(I can’t write about the shooting in Texas. My heart is too heavy. Instead, I’ll write about problems we can solve.) At a recent dinner, friends described this problem: “On a recent flight, we took off late. Many people on the plane had connecting flights. The flight attendants made the obligatory announcement about waiting for […]
When Is a Small Application of Money the Right Tool to Solve This Problem? Read More »
In our daily lives, we manage all kinds of risks. We fill up our cars with gas so we get to where we’re going. In addition, I’ve learned to check the maps before I leave. That’s because the map in my head has pruned several non-local roads because I barely drove anywhere during the pandemic.
How Do We Manage Risks Without Theater (the Illusion of Management)? Read More »
I feel as if I see more problems and crises than I know what to do with right now. Sometimes, I want to wade right in and solve those problems. Sometimes, I assess quickly and realize I have good possibilities. However, there’s a third option, and that’s when I stay stuck. In my case, it’s
When Do You Choose Which Kind of Problem-Solver You Are? Read More »
Many people keep searching for this “new normal.” In my opinion, too many of them want the new normal to be just like the old normal was. But we’ve learned so much through this pandemic. I don’t want to “go back” to the old ways of working and living. Instead, I want to go forward
How Do We Lead to Create an Adaptable New Normal? Read More »
Despite all the uncertainty we see these days, some people still value predictions and certainty over adaptability and resilience. Then, when their predictions and certainty don’t work, these folks suddenly value adaptability. When we show others the value of our flexibility, we don’t surprise ourselves with fake certainty. We can, especially if we show others
Three Ways to Show Others the Value of Your Adaptability and Resilience Read More »
I learned something new this week, about falsifiable and non-falsifiable claims. When we use hypotheses to examine the world around us, we look for observations that can disprove that hypothesis. In other words, we want to see if we can make the experiment fail in some way, to understand more. As an example: Hypothesis: All
How Can We Honor Other People’s Values and Move to Falsifiable Claims? Read More »
How Much Balance Do We Need to Excel and Succeed? I’m a sucker for the Olympics. You name the sport—yes, even ones I don’t know or understand—and I can spend hours transfixed. Not because of the sport itself, although I often wonder how people chose that specific sport. But because these athletes use physical, mental,
How Much Balance Do We Need to Excel and Succeed? Read More »
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
Which Battles Do You Choose to Fight and When? Read More »
I’m working on my next year’s “plans.” I use quotes around that word because I use lean approaches to plan my work. I decide which work to do now, and I finish that work. Then, I pick from many options for the next bit of work. Based on my throughput, I have enough possibilities for
Three Questions to Become More Adaptable and Resilient in the Future Read More »
When did you last exchange a business card with someone? I’m sure it was either in March 2020 or earlier. Over the past (almost) two years, we’ve proven we don’t need paper business cards. Yet, some people still print them. I wonder how many of these pre-pandemic rituals we will retain and how many we
How Can We Rethink Business Card Rituals and Still Connect with Each Other? Read More »