Many years ago, when I was a director of something at a long-ago company, our Best Customer had an outage at 8 or 9 in the evening. The customer called our senior management, who called me. “We have a Big Problem that you need to fix Right Now.” I received that message loud and clear. […]
When Solving Problems, Do We Consider Sleep as One of the Steps? Read More »
I keep hearing this phrase in the news: “Out of an abundance of caution…” Then the newscaster explains certain actions. Why not just talk about risk management? What’s wrong with discussing risk? Here’s my theory: the words “abundance of caution,” means all of these things: We think there’s a potential problem, but you don’t have
Why Do We Say “An Abundance of Caution” Instead of Risk Management? Read More »
A couple of weeks ago, Mark was traveling, so I cooked dinners for myself. Because of my vertigo, I plan what to cook and when. One of my favorite dinners is baked-and-then-broiled salmon with roasted veggies. Since we roast the veggies with garlic and olive oil, we need to stir the veggies partway through the
How Can You Decide It’s Time to Retire & Replace Old Tools, Such as Spoons? Read More »
My husband, Mark, momentarily lost his keys this morning. Except, it wasn’t just a moment—it was about five minutes. He planned to load several items into the car, return to the house to kiss me goodbye, and then leave. Except, he was stuck on Step 1, loading items into the car. We have other car
When Do You Assist, Support, or Inflict Help? Read More »
Today is a maintenance day at Chez Rothman. Our heating system has an error code, and we’re upgrading our wifi. So people are stomping around—and I’m very happy about that. What we’re doing today is “extra” maintenance—updating and upgrading. We do normal maintenance all the time. The cleaning people make our house sparkle once a
How Do You Manage to Notice When You Need Updates or Upgrades? Read More »
Many of my colleagues are in the midst of change. Some people are looking for new jobs. Some writers are looking for places that will buy their stories. Others are considering consulting. All these people have something in common—they want to take that first step. Except, many of them stop before they do. Instead of
How Can You Know You’re Good Enough to Take That First Step? Read More »
Have you ever had a long-term disagreement with someone else? I’m going to discuss something small: when to take the garbage out for garbage day. (Talk about a first-world problem!) Our garbage day is Wednesday and nothing about our pickup is predictable. The current garbage company picks up the recycling and the actual garbage at
What Would Have to Be True for That Outcome to Occur? Read More »
You want to change something—maybe a personal change or an organizational change. You’ve seen the headlines: “proven ways to lose weight!” or, in my context, “proven agile transformation success!” These people claim they have the One Right Way to succeed at something. They probably have succeeded—maybe even several times. They can explain the journey, from
What’s Your Context for Your Success In Solving This Problem? Read More »
When did you last exchange a business card with someone? I’m sure it was either in March 2020 or earlier. Over the past (almost) two years, we’ve proven we don’t need paper business cards. Yet, some people still print them. I wonder how many of these pre-pandemic rituals we will retain and how many we
How Can We Rethink Business Card Rituals and Still Connect with Each Other? Read More »
Do you ever feel pulled in a gazillion directions? I’m having one of those months. All kinds of problems and events are pulling me away from my regular work. As a result, I don’t feel as if I’m creative or productive—or effective. At all. I looked at where I’m spending my time: With family members
Can You Use the Principle of Least Regret to Choose Where to Spend Your Time? Read More »