I’ve been following the issues and the punishments in the college admissions scandal. If you’re not based in the US, you might have missed this. The idea is that wealthy parents bribed and cheated their children’s way into elite schools. I’m not going to discuss the scandal itself. This post is about understanding the culture […]
What Do We Choose to Reward and Punish? Read More »
We do favors for each other all the time. Those favors don’t have to be reciprocal. If I do a favor for you, I’m pretty sure I can ask for something (help or a favor) in the future. Or, the other person will pay it forward in some way. Sometimes, I receive requests for book testimonials,
How Can You Make it Easy? Read More »
How do you feel about change: do you like what’s new or what works? Sometimes I like new things. I love to try new recipes—often with company! I’ll try new software without a second thought. I’ll try various processes for my own work, especially if I think I’ll get a throughput bump. I especially like
Do You Want What’s New or What Works? Read More »
I was talking with my father recently about my writing workshops. I’m finishing the last touches on the first one and hope to finally make it available for registration any day now. (Famous last words.) I explained that even though people signed up for the workshops knowing they would do 15-30 minutes a day of
When Do You Suffer from FEAR? Read More »
Why do all the batteries die at the same time? I had a dying battery day yesterday. My mouse batteries died a day after I replaced them. The kitchen scale batteries died. My little clock near my computer had a dead battery. I went back and forth to the battery box several times yesterday. Things
When Do You Address This Problem? Read More »
At 7am today, the roads are a slick sheet of ice. So are the driveways and sidewalks. We had some snow yesterday which changed to freezing rain. The temps went below freezing last night and now, everything is slick and frozen. It’s dangerous for anyone to walk outside, never mind me, a dizzy broad. I’m
How Long Do You Wait? Read More »
I love to take vacations. Yes, I love my work, and I love to take vacations. I just returned from 12 days in Israel. In the past, when I have traveled to Israel, I mostly work and have a little vacation. I changed that this time. I only toured and relaxed. I had a blast.
What Do You Learn from Your Vacation? Read More »
A colleague sent me an email this morning. She had read Agile and Lean Program Management, and especially liked the section called “Potentially Useful Practices.” She told me she thought of them as “pup”s and was going to use that idea for a talk she was developing. She talked about cute puppies—which one was a
When Are You Serious? Read More »
Given that I’ve published so much, I meet people who say, “I want to write. But, I need to wait for a good time to write.” Or, they say they need an outline or permission from someone—a boss or a spouse. I can be pretty sure about one thing: these people will never write anything. The
What Are You Waiting For? Read More »
I start new things all the time. I mostly finish them. Some, I decide to put aside until I am ready or not as busy, so I can manage the risks. I often find that the things I put aside are the audacious ideas. The ideas that are highly risky, or will take some learning,
What’s Your Audacious Idea? Read More »