On vacation, I saw a young girl—maybe 5 years old—throw a ring into the pool and carefully put her head into the water to retrieve it. When she started, she wasn’t very good. Over the course of three days, she became quite good. She hesitated less. She threw the ring farther. She started using her […]
Can You Think, “Until Now”? Read More »
I announced that my estimation book was done and ready for sale today. (See Predicting the Unpredictable is Available.) When I started to manage my book projects myself (as opposed to working with a publisher), I was not sure what to expect. I didn’t know how long anything would take. I didn’t know if I
What Do You Expect of Yourself? Read More »
We all have some resilience. How much? I am a creature of habit for many parts of my life. For example, I like my food routines, such as having the same breakfast every day. I like eating one of the same three lunches each week. While I can change what I eat, I choose not
How Do You Build Your Resilience? Read More »
I’m not happy with my endurance. I decided to work on my leg strength. I decided to take walks in the evening after supper. The first two nights, it rained. Not good for building a habit. I finally started the third night. I was tired that night—I had worked out hard that morning. I walked
Who Do You Compete With? Read More »
We get caught up in our daily routines. I certainly do. Every so often, I have to ask myself, “Where have I stretched, where have I tried to grow?” One of the reasons I like to go to conferences is that I get a chance to try out ideas on people. What will they think?
How Are You Growing? Read More »
I set an appointment with a potential client to discuss their situation. I said in my email, “I’m looking forward to our discussion.” I look forward to discussing people’s challenges. I look forward to my workouts. I look forward to my talks, workshops, and writing. The real question is why do I look forward to all
What Do You Look Forward To? Read More »
When I write books, I write some words I don’t need in this book. (Sometimes, not any book…) Sometimes, I try to write a Pragmatic Manager, and I edit it so much that there are plenty of words I don’t use. I keep files on my hard drive with names such as “StufftoUseSomeday.” I get
What Do You Give Yourself Credit For? Read More »
I like to learn. I like to read. I like to write. I like teaching people new things. I like the discussion that comes when people consider alternatives. When you combine all those things together, you can see I have just about a perfect career as a consultant who speaks, teaches, writes, and coaches. I
What Motivates You? Read More »
There’s a survey over on HBR, Assessment: How Resilient Are You? If you have read the resilience literature, you know how to answer the questions. The questions are all hypothetical, which make them even worse. Sigh. On the other hand, maybe you haven’t read the resilience literature :-) You might get something out of it. Not
How Resilient Are You? Read More »
When we’re young, people ask us what we want to be when we grow up. We consider professions such as doctor, lawyer, policeman/woman, teacher. That’s because when we’re young, we don’t know about options such as computer programming. We answer with professions we’ve seen. As we learn more about professions, we can choose again. When I
Who Do You Want to Be? Read More »