When I was a kid, I went to summer camp. I loved it. In the last week, I would say to myself, “This is the last Monday. How can I make this my best Monday?” I decided on one thing and did that. Those last weeks were my best weeks. A couple of years went […]
How Can You Use Your Projected Last Moment to Create a Great Present Moment? Read More »
Every so often, I enter into a situation where I’m unsure of myself. I encountered this just last week. The organizers and panelists on a large Zoom call had created working agreements. We spoke according to those agreements. And we knew that a couple of people were going to join late, an hour into the two-hour
How Can You Be Even More True to Yourself? Read More »
Every community contains “messy” humans. We are all imperfect in many ways. Too often, we show these imperfections in our communities. That’s when our professional contributions collide with our personal messiness. Let me confess right now: I am not perfect. At all. I have a healthy ego. I often wonder when my ego crosses the
How Do We Reconcile a Person’s Professional Contributions with Their Personal Behaviors? Read More »
You’ve seen leaders contribute as professionals. They excel and create a cohort that grows beyond anyone’s expectations. They become famous. Then, you notice personal behavior that makes you nervous. They might: Drink too much at public events. Make jokes about sexuality, origin, or some other personal aspect. Attempt (or do) use their position to attract
When Do We Consider People Beyond Redemption? Read More »
When Do You Choose to Rebel or Comply? Since I live in the US, I’ve been thinking a lot about the state of our society and when we choose to continue the status quo or change. Some societal problems, such as the Black Lives Matter movement, have prompted many people to rebel against the status
When Do You Choose to Rebel or Comply? 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 »
In my consulting work, I work with a variety of leaders in organizations. Some have title-based responsibilities, such as VP, Director, Manager. Some have position-based responsibilities, such as Product Owner, project manager, Scrum Master. Their responsibilities weigh on them. And, they speak about these responsibilities differently. Sometimes, they discuss being responsible for other people’s work. I see
Are You Responsible To or For? 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 »
I participated in a breakfast meeting yesterday, called “What is the Future of Work?” We had great discussions and I had more questions. Technology advances help us change and (often) work better. In particular, I was thinking about automation and the changing cost of friction for work especially compared to my early work choices. Depositing
What Could Be the Future of Work? Read More »