I’m still in chaos about where we are as a society and where we’re going. Some of my friends are learning to live on a lower salary. Some of my consulting colleagues have trouble finding clients. Add all the civil unrest and all the COVID-19 unknowns, and nope, I can’t see into the future much. […]
Three Possibilities to Imagine Our Future Read More »
I listened to Marcus Blankenship’s podcast Finding Career Opportunities Through Experimentation with Josh Doody. During the podcast, Marcus said something like this (I’m paraphrasing): “I wonder which was the problem: the decision or the outcome?” I thought that was a wonderful frame for how we might think about decisions. I don’t always differentiate between the
What’s the Problem: the Decision or the Outcome? Read More »
At a business workshop last year, I had a sort-of revelation. Everyone there struggled to answer this question: Where do we spend our time? Everyone I know, consultants, my clients, my writer friends—all of us share this concern. We all have too many possibilities for where we could spend our energy and time. We need
Where Do We Choose to Spend Our Time? Read More »
I’ve been thinking about how much power our elected officials have and how that varies by country. In the US, we grant power to the people we elect. And, we take back our power when we think they’ve gone “too far.” I live in Massachusetts, where we’ve had quite the outbreak of COVID-19. Our governor
How Do You Exercise Your Power? Read More »
We have some ideas about how to manage the coronavirus. We know that if we ask people to shelter in place—for a while—we can avoid overwhelming the local hospitals. Once we are past the initial surge of cases, we can begin limited reopening of our “common” areas. (Businesses, restaurants, parks, and more.) I see differing
Can We Choose for the Common Good? Read More »
With any luck, you’re working from home this week. I bet you’re thinking of creating any number of possibilities: A schedule you can all live with. Food for three meals a day. How to prevent anyone in the house saying, “I’m bored.” Those are the table stakes—the minimum stakes for times like these. (I wrote
What Can You Create Now? Read More »
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 guarantee, but a much better chance. I’ve learned other things I find necessary for successful software projects. Two of my favorites are the need for
Are You Too Busy to Continue Learning? Read More »
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 learning is optional.” The paid tuition part is about either choosing to go to school or choosing an experience—a workshop, a job, any experience at
What Can You Learn from the Experience? Read More »
We do favors for each other all the time. Those favors don’t have to be reciprocal. If I do a favor for you, I’m pretty sure I can ask for something (help or a favor) in the future. Or, the other person will pay it forward in some way. Sometimes, I receive requests for book testimonials,
How Can You Make it Easy? Read More »
I’m writing this on July 4, 2019, Independence Day in the US. We celebrate in wonderful ways if you grew up here. I suspect if you’re looking in from the outside, our celebrations seem a little strange. What we celebrate is—in my opinion—the most outrageous and courageous experiment in self-government across the planet. it started
When Are Your “Truths” Not Self-Evident? Read More »