When Do You Choose the Safe Path?
Early in my career, IBM dominated the computer landscape. They had the big mainframes. There were some alternatives, such as Xerox. I used a Xerox Sigma 6 in school. (I…
Read moreWhat’s the Solvable Problem?
I had a difficult time seeing a site on my iPad. I grumbled about it to Mark. I said, “They must have changed the font.” He replied, “Is your screen…
Read moreCan You “Just” Anything?
Too often, I hear the word “just” when modifying a feeling. “Can’t you just shake it off?” Or, “Can’t you just move on?” Or, “Can you just go along with…
Read moreWhen Do You Need to Reframe the Problem?
We have problems in our lives. Sometimes, we can fix those problems. Sometimes, we cope with those problems. Sometimes, we manage those problems. And, some problems might appear to have…
Read moreDo You Have Rules for Reading?
A comment on When Do You Make Time to Think? got me thinking about books. I am a big, big reader. On vacation, I can easily read two, sometimes three…
Read moreWhen Do You Make Time to Think?
Everyone is crazy-busy. Too many of us multitask, listening to a book or podcast when we walk or drive, focusing and pushing through on specific work, making the “most” of…
Read moreHow Do We Recognize When We Box Ourselves In?
I’ve been talking with people in various mediums about how their agile approach is working. All these people have similar problems: they are trying to use a specific agile approach.…
Read moreAre You Fighting to Build Your Empathy Skills?
I was writing the geographically distributed agile teams book this morning with Mark Kilby. I said, “I have to fight for all my empathy skills. They might come naturally to…
Read moreWhat’s the Worst Thing You Could Do?
I often think about the worst thing that could happen, as a way to manage risk. That’s one alternative. Sometimes, when I’m stuck on a problem, I think about the…
Read moreWhen Can Structure Enhance Your Creativity?
I like structuring my work. Some structures don’t box me in. I use timeboxes and a daily structure to organize my time. I have a default set of book and article…
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