At my instigation, Mark and I went to Norway last week to see the Northern Lights. We had a terrific time. (If you want to see just one image, go to the online version of the newsletter.) Mark found an accessible tour, so I saw the lights from two perspectives: standing in the cold—and sitting […]
When Do You Make Assumptions About Other People’s Abilities? Read More »
I feel as if the world is on fire—or is a half-step away from being on fire. The terrorist attack in Israel, the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, and the subsequent terrorist threats across the world. Then there’s our politics in the US. The less said on that, the better. A dear friend and colleague will
How Can You Succeed When the World Challenges Your Problem Solving and Resilience? Read More »
This past week, I allowed other people’s behaviors to irritate me to the point of grumpiness. Even though I know better, I still allowed those people under my skin. I’ve been trying to move to more tolerance for their behaviors—because I can’t change those other people. And, I’m trying to change my reactions, so I
How Do You Move Past Grumpiness to (at Minimum) Tolerance? Read More »
People ask little kids what they want to be when they grow up—to talk about their dreams. Back when I was a kid, I had no idea about all the possibilities. I’d seen doctors, nurses, teachers, and businessmen. (No businesswomen. Yes, I am that old!) And even as a kid, I realized doctors had power—much
When Is It Time to Set Aside Your Current Dreams and Start Over? Read More »
Because I was traveling last week, I had a long list of plans for this week, mostly involving writing. Sure, I need to maintain my workouts and other personal deliverables, but I had big, big plans. Several things derailed my plans: My return flight to Boston arrived at 3:30 on Saturday morning, not 8 pm
How Do You Manage When All Your Beautiful Plans Go Poof? Read More »
If you’re like me, you have plenty of improvement goals. I have personal, professional, and office-cleanup goals. (Since my office appears to be a perennial mess, I count that as a separate and very subsidiary goal.) I often use the compounding effect to make those improvements. The compounding effect works very well for money. Put
How Can You Use the Compounding Effect to Achieve What You Want? Read More »
I continue to see more senior leaders who want everyone to return to the office because they think people were more productive then. However, these same companies have a ton of data that they are actually more productive when people work from their desired location. The data doesn’t deter these leaders from wanting what they
How Many Other Ways Can You Get What You Want? Read More »
A dear friend received bad health news. He can learn to manage his health challenges, but he will never return to his previous great health. Now that he has a diagnosis, he’s getting both the medication and various therapies to support his journey to becoming okay. However, some members of his family think that “being
What Meaning Do You Make When You Hear “Things Will Be Okay?” Read More »
I recently replied to a tweet, based on my assumption of what I read. Here’s the tweet: How do you describe product management to your mom? I jumped to the assumption that this question was one of those “mom” memes, where (mostly) young men ask a question that assumes that moms are not technical, incapable
Which Assumptions Do You Bring to What You Read? (& My Recent Experience) Read More »
I’m one of those voracious readers. Once I learned to read, I read everything. And other people can tell because there are words I say wrong, because I only read them, not heard them. (Which is sometimes hilarious!) My folks decided they wouldn’t censor what I read as long as I talked to them when
Who Do You Want to Decide What You Can Read, See, or Hear? Read More »