When my older daughter was in high school, we battled often about her clothing. Her school had a dress code that said girls couldn’t wear spaghetti strap tops and their shirts had to cover their backs and bellies. I thought it was my role as her mother to fight that battle on behalf of the …
Have you ever left a bandage on your arm too long? If you leave it on too long, you feel anywhere from discomfort to pain when you pull it off. Does that change your choice—do you choose to rip the bandage off as soon as you realize that? Or do you choose to leave it …
How Do You Choose Between Short-Term Convenience and Long-Term Pain? Read More »
I have limited expertise. (I have many opinions, but I have limited expertise.) That means I need to decide when to trust someone else’s expertise. My decisions depend on many criteria, including the domain—and the personal cost to me. I have substantial expertise in product development, so I check the context, look for options, and …
Whose Experience and Expertise Do You Trust and When? Read More »
As a consultant, I regularly work with managers who want predictability. To get that predictability, they want to remove “all” of the risk. They do a lot of up-front planning and estimation. They try to predict how things will go. Then, “Something Happens.” That Something requires adaptability and resilience to manage the risk. Some of …
I try to give people the benefit of the doubt in email or online. We can’t see the other person’s facial expressions. Or hear the music in the language. However, I flip the Bozo bit when I receive a message from someone as I did this morning on LinkedIn: Based on your profile, we think …
What Causes You to Flip the Bozo Bit on Someone? Read More »
My expertise spans several dimensions. So does yours. Professionally, I’m an expert in many aspects of management and product development. Personally, since I’ve spent so much time in physical therapy over the years, I know what kinds of PT tend to work for me. And let’s not forget my vertigo. I’m an expert in vertigo. …
You might have noticed I missed writing last week’s question-of-the-week. I definitely noticed. Why did I miss a post? I’m not traveling. I have a handle on my client work, workshops, and writing. (A tenuous hold, but I’m still hanging on.) No, it was this website. I posted last month’s newsletter, and then I realized …
Over the years, I’ve been reading about stoicism in small doses. (I can’t stand some of the acceptance nonsense.) I suspect I’m not a very good stoic. I’m too loud and excitable. However, I do find much of stoicism’s ideas useful. That’s because I suggest: We see our reality, first and foremost. We start small …
You might have seen the infamous article about ‘Why I hope to die at 75,‘ revisited. If not, I suggest you read it. Emmanuel’s proposition is that Americans live “too long” after 75. They burden the health care system, their families, and who knows what else. He’s claiming to make this decision for himself. However, …
You might have heard the phrase, “May her memory be for a blessing,” when people discuss Ruth Bader Ginsberg’s death. Molly Conway wrote a wonderful essay. I encourage you to read it. You also might like Rabbi Sacks’ essay about tshuvah, tfilla, and tzedaka. And, I hope you join me in mourning the loss of …