source and Manchester as well?
Derek:Well, yeah. It's a it's an opportunity to for me to share some of these things with a wide audience. And then and then the link I'm gonna give them goes straight to a landing page on the Wiki which introduces Essential Dynamics in the Kernel based on the speech that I'm giving and opens it up. So I I would love to see the work that I do, help consultants and practitioners and people within companies do stuff better. I that's why I make it an open source is I wanna see it everywhere.
Bryn:Okay. So I'm excited by another thing here. As you come back from this trip to Manchester, we move into September, October, November, December. Moving into kind of a new season. What can people look forward to?
Bryn:And what what will you take out of Manchester, and how can you apply it to your podcast?
Derek:So, Britton, that's a lot of stuff, but I think one of the things that I'm challenged with is I've had a lot of people reach out and say that they'd like to be on my podcast. Great. And I really do like interviewing, but I feel a deep responsibility to take this Essential Dynamics stuff as we've refined it and to share that in its most sort of comprehensible way. And and so to have someone who's coming from a different place who has a different thing that they wanna promote, it's it's not really working for me, and and I'd love it. If I was a podcaster, would love maybe I want two podcasts.
Derek:But for this one, I need to stay true to the concepts that we're sharing. And so we're gonna think in the fall and future about how do we make this more and more useful, accessible to people, whether they're running big organizations or just trying to get through, you know, interesting challenges in their life.
Bryn:Best part of this, though, is you're gonna make contacts at this event and to be able to mine other ideas or to take this subject matter and even take it bigger, make it a little more diverse. I love other opinions on things too on this on any kind of topic. So so I'm excited about this. I'm excited for you because I think it's gonna be great. I think you're gonna have a lot of fun.
Bryn:But it I'm already pumped up about September and October because I just think it makes you a little more it it polishes you up even more than you already are.
Derek:Well, I I really like the idea of, you know, we've said this on the podcast before, testing ideas through deep conversations with interesting people. And so, yeah, a ton of interesting people that I'll I'll meet or meet again at this conference, and that should create some great conversations and some great insights.
Bryn:So here I am interviewing you on this particular episode, more out of curiosity than anything because you just kinda threw this at me today, which is has been fun. But how do you wanna sum this episode up before you head off to Manchester in The UK?
Derek:Well, I think the world needs more essential dynamics. And we need simple ways of thinking through complex problems, not dumb ways, Bren, but ways that have been tested or refined and get to the essence of things. And that's why I like to talk about I get a chance to do that in a group of people who are already sort of conditioned to find the the key variable in a situation. And then I've I've now created an environment where for me, winning is having more and more people see it and use it. And
Bryn:I gotta ask you. In episode one, did you think you'd get to episode one thirty eight?
Derek:I I on episode one, I was wondering if there's gonna be an episode two, Brent.
Bryn:Most people are that way. Most you know, most people don't get to episode three of a podcast. I was not aware of the stats on it. It's incredible, but here you are at one thirty eight. Actually, sorry.
Bryn:This is one thirty nine.
Derek:This is one thirty nine. Yep. Yeah. It's been it's been real fun. And one of the points that I make about seeing the system is you have to have a conversation with somebody else.
Derek:You can't see the system from inside the system. And so this podcast has been a way for me to step outside of Essential Dynamics while I'm building it and saying, hey, does this make sense? So I really appreciate all your time and work on this over the years and all the guests that we've had and the people who listen and give me feedback.
Bryn:Well, I can't wrap this up and go consider Derek's quest. You gotta wrap this up. I'm gonna just shut up now and you just take it from here.
Derek:Well, thanks everyone for listening. As I said, I'm really excited about the opportunity to make Essential Dynamics open source, excited to be at TOC Innovation Summit. If you're interested in the Kernel, go to essentialdynamics.wiki/kernel and until next time, consider your quest.