What Does “But” Really Mean?
As I coach writers and consultants with their various businesses, I hear a lot of “but”s. “But, I can’t offer that product or service.” Or, “But, I can’t write an…
Read moreWill They Miss Me When I’m Gone?
I read Dwayne Phillips’ One of the Ultimate Compliments at Work and started thinking about being indispensable. I wonder if people want to be indispensable or if they want to…
Read moreWhen Can You Optimize For Resilience Over Anything Else?
I’ve been working on my 2020 strategy and tactics. I think further out, but I don’t plan for more than one year at a time. And, I break that down…
Read moreHow Do You Want to Be in the World?
I like years that end in zero or five. I think of these years as bookends. A nice way to wrap the previous years and to start the next year(s).…
Read moreHow Often Do You Reflect?
I’m gathering my data from this past year to prepare for my strategy for next year. I gather quantitative data about books, workshops, talks, and more. I assess my feelings…
Read moreHow Do You Feel When You Achieve a Significant Milestone?
I’ve been pushing myself to get the second book of the Modern Management Made Easy triad ready for my technical reviewers. I found a ton of little problems and then…
Read moreWhen Does it Make Sense to Change Your Lane?
On my way to an appointment the other day, I saw traffic backed up. The left lanes—the through lanes—looked stuck. I signaled and turned to get into the middle lane.…
Read moreAre You Too Busy to Continue Learning?
I’ve learned a ton about software projects. One thing I know is that any project that uses continuous integration (agile or not) has a better chance of succeeding. Not a…
Read moreDo You Choose to Mistake-Proof or Future-Proof?
A client trying to use an agile approach said, “I want to future-proof my organization. I want the assurance we will be here for years and years.” I asked him…
Read moreWhat Can You Learn from the Experience?
Jerry Weinberg used to say something like this. This is what I remember. I don’t know if this is the actual quote: “You paid the tuition for the experience. The…
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